OBJECTIVE To study the improvement effect and mechanism of Tripterygium wilfordii multiglucoside （TWM） on nephrotic syndrome in rats. METHODS The nephrotic syndrome model was established by intravenous injection of adriamycin via the tail vein. The modeling rats were randomly divided into the model group （distilled water）， prednisone group （10 mg/kg）， and TWM high- and low-dose groups （10 and 5 mg/kg， respectively）. Additionally， blank group （distilled water） without model induction was established. Each group consisted of 9 rats. Rats in each group were administered the corresponding drugs or distilled water by gavage， once a day， for 6 consecutive weeks. The histopathological morphology of kidney tissues in rats was observed； the levels of 24-hour urinary protein （24 h-UTP） and serum biochemical indicators [albumin （ALB）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， serum creatinine （SCr）， cholesterol （CHOL）， and triglyceride （TG）] in rats were determined； the levels of oxidative stress indicators [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）] in kidney tissue of rats were determined； expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/microRNA-155-5p （miR-155-5p）/nuclear factor erythriod 2- related factor 2 （Nrf2） signaling pathway-related mRNA and protein in the renal tissues of rats were detected. RESULTS Compared with the blank group， the rats in the model group exhibited disordered renal tissue structure， with a small amount of glomerular necrosis and edema of the renal tubular epithelial cells. 24 h-UTP， serum levels of SCr， BUN， CHOL and TG， MDA content， mRNA and protein expressions of HIF-1α and Keap1 as well as the expression of miR-155-5p in renal tissues were increased significantly （ P ＜0.05）. Serum level of ALB， SOD level in renal tissue as well as mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 were decreased significantly （ P ＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， TWM high-dose and low-dose groups exhibited significant improvements in renal injury， with notable reversals in the levels of the above quantitative indicators （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS TWM can alleviate oxidative stress-induced damage and thereby improve nephrotic syndrome in rats by regulating the HIF-1α/miR-155-5p/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the renal protective effect and mechanism of Shenbining granule on IgA nephropathy （IgAN） rats by regulating the CXC chemokine motif ligand 12 （CXCL12）/CXC chemokine receptor 4 （CXCR4）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） signaling pathway. METHODS A total of 60 rats were randomly assigned into blank group （n＝12） and modeling group （n＝48）. IgAN model of modeling group was induced by using bovine serum albumin， carbon tetrachloride and lipopolysaccharide， followed by model validation. Ultimately， a total of 55 rats （9 in the blank group， 46 in the modeling group） were included in the subsequent study. The rats in the modeling group were randomly divided into model group （n＝10）， prednisone acetate group [positive control group， 6.25 mg/（kg·d）， n＝12]， Shenbining granule low- and high-dose groups [4.17， 8.33 g/（kg·d）， n＝12]. They were given relevant medicine/distilled water intragastrically， once a day， for 4 consecutive weeks. After the last medication， biochemical indicators in the urine and serum of rats were measured， and pathological morphological changes in the renal tissues of rats were observed. IgA deposition in the renal tissues， as well as the mRNA expression levels of CXCL12， CXCR4 and STAT3， and the protein expression levels of CXCL12， CXCR4， STAT3 and phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3） were detected. Additionally， the level of interleukin-6 （IL-6） in the renal tissue was measured. RESULTS Compared with the model group， the low-dose and high-dose Shenbining granule groups showed significantly decreased urinary red blood cell count， 24 h total urinary protein， blood urea nitrogen， serum creatinine， and alanine amino-transferase， along with increased Alb levels （P＜0.05）. Pathological damage in the renal tissues was alleviated， with reduced IgA deposition in the mesangial region （P＜0.05）； protein and mRNA expressions of CXCL12， CXCR4 and STAT3， as well as phosphorylation level of STAT3 protein and the IL-6 level， were significantly decreased in renal tissue （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Shenbining granule may exert its renal protective effects in IgAN rats by inhibiting the activation of the CXCL12/ CXCR4/STAT3 signaling pathway， downregulating the expression of inflammatory factors such as IL-6， alleviating renal inflammation， and thereby improving renal pathological damage.

