ObjectiveTo determine the optimal combination of the effective monomer components "quercetin-kaempferol-abietic acid-boswellic acid" in Fujin Shengjisan for promoting diabetic ulcer （DU） wound healing through uniform design， thereby achieving the modern application of the ancient formula. MethodsFollowing the principle of "uniform design-pharmacodynamic experiment-mathematical modeling and model verification"， the U₁₄（14⁵） uniform design table was adopted.The four monomer components of Chinese medicine were considered as the independent variables， and the proliferation rate of human umbilical vein endothelial cells （HUVECs） induced by glucose was used as the pharmacodynamic indicator. A mathematical model was constructed using DPS software to correlate the effective monomer components with the pharmacodynamic indicator. The results of uniform design were verified through CCK-8 assay， cell scratch healing， tube formation， Western blot， and Real-time PCR. ResultsAmong the 14 compatibility groups， compared with the high-glucose model group， compound compatibility group 6 showed the strongest proliferation effect and statistical significance （P<0.05）. Four quadratic polynomial regression equations （Y₁-Y₄） were obtained through DPS modeling. Considering the model's fit， stability， and practical application， equations Y₁-Y₃ were selected for the follow-up verification. To ensure experiment reproducibility， group 6 was used for validation. Group 6 and equations Y₁-Y₃ were renamed as compound prescription ① to compound prescription④， respectively， to represent the modern application of the ancient FJSJ Powder through compatibility of monomer components. Verification experiments showed that in the CCK-8， scratch healing， and tube formation assays， the cell viability， wound healing rate， and tube formation number of HUVECs stimulated with 50 mmol·L^-1 glucose were significantly reduced compared with the blank group. Moreover， the expression levels of angiogenesis-related cytokines， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） and fibroblast growth factor 2 （FGF2）， and CD31 secretion were significantly down-regulated. However， after intervention with compound prescriptions ① to ④， compound prescriptions ① and ③ significantly improved the biological functions of HUVECs induced by 50 mmol·L^-1 glucose. Further analysis of the regression coefficients of compound prescriptions ① and ③， and the relative dose ratios of each monomer component， indicated that abietic acid， quercetin， and boswellic acid promoted angiogenesis of HUVECs in the high glucose environment， with a major effect （positive partial correlation coefficients， all > 0.9）. Abietic acid and boswellic acid， as well as kaempferol and boswellic acid， promoted angiogenesis in HUVECs through interaction （positive partial correlation coefficients）. ConclusionCompound prescriptions ① and ③ are the optimal combinations. They can reverse the inhibitory effects of high glucose， stimulate the proliferation， migration， and tube formation abilities of HUVECs in a high glucose environment， and promote the expression of vascular endothelial growth factorA（VEGFA）， FGF2， and CD31， thereby promoting angiogenesis and facilitating DU wound healing. This finding not only confirms the good reproducibility and feasibility of compound prescriptions ① and ③ but also provides new insights and methods for the rational construction of mathematical models to further study the compatibility theory of Chinese medicine.

Amber and subfossil resins are subjects of interdisciplinary research across multiple fields. However, due to their diverse origins and complex compositions, different disciplines vary in their definitions and functional interpretations. In traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), amber has been utilized as a medicinal material since ancient time, with extensive historical documentation. However, its classification, provenance, and nomenclature remain ambiguous, and authentic medicinal amber artifacts are exceedingly rare. This study employed Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) to characterize amber and subfossil resins from various geological sources and commercially "medicinal amber". Additionally, historical literature and market surveys were analyzed to explore their provenance, composition, and functional attributes. The results indicate that amber and subfossil resins from different sources and with different compositions exhibit distinct fingerprint characteristics in the FTIR spectral range of 1 800-700 cm~(-1). "Medicinal amber" available in the market primarily consists of subfossil or modern resins, significantly differing in composition and structure from geological amber. This study highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research on amber identification and resource management. It is essential to establish a systematic database of amber and subfossil resin characteristics and integrate modern analytical techniques to enhance research on their composition, pharmacological mechanisms, and potential therapeutic effects, thereby promoting the standardized utilization of amber resources and advancing the modernization of TCM.
Amber/history* ; Archaeology ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Cinnabar(HgS) was widely used in ancient times for medicinal purposes, religious rituals, and pigments. A group of bright red powdery clumps was excavated from Mawangdui Tomb No.3 of the Han Dynasty. Early studies considered the clumps as evidence of cinnabar's medicinal use during the Qin-Han period. This study employed a range of archaeometric techniques, including extended-depth-of-field stereo imaging, micro-CT, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry FTIR, to systematically analyze the material composition and structural characteristics of these remains. The results revealed that the cinnabar particles were granular, finely ground, and tightly bound to silk matrix, with no detectable excipients typically associated with medicinal formulations. Micro-CT imaging indicated a well-preserved textile structure, with clear signs of sedimentary accumulation and mechanical damage. Based on historical and archaeological studies, this study suggested that these remains were more likely degraded accumulations of cinnabar-colored silk textiles rather than medicinal cinnabar. By clarifying the diversity of ancient cinnabar applications and preservation states, this study provides new insights for the archaeological identification of mineral medicinal materials and contributes to the standardized study of Chinese medicinal materials and understanding of the historical use of cinnabar.
History, Ancient ; China ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history* ; Archaeology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/history* ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Spectrum Analysis, Raman ; Mercury Compounds

