Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis （IPF） is a chronic and fibrotic lethal interstitial lung disease with poor prognosis. It is mainly treated by organ transplantation and administration of chemical drugs， which have poor efficacy and induce side effects， failing to meet the clinical needs. Therefore， it is urgent to develop more safe and effective drugs to treat IPF. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has garnered increasing attention in recent years in the treatment of IPF due to its unique advantages. Increasing studies have shown that TCM has remarkable therapeutic effects on IPF and thus demonstrate broad application prospects. Modern medical research shows that the pathogenesis of IPF can be discussed from inflammation （macrophage polarization）， oxidative stress， epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）， autophagy inhibition and other related signaling pathways， while few studies systematically explain the relationship between the signaling pathways and TCM theory. According to the theory of TCM， lung collateral obstruction is the basic pathogenesis of IPF. Therefore， according to the principle of dredging and replenishing lung collaterals， IPF can be treated with the methods of reinforcing healthy qi and eliminating pathogen， replenishing qi and activating blood， and detoxifying and dredging collaterals， which demonstrate definite curative effect and can effectively relieve clinical symptoms， restore the lung function and blood oxygen partial pressure， improve the quality of life of patients， and reduce adverse reactions. Experimental studies have found that dredging and replenishing lung collaterals have significant effects on IPF inflammation （macrophage polarization）， oxidative stress， EMT， autophagy inhibition and other signaling pathways. Therefore， from the perspective of impediment， this article reviews pathogenesis of IPF， the research progress in TCM treatment of IPF， and the treatment of IPF from active components， single herbs， and compound prescriptions of TCM， with the aim of revealing the scientific connotation of the treatment of IPF from impediment and providing a new theoretical basis for enriching the TCM methods of treating IPF.

The prescription of Qidong Yixin oral liquid is derived from the experience of national medical master Ren Jixue in treating viral myocarditis （VMC）. It has the functions of tonifying Qi， nourishing the heart，calming the mind， and relieving palpitations. It is used to treat VMC and angina pectoris of coronary heart disease caused by deficiency of both Qi and Yin. However，the understanding of its efficacy evidence， advantageous aspects， dosage and administration， and medication safety remains insufficient in clinical practice. Therefore，the development of the Expert Consensus on the Clinical Application of Qidong Yixin Oral Liquid （hereinafter referred to as consensus） was initiated. Consensus strictly followed the process and methods of the expert consensus on the clinical application of Chinese patent medicines of the China Association of Chinese Medicine，successively completing multiple tasks such as the consensus project initiation，determination of clinical problems，evidence search and evaluation，formation of recommendation opinions and consensus suggestions，solicitation of opinions，peer review， submission for review and release， and so on. Consensus formed a total of 10 recommendation opinions and 12 consensus suggestions，clarifying the clinical positioning，efficacy advantages，syndrome differentiation，dosage and administration，combination therapy，timing of medication，adverse reactions，contraindications， and precautions of Qidong Yixin oral liquid，indicating that it has good clinical advantages and safety in the treatment of VMC and angina pectoris of coronary heart disease，providing norms and references for physicians to safely and rationally apply Qidong Yixin oral liquid. Consensus was reviewed and approved for release by the Standardization Office of the China Association of Chinese Medicine on December 23， 2024. Standard number：GSCACM-376-2024.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of Atractylodes chinensis volatile oil microemulsion in relieving depression， thus establishing a theoretical foundation and a new approach for developing it as a novel adjunctive antidepressant. MethodsSixty SD male rats were assigned into four groups： control， model （chronic unpredictable mild stress）， positive drug （flupentixol hydrochloride， 1.8 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， high-dose （16.2， 32.4， 64.8 mg·kg^-1） A. chinensis volatile oil microemulsion. The sucrose preference test， open field test， tail suspension test， and forced swimming test were conducted to measure the sucrose preference rate， total exercise distance， average speed， resting time， tail suspension time， and swimming immobility time before and after treatment. The morphology of the rat brain tissue was visualized by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， norepinephrine （NE）， and cortisol （CORT） in the hippocampal tissue were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Real-time PCR was used to detect mRNA level differences of cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， protein kinase A （PKA）， cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein （CREB）， brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， and tyrosine kinase B （TrkB） in the hippocampus. Western blot was employed to assess protein level variations of cAMP， PKA， CREB， BDNF， and TrkB in the same tissue samples. ResultsCompared with that in the blank group， the body mass of rats in low-， medium-， high-dose A. chinensis volatile oil emulsion groups decreased （P<0.05）， indicating that the modeling was successful. Compared with the model group， medium-， high-dose A. chinensis volatile oil emulsion shortened the tail suspension time， swimming immobility time， and resting time （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while increasing the sucrose preference rate， total exercise distance， and average speed （P<0.01）. No significant changes were observed in the low-dose A. chinensis volatile oil emulsion group. ELISA results indicated that CORT concentrations in the hippocampal tissue of medium and high-dose A. chinensis volatile oil emulsion groups decreased （P<0.01）. In the high-dose group， 5-HT and NE concentrations increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while they had no significant changes in the low-dose group. Real-time PCR results revealed that the mRNA levels of cAMP， PKA， and CREB in the hippocampus of the medium-dose Beicangzhu volatile oil emulsion group increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and those of cAMP， PKA， CREB， BDNF， and TrkB were upregulated in the high-dose Beicangshu volatile oil microemulsion group （P<0.01）. Western blot and immunofluorescence results demonstrated that the protein levels of cAMP， PKA， and TrkB in the hippocampal tissue of the low-dose A. chinensis volatile oil microemulsion group were up-regulated （P<0.05）. The medium-dose Beicangzhu volatile oil emulsion group exhibited increases in protein levels of cAMP， PKA， BDNF， and TrkB （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the high-dose group showed elevationsin protein levels of cAMP， PKA， CREB， BDNF， and TrkB （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBeicangzhu volatile oil emulsion demonstrates certain antidepressant efficacy by inhibiting CORT expression， upregulating the expression of 5-HT， NE， cAMP， PKA， CREB， BDNF， and TrkB， activating the CREB/BDNF signaling pathway to improve the cerebral protection.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of different exercise interventions on metabolism and liver parameters in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）， and to provide evidence-based recommendations for clinical exercise rehabilitation. MethodsThis study was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines， and the protocol was registered on the PROSPERO platform， with a registration number of CRD42025641717. PubMed， Web of Science， Scopus， Wiley Online Library， CNKI， Wanfang Data， and VIP were searched for related articles published up to September 2024. The Cochrane tool for assessing risk of bias was used to assess the quality of articles， and Stata MP 17.0 was used to perform the network meta-analysis. ResultsA total of 57 articles were included， involving 2 648 patients. The results showed that aerobic exercise combined with resistance exercise had the best effect in improving body mass index （mean difference ［WMD］=-0.97， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： -1.66 to -0.28］， P<0.05， surface under the cumulative ranking curve ［SUCRA］=85.4） and triglycerides （WMD=-29.6， 95%CI： -46.66 to 12.54， P<0.05， SUCRA=87.3）； resistance exercise was the optimal intervention method for improving total cholesterol （WMD=-15.99， 95%CI： -24.19 to -7.79， P<0.05， SUCRA=79.9） and glutamine transaminase （WMD=-8.08， 95%CI： -12.13 to -4.02， P<0.05， SUCRA=87.3）； low-intensity aerobic exercise had the best effect in improving aspartate aminotransferase （WMD=-4.3， 95%CI： -8.45 to -0.15， P<0.05， SUCRA=73.5）， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT） （WMD=-3.26， 95%CI： -7.79 to 1.27， P>0.05， SUCRA=82.3）， and glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c） （WMD=-0.6， 95%CI： -2.02 to 0.82， P>0.05， SUCRA=78.8）； moderate-intensity aerobic exercise was the optimal intervention modality to improve Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance （WMD=-0.92， 95%CI： -1.51 to -0.33， P<0.05， SUCRA=69.4）. It should be noted that there were no significant differences in HbA1c and GGT across different exercise interventions （all P>0.05）， suggesting that there was currently no sufficient statistical evidence to support that exercise could improve these two indicators. ConclusionBased on the comprehensive league table and cumulative probability ranking， aerobic exercise combined with resistance exercise， resistance exercise， and low- and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise may be the best exercise modality for improving key indicators in MAFLD patients， and targeted exercise modalities should be selected for intervention against different indicators； however， due to limitations of the original studies， further studies are needed for validation and exploration.