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical treatment plan and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） medication rule of children with primary nephrotic syndrome （PNS） in the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine. MethodsThe gender and age of children firstly diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome in the pediatric nephrology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from November 2019 to December 2022 were collected， and the use of immunosuppressive agents and related frequencies were counted. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria， an independent TCM prescription database for children with nephrotic syndrome was established. Excel was used to analyze the relevant information of the literature. The frequency counting， association rule analysis， and cluster analysis were carried out on TCM in the prescription， and the high-frequent drugs were analyzed. Results（1） General information： A total of 711 children were included， consisting of 522 males （73.42%） and 189 females （26.58%）. The ratio of male to female was about 2.76∶1. The disease mainly occurred in infants and preschool age， and the average age of onset was （4.74 ± 3.48） years old. （2） Clinical treatment plan and use of immunosuppressive agents： Of the 711 children with PNS， 237 were treated with hormone alone （32.33%）， and 474 （66.67%） received immunosuppressive agents combined with hormones. In the initial treatment， hormone combined with Tacrolimus （TAC） was the preferred treatment （32.91%）. For children with refractory PNS who exhibited poor clinical efficacy， Rituximab （RTX） was mostly used for treatment， with a ratio of up to 23.63%. （3） TCM syndrome and medication rule： In PNS syndrome differentiation， Qi and Yin deficiency was identified as the main syndrome. This involved a total of 477 cases， accounting for 67.09%. Yang deficiency of spleen and kidney was observed in 118 cases， accounting for 16.60%. A total of 711 children were included， of which 706 children were treated with TCM. This involved a total of 706 prescriptions， 226 TCM， and 9 793 frequencies. There were 30 herbs used more than 95 times. The top five TCM were Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae （81.16%）， Radix Astragali （71.81%）， Poria （68.84%）， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae （63.60%）， and Fructus Corni （57.37%）. The drug association rules and network diagram showed that the combination of ''Radix Astragali-Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae-Poria'' was the closest， and five types of combinations were obtained by cluster analysis. ConclusionIn the diagnosis and treatment of PNS in children， TAC combined with hormones shows good clinical efficacy and high safety. For children with refractory PNS， RTX combined with hormones can be used. TCM medication for PNS should follow the basic principles of strengthening the body and vital Qi and make good use of drugs such as Radix Astragali， Poria， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae， and cornus to regulate the Yin and Yang balance and achieve better clinical efficacy.

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical treatment plan and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） medication rule of children with primary nephrotic syndrome （PNS） in the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine. MethodsThe gender and age of children firstly diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome in the pediatric nephrology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from November 2019 to December 2022 were collected， and the use of immunosuppressive agents and related frequencies were counted. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria， an independent TCM prescription database for children with nephrotic syndrome was established. Excel was used to analyze the relevant information of the literature. The frequency counting， association rule analysis， and cluster analysis were carried out on TCM in the prescription， and the high-frequent drugs were analyzed. Results（1） General information： A total of 711 children were included， consisting of 522 males （73.42%） and 189 females （26.58%）. The ratio of male to female was about 2.76∶1. The disease mainly occurred in infants and preschool age， and the average age of onset was （4.74 ± 3.48） years old. （2） Clinical treatment plan and use of immunosuppressive agents： Of the 711 children with PNS， 237 were treated with hormone alone （32.33%）， and 474 （66.67%） received immunosuppressive agents combined with hormones. In the initial treatment， hormone combined with Tacrolimus （TAC） was the preferred treatment （32.91%）. For children with refractory PNS who exhibited poor clinical efficacy， Rituximab （RTX） was mostly used for treatment， with a ratio of up to 23.63%. （3） TCM syndrome and medication rule： In PNS syndrome differentiation， Qi and Yin deficiency was identified as the main syndrome. This involved a total of 477 cases， accounting for 67.09%. Yang deficiency of spleen and kidney was observed in 118 cases， accounting for 16.60%. A total of 711 children were included， of which 706 children were treated with TCM. This involved a total of 706 prescriptions， 226 TCM， and 9 793 frequencies. There were 30 herbs used more than 95 times. The top five TCM were Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae （81.16%）， Radix Astragali （71.81%）， Poria （68.84%）， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae （63.60%）， and Fructus Corni （57.37%）. The drug association rules and network diagram showed that the combination of ''Radix Astragali-Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae-Poria'' was the closest， and five types of combinations were obtained by cluster analysis. ConclusionIn the diagnosis and treatment of PNS in children， TAC combined with hormones shows good clinical efficacy and high safety. For children with refractory PNS， RTX combined with hormones can be used. TCM medication for PNS should follow the basic principles of strengthening the body and vital Qi and make good use of drugs such as Radix Astragali， Poria， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae， and cornus to regulate the Yin and Yang balance and achieve better clinical efficacy.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy, safety, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medication patterns of rituximab (RTX) combined with TCM on treating children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). Methods: One hundred and forty-three children with SDNS who visited the Pediatric Nephrology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2018 to December 2022 were enrolled. A cohort study design was adopted, with " RTX treatment" as the exposure factor. Children who met this exposure factor were assigned to the RTX cohort (RTX, glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agent, combined with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatment), whereas those who did not were assigned to the basic treatment cohort (glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agent, combined with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatment ), and followed up for 6 months. The frequency of urinary protein recurrences, urinary protein remission duration, proportion and duration of steroid reduction and cessation, cumulative usage of steroids, proportion of recurrence, recurrence amount of steroid used, efficacy of TCM syndrome, and laboratory and safety indicators after treatment, and height and CD19+ B cell count before and after treatment were compared between the two cohorts. The medication patterns of TCM in the two cohorts were analyzed using frequency statistics, association rule analysis, and systematic clustering analysis. Results: Compared with the basic treatment cohort, the RTX cohort showed a decrease in the frequency of urinary protein recurrence, extended sustained remission of urinary protein, an increase in the proportion of steroid reduction and cessation, a shorter duration of steroid reduction and cessation, a decrease in cumulative steroid dosage, a lower recurrence rate, a decrease in CD19+ B cell count, and a decrease in 24-h urinary total protein quantification and the level of cholesterol (P<0.05). No significant difference in the recurrence amount of steroid used, height, TCM syndrome efficacy, albumin, aspartate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, platelet count, and safety indicators between the two cohorts. Children with SDNS were mostly characterized by qi and yin deficiency syndrome, followed by spleen and kidney yang deficiency syndrome. A total of 175 TCMs were included, including 28 high-frequency drugs such as Huangqi, Fuling, Gancao, Baizhu, Dangshen, and Jiuyurou. The primary use of medication is to nourish the qi and spleen, nourish the kidney, and warm yang. The analysis of association rules yielded eight binary associations and ten three-phase associations, with Huangqi, Baizhu, Fuling, and Dangshen, being the most closely related. Cluster analysis identified four TCM combinations, primarily focusing on tonifying kidney and replenishing essence, benefiting qi and nourishing yin, and removing blood stasis. Conclusion RTX combined with TCM syndrome differentiation treatment can reduce the recurrence frequency of SDNS, prolong the remission period, reduce the glucocorticoid dosage, and have no marked effect on height growth. No apparent adverse reactions were observed. TCM should focus on nourishing qi and yin while removing blood stasis.

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a naturally occurring, low-toxicity, and hydrophilic bile acid (BA) in the human body that is converted by intestinal flora using primary BA. Solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) functions to uptake extracellular cystine in exchange for glutamate, and is highly expressed in a variety of human cancers. Retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RLPS) refers to liposarcoma originating from the retroperitoneal area. Lipidomics analysis revealed that UDCA was one of the most significantly downregulated metabolites in sera of RLPS patients compared with healthy subjects. The augmentation of UDCA concentration (≥25 μg/mL) demonstrated a suppressive effect on the proliferation of liposarcoma cells. [¹⁵N₂]-cystine and [¹³C₅]-glutamine isotope tracing revealed that UDCA impairs cystine uptake and glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Mechanistically, UDCA binds to the cystine transporter SLC7A11 to inhibit cystine uptake and impair GSH de novo synthesis, leading to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and mitochondrial oxidative damage. Furthermore, UDCA can promote the anti-cancer effects of ferroptosis inducers (Erastin, RSL3), the murine double minute 2 (MDM2) inhibitors (Nutlin 3a, RG7112), cyclin dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) inhibitor (Abemaciclib), and glutaminase inhibitor (CB839). Together, UDCA functions as a cystine exchange factor that binds to SLC7A11 for antitumor activity, and SLC7A11 is not only a new transporter for BA but also a clinically applicable target for UDCA. More importantly, in combination with other antitumor chemotherapy or physiotherapy treatments, UDCA may provide effective and promising treatment strategies for RLPS or other types of tumors in a ROS-dependent manner.

Pediatric lupus nephritis(LN),the most severe visceral complication of systemic lupus erythematosus,is characterized by hematuria,proteinuria,and progressive renal dysfunction.It typically presents with an insidious onset,rapid progression,a prolonged disease course,and an unfavorable long-term prognosis.Currently,no consensus exists on the etiology,pathogenesis,or diagnostic-treatment framework for pediatric LN.Based on clinical experience,the proposed core pathogenesis involves"latent pathogens in the triple energizer membrane system with deficiency-induced toxin activation."This mechanism entails the intermingling of heat and blood stasis,forming pathogenic factors that lodge within the triple energizer membrane system.In states of healthy qi deficiency,internal and external factors interact,allowing pathogenic toxins to damage the viscera via the triple energizer membrane network,ultimately targeting the kidneys.The disease progression is classified into three distinct phases.In the latent pathogen phase,internal or external pathogens accumulate in the triple energizer membrane system.Treatment emphasizes pathogen elimination,heat clearance,and healthy qi preservation.In the active renal involvement phase,latent pathogens rapidly disseminate systemically via the membrane network,destabilizing renal essence and causing micro-substance leakage.Treatment focuses on toxin resolution,stasis dispersion,membrane regulation,and renal stabilization.During the triple energizer residual phase,incomplete restoration of healthy qi permits the persistence of dormant pathogens,predisposing to reactivation.Therapeutic focus during this phase includes qi consolidation to restore primordial essence,residual pathogen clearance,and mitigating disease recurrence to delay chronic renal deterioration.This phase-specific differentiation-treatment strategy aims to address disease complexity while optimizing therapeutic outcomes through targeted interventions.

Ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA)is a naturally occurring,low-toxicity,and hydrophilic bile acid(BA)in the human body that is converted by intestinal flora using primary BA.Solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11)functions to uptake extracellular cystine in exchange for glutamate,and is highly expressed in a variety of human cancers.Retroperitoneal liposarcoma(RLPS)refers to liposarcoma originating from the retroperitoneal area.Lipidomics analysis revealed that UDCA was one of the most significantly down-regulated metabolites in sera of RIPS patients compared with healthy subjects.The augmentation of UDCA concentration(≥25 μg/mL)demonstrated a suppressive effect on the proliferation of liposarcoma cells.[15N2]-cystine and[13Cs]-glutamine isotope tracing revealed that UDCA impairs cystine uptake and glutathione(GSH)synthesis.Mechanistically,UDCA binds to the cystine transporter SLC7A11 to inhibit cystine uptake and impair GSH de novo synthesis,leading to reactive oxygen species(ROS)accumulation and mitochondrial oxidative damage.Furthermore,UDCA can promote the anti-cancer effects of ferroptosis inducers(Erastin,RSL3),the murine double minute 2(MDM2)inhibitors(Nutlin 3a,RG7112),cyclin dependent kinase 4(CDK4)inhibitor(Abemaciclib),and glutaminase inhibitor(CB839).Together,UDCA functions as a cystine exchange factor that binds to SLC7A11 for antitumor activity,and SLC7A11 is not only a new transporter for BA but also a clinically applicable target for UDCA.More importantly,in combination with other antitumor chemotherapy or physiotherapy treatments,UDCA may provide effective and promising treatment strategies for RLPS or other types of tumors in a ROS-dependent manner.

Tripterygium wilfordii multiglucoside,the primary active constituent of the Chinese materia medica of Tripterygium wilfordii,has anti-inflammatory and immune-regulation properties and is widely used to treat kidney and rheumatic and immunological diseases.However,the potential adverse effects of Tripterygium wilfordii multiglucoside on pediatric gonadal development have limited its clinical application in pediatrics.According to the traditional Chinese medicine theory,the reproductive toxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii is closely associated with deficiency in kidney essence and tian gui disorder.Based on the"kidney essence-tian gui"theory,this study elucidates the transformation of"kidney essence to tian gui"through the qi transformation of"original noumenon to supreme ultimate,"which is synergistically regulated by the accumulation of kidney qi,consolidation of spleen qi,and conveyance and dispersion of liver qi.It is channeled through the interconnected pathways of the thoroughfare channel,conception channel,and governor channel.The physiological process of"kidney essence to tian gui"is damaged by the bitter,cold,and toxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii,leading to kidney asthenia,spleen deficiency,liver depression,and meridian stagnation,causing tian gui dysregulation.Therefore,this study offers traditional Chinese medicine prevention and treatment strategies for pediatric medication safety,including nourishing the kidney essence to replenish the tian gui source,enhancing the middle jiao to strengthen the tian gui guard,regulating liver qi to promote the operation of tian gui,and unblocking the thoroughfare channel,conception channel,and governor channel to ensure the unobstructed pathway of tian gui.

Objective:To propose a processing method of medical image segmentation based on U-Net network with residual connection under single source domain environment,so as to improve the limited diversity of data samples of medical image in the single-source domain environment.Methods:The medical image data under the single-source domain environment were amplified through image transformation,contrast adjustment,and noise addition.The U-Net network was used as the basic structure,and multiple residual connection modules were introduced to achieve reuse of feature.And then,the features at shallow layer were directly transmitted to deep layer,and features at different levels were utilized for segmentation.The input features were added to the features that were processed by partial network layers,thus better learned the features in the data,and constructed medical image segmentation model based on the U-Net network with residual connection.The segmentation model was trained by using the gradient descent method,and the combination of that and the Generalized Dice Loss(GDL)function.Results:The processing method of medical image segmentation based on the U-Net network can effectively achieve segmentation of medical image.Even under low signal-to-noise ratio conditions and facing to different types of segmentation tasks of medical image,the DSC value was greater than 0.90.Conclusion:The processing method of medical image segmentation based on the U-Net network in this study can effectively enhance recognition ability for the features of complex lesions,and increase the segmentation precise of medical images,and improve the accuracy of clinical diagnosis and the effectiveness of treatment.