A previous study showed that the length of the foreskin plays a role in the risk of sexually transmitted infections and chronic prostatitis, which can lead to poor quality of sexual life. Here, the association between foreskin length and sexual dysfunction was evaluated. A total of 5700 participants were recruited from the andrology clinic at The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei, China). Clinical characteristics, including foreskin length, were collected, and sexual function was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) and Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) questionnaires. Men with sexual dysfunction were more likely to have redundant foreskin than men without sexual dysfunction. Among the 2721 erectile dysfunction (ED) patients and 1064 premature ejaculation (PE) patients, 301 (11.1%) ED patients and 135 (12.7%) PE patients had redundant foreskin, respectively. Men in the PE group were more likely to have redundant foreskin than men in the non-PE group ( P = 0.004). Logistic regression analyses revealed that the presence of redundant foreskin was associated with increased odds of moderate/severe ED (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.31, adjusted P = 0.04), moderate PE (aOR = 1.38, adjusted P = 0.02), and probable PE (aOR = 1.37, adjusted P = 0.03) after adjusting for confounding variables. Our study revealed a positive correlation between the presence of redundant foreskin and the risk of sexual dysfunction, especially in PE patients. Assessment of the length of the foreskin during routine clinical diagnosis may provide information for patients with sexual dysfunction.
Humans ; Male ; Foreskin ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Erectile Dysfunction/epidemiology* ; Premature Ejaculation/epidemiology* ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is prevalent among men, but its relationship with dietary habits is uncertain. The aim of our study was to assess whether dietary patterns enhance erectile function by reviewing the literature published before August 1, 2022, via PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases. The data compiled included author details; publication dates, countries, treatments, patient numbers, ages, follow-ups, and clinical trial outcomes, such as ED cases, odds ratios (ORs), confidence intervals (CIs), and International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) scores with means and standard deviations. An analysis of 14 studies with 27 389 participants revealed that plant-based diets (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.66-0.75; P < 0.00001), low-fat diets (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13-0.53; P = 0.0002), and alternative diets such as intermittent fasting and organic diets (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.36-0.80; P = 0.002) significantly reduced ED risk. High-protein low-fat diets (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.12-1.64; P < 0.00001) and high-carb low-fat diets (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.55-1.04; P < 0.00001) improved IIEF-5 scores. Combined diet and exercise interventions decreased the likelihood of ED (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28-0.85; P = 0.01) and increased the IIEF-5 score (OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.69-5.11; P < 0.0001). Diets abundant in fruits and vegetables (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96-0.98; P < 0.00001) and nuts (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.37-0.80; P = 0.002) were also correlated with lower ED risk. Our meta-analysis underscores a strong dietary-ED association, suggesting that low-fat/Mediterranean diets rich in produce and nuts could benefit ED management.
Humans ; Male ; Erectile Dysfunction/epidemiology* ; Diet ; Diet, Fat-Restricted ; Feeding Behavior ; Penile Erection/physiology* ; Diet, Vegetarian

ObjectiveTo explore the construction of a machine learning model for the diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes in chronic cough and the optimization of this model using the Voting ensemble algorithm. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical data from 921 patients with chronic cough treated at the Respiratory Department of Dongfang Hospital， Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. After standardized processing， 84 clinical features were extracted to determine TCM syndrome types. A specialized dataset for TCM syndrome diagnosis in chronic cough was formed by selecting syndrome types with more than 50 cases. The synthetic minority over-sampling technique （SMOTE） was employed to balance the dataset. Four base models， logistic regression （LR）， decision tree （dt）， multilayer perceptron （MLP）， and Bagging， were constructed and integrated using a hard voting strategy to form a Voting ensemble model. Model performance was evaluated using accuracy， recall， precision， F1-score， receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， area under the curve （AUC）， and confusion matrix. ResultsAmong the 921 cases， six syndrome types had over 50 cases each， phlegm-heat obstructing the lung （294 cases）， wind pathogen latent in the lung （103 cases）， cold-phlegm obstructing the lung （102 cases）， damp-heat stagnating in the lung （64 cases）， lung yang deficiency （54 cases）， and phlegm-damp obstructing the lung （53 cases）， yielding a total of 670 cases in the specialized dataset. High-frequency symptoms among these patients included cough， expectoration， odor-induced cough， throat itchiness， itch-induced cough， and cough triggered by cold wind. Among the four base models， the MLP model showed the best diagnostic performance （test accuracy： 0.9104； AUC： 0.9828）. Compared with the base models， the Voting ensemble model achieved superior performance with an accuracy of 0.9289 on the training set and 0.9253 on the test set， showing a minimal overfitting gap of 0.0036. It also achieved the highest AUC （0.9836） in the test set， outperforming all base models. The model exhi-bited especially strong diagnostic performance for damp-heat stagnating in the lung （AUC： 0.9984） and wind pathogen latent in the lung （AUC： 0.9970）. ConclusionThe Voting ensemble algorithm effectively integrates the strengths of multiple machine learning models， resulting in an optimized diagnostic model for TCM syndromes in chronic cough with high accuracy and enhanced generalization ability.

Based on clinical epidemiological data， it is believed that qi deficiency constitution is closely related to allergic diseases. According to the fundamental principles of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） constitution theory， the intrinsic connection between qi deficiency constitution and allergic diseases is analyzed from the perspectives of inherited endowment， life process， environmental restriction， and the interplay of form and spirit. This paper discusses the key points of regulating qi deficiency constitution to prevent allergic diseases in three stages， prevention before illness， prevention of disease progression， and prevention of recurrence after recovery. It also distinguishes the treatment directions for regulating qi deficiency constitution to treat allergic diseases based on different disease locations such as the lung， spleen， and kidney. This aims to expand new ideas for the research on qi deficiency constitution and allergic diseases as well as the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.

Objective To understand the equity and influencing factors of maternal health service utilization in Changning District, Shanghai. Methods A convenience sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey among mothers of children aged 1 to 1.5 years old who received health services from the child health care clinics and EPI clinics of 10 community health service centers in Changning District, Shanghai from March to April 2022. Count data was expressed by frequency and percentage. Chi-square analysis, binomial logistic regression analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze fairness-related factors. Rate difference, rate ratio and concentration index were used to represent fairness. Results A total of 696 subjects were investigated, with an average age of (33.35±4.76) years. There were statistically significant differences in service utilization among women with different household registrations only in early pregnancy registration (χ²=11.026, P=0.001) and postpartum visits (χ²=4.989, P=0.026). Women with a career showed differently in folic acid supplement (χ²=6.247, P=0.012), early pregnancy registration (χ²=12.989, P=0.002), physical examination in 42 days postpartum (χ²=4.446, P=0.035) and postpartum contraception (χ²=4.061, P=0.044), and the differences were statistically significant. Women with different monthly family income had a statistically significant difference in pre-pregnancy examination (χ²=8.977, P=0.030) and postpartum visit (χ²=16.114, P=0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between women with maternity insurance or not in the early pregnancy registration (χ²=10.576, P=0.001) and physical examination in 42 days postpartum (χ²=8.166, P=0.004). The results of the multivariate analysis showed that occupation (OR=2.616, 95% CI: 1.142-5.990) and maternity insurance (OR=4.490, 95% CI: 1.992~10.120) affected the utilization of service in early pregnancy registration. The monthly household income (OR=0.278, 95% CI: 0.124-0.625) affected the utilization of services in postpartum visit. At the same time, the monthly household income (10,000-19,999: OR=0.286, 95% CI: 0.090-0.907; ≥30,000: OR=0.180, 95% CI: 0.041-0.801) also affected the utilization of service in physical examination in 42 days postpartum. Conclusion The equity of maternal health care service utilization overall is good in central area in Shanghai, but there is still room for improvement. It is necessary to strengthen community mobilization, propagandize maternal health services, and expand the coverage of maternity insurance to improve the equity of maternal health service utilization and provide equal access to maternity health services.

Persistent inflammation plays a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of renal fibrosis. Activation of the pattern recognition receptor retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I) is implicated in the initiation of inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the upstream mechanisms that regulates the activation of RIG-I and its downstream signaling pathway. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were used to establish unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal fibrosis model, and the renal tissue samples were collected 14 days later for analysis. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-treated mouse renal tubular epithelial cells were used in in vitro studies. The results demonstrated that, compared to the control group, UUO kidney exhibited significant fibrosis, which was accompanied by the increases of RIG-I, p-NF-κB p65 and inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-1β. Additionally, the protein level of the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF125 was significantly downregulated and predominantly localized in the renal tubular epithelial cells. Similarly, the treatment of tubular cells with TGF-β induced the increases in RIG-I, p-NF-κB p65 and inflammatory cytokines while decreasing RNF125. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays confirmed that RNF125 was able to interact with RIG-I. Overexpression of RNF125 promoted the ubiquitination of RIG-I, and accelerated its degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Overexpression of RNF125 in UUO kidneys and in vitro tubular cells effectively mitigated the inflammatory response and renal fibrosis. In summary, our results demonstrated that the decrease in RNF125 under pathological conditions