As a patented characteristic medicine of Yi ethnic minority， Pingxuan capsules have the effects of nourishing the liver and kidney， pacifying the liver， and subduing Yang. With the main indications of dizziness， headache， palpitations， tinnitus， insomnia， dreaminess， waist and knee soreness caused by liver-kidney deficiency and liver Yang upward disturbance， Pingxuan capsules are widely used in the treatment of posterior circulation ischemic vertigo， vestibular migraine， benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. However， the current knowledge is limited regarding the efficacy， syndrome differentiation， and safety of this medicine. On the basis of summarizing the experience of clinicians and the existing evidence， this study invites clinical experts of traditional Chinese and Western medicine， pharmaceutical experts， and methodological experts from relevant fields across China to conduct evidence-based evaluation of Pingxuan capsules. The evaluation follows the Specifications for the Development of Clinical Expert Consensus on Chinese Patent Medicines issued by the Standardization Office of the China Association of Chinese Medicine， and reaches 5 recommendations and 16 consensus suggestions. The consensus clarifies the clinical applications， efficacy， dose， course of treatment， combination of medicines， precautions， and contraindications of Pingxuan capsules in the treatment of vertigo and explains the safety of clinical application. This consensus is applicable to clinicians （traditional Chinese medicine， Western medicine， and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine） and pharmacists in tertiary hospitals， secondary hospitals， and community-level medical and health institutions across China， providing a reference for the rational use of Pingxuan capsules in the treatment of vertigo. It is hoped that the promotion of this consensus can facilitate the rational use of drugs in clinical practice， reduce the risk of drug use， and give full play to the advantages of Pingxuan capsules in the treatment of vertigo diseases. This consensus has been reviewed and published by the China Association of Chinese Medicine， with the number GS/CACM330-2023.

ObjectiveThe effects of two microbial fertilizers （Bacillus subtilis fertilizer and Trichoderma harzianum-Purpureocillium lilacinum compound fertilizer） on the growth and development， the accumulation of active ingredients， and the microbial community diversity of rhizosphere soil of Atractylodes chinensis were investigated. MethodsA field experiment was carried out with two-year-old Atractylodes chinensis as the test material. Plant samples were collected during the wilt stage （September 26， 2023） to determine the general agronomic traits of Atractylodes chinensis. High-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was utilized to evaluate the effects of microbial fertilizers on the synthesis and accumulation of four active ingredients （atractylodin， atractylon， β-eudesmol， and atractylenolide Ⅰ） in Atractylodes chinensi. PacBio Sequel sequencing technology was used to explore the differences in bacterial community structures and diversity in the rhizosphere soil of Atractylodes chinensis treated with different microbial fertilizers. ResultsThe two microbial fertilizers had significant growth-promoting effects on Atractylodes chinensis. Compared with those of the CK group， the stem diameter， stem and leaf dry and fresh weight， and rhizome dry and fresh weight of Atractylodes chinensis significantly increased by 0.47-1.07 times （P<0.05） after the application of the Bacillus subtilis fertilizer （16 kg/667 m²）， and those significantly increased by 0.62-0.96 times （P<0.05） after the application of the Trichoderma harzianum-Purpureocillium lilacinum compound fertilizer （1.5 kg/667 m²）. The effect on plant height was not significant. The application of two microbial fertilizers was beneficial to the accumulation of atractylodin， atractylon， β-eudesmol， and atractylenolide Ⅰ （P<0.01）， and the effect of the Bacillus subtilis fertilizer on the accumulation of active ingredients of Atractylodes chinensis was better than that of the Trichoderma harzianum-Purpureocillium lilacinum compound fertilizer. The results of high-throughput sequencing showed that compared with the CK group， the Bacillus subtilis fertilizer （8 kg/667 m²） could significantly increase the diversity of rhizosphere bacterial species by regulating the Simpson index and Shannon index （P<0.05）， and the Trichoderma harzianum-Purpureocillium lilacinum compound fertilizer significantly reduced the bacterial diversity （P<0.05）. The relative abundance of dominant bacteria was compared at the phylum and genus levels. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria （45.73%） and Burkholderia_Caballeronia_Paraburkholderia （9.98%） significantly increased after the application of the Bacillus subtilis fertilizer （P<0.01）， and the relative abundance of Acidobacteriota （20.53%） and Sphingomonas （3.63%） increased significantly （P<0.01） after the application of the Trichoderma harzianum-Purpureocillium lilacinum compound fertilizer. The relative abundance of beneficial bacteria in the Bacillus subtilis fertilizer was slightly higher than that in the Trichoderma harzianum-Purpureocillium lilacinum compound fertilizer. Pearson correlation analysis showed that Burkholderia_Caballeronia_Paraburkholderia and Sphingomonas were positively correlated with the content of atractylodin， atractylon， β-eudesmol， and atractylenolide Ⅰ （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe application of the Bacillus subtilis fertilizer and Trichoderma harzianum-Purpureocillium lilacinum compound fertilizer can increase the yield of medicinal materials and promote the synthesis and accumulation of active ingredients by regulating the rhizosphere microecological diversity of Atractylodes chinensis， and the application effect of the Bacillus subtilis fertilizer is better than that of the Trichoderma harzianum-Purpureocillium lilacinum compound fertilizer.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as a treasure of the Chinese nation, plays a significant role in maintaining public health. In 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council proposed for the first time the establishment of a TCM registration and evaluation evidence system that integrates TCM theory, "personal experience" and clinical trials (referred to as the "Three-in-One" System) to promote the inheritance and innovation of TCM. Subsequently, the National Medical Products Administration issued several guiding principles to advance the improvement and implementation of this system. Owing to the complexity of its implementation, there are still differing understandings within the TCM industry regarding the positioning of the "Three-in-One" Registration and Evaluation Evidence System, as well as the connotation and value orientation of the "personal experience." To address this, Academician WANG Qi, President of the TCM Association, China International Exchange and Promotion Association for Medical and Healthcare and TCM master, led a group of academicians, TCM masters, TCM pharmacology experts and clinical TCM experts to convene a "Seminar on Promoting the Implementation of the ′Three-in-One′ Registration and Evaluation Evidence System for Chinese Medicinals." Through extensive discussions, an expert consensus was formed, clarifying the different roles of the TCM theory, "personal experience" and clinical trials within the system. It was further emphasized that the "personal experience" is the core of this system, and its data should be derived from clinical practice scenarios. In the future, the improvement of this system will require collaborative efforts across multiple fields to promote the high-quality development of the Chinese medicinal industry.

BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies have been approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The present study aims to examine the safety of teriflunomide in Chinese patients with RMS. METHODS: This non-randomized, multi-center, 24-week, prospective study enrolled RMS patients with variant (c.421C>A) or wild type ABCG2 who received once-daily oral teriflunomide 14 mg. The primary endpoint was the relationship between ABCG2 polymorphisms and teriflunomide exposure over 24 weeks. Safety was assessed over the 24-week treatment with teriflunomide. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were assigned to variant ( n  = 42) and wild type groups ( n  = 40), respectively. Geometric mean and geometric standard deviation (SD) of pre-dose concentration (variant, 54.9 [38.0] μg/mL; wild type, 49.1 [32.0] μg/mL) and area under plasma concentration-time curve over a dosing interval (AUC tau ) (variant, 1731.3 [769.0] μg∙h/mL; wild type, 1564.5 [1053.0] μg∙h/mL) values at steady state were approximately similar between the two groups. Safety profile was similar and well tolerated across variant and wild type groups in terms of rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE), treatment-related TEAE, grade ≥3 TEAE, and serious adverse events (AEs). No new specific safety concerns or deaths were reported in the study. CONCLUSION: ABCG2 polymorphisms did not affect the steady-state exposure of teriflunomide, suggesting a similar efficacy and safety profile between variant and wild type RMS patients. REGISTRATION NCT04410965, https://clinicaltrials.gov .
Humans ; Crotonates/adverse effects* ; Toluidines/adverse effects* ; Nitriles ; Hydroxybutyrates ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/genetics* ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins/genetics* ; East Asian People

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery has been a common practice for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, but the response rate varies among patients. This study aimed to develop a ResNet-Vision Transformer based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-endoscopy fusion model to precisely predict treatment response and provide personalized treatment. METHODS: In this multicenter study, 366 eligible patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery at eight Chinese tertiary hospitals between January 2017 and June 2024 were recruited, with 2928 pretreatment colonic endoscopic images and 366 pelvic MRI images. An MRI-endoscopy fusion model was constructed based on the ResNet backbone and Transformer network using pretreatment MRI and endoscopic images. Treatment response was defined as good response or non-good response based on the tumor regression grade. The Delong test and the Hanley-McNeil test were utilized to compare prediction performance among different models and different subgroups, respectively. The predictive performance of the MRI-endoscopy fusion model was comprehensively validated in the test sets and was further compared to that of the single-modal MRI model and single-modal endoscopy model. RESULTS: The MRI-endoscopy fusion model demonstrated favorable prediction performance. In the internal validation set, the area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy were 0.852 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.744-0.940) and 0.737 (95% CI: 0.712-0.844), respectively. Moreover, the AUC and accuracy reached 0.769 (95% CI: 0.678-0.861) and 0.729 (95% CI: 0.628-0.821), respectively, in the external test set. In addition, the MRI-endoscopy fusion model outperformed the single-modal MRI model (AUC: 0.692 [95% CI: 0.609-0.783], accuracy: 0.659 [95% CI: 0.565-0.775]) and the single-modal endoscopy model (AUC: 0.720 [95% CI: 0.617-0.823], accuracy: 0.713 [95% CI: 0.612-0.809]) in the external test set. CONCLUSION The MRI-endoscopy fusion model based on ResNet-Vision Transformer achieved favorable performance in predicting treatment response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and holds tremendous potential for enabling personalized treatment regimens for locally advanced rectal cancer patients.
Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Aged ; Adult ; Chemoradiotherapy/methods* ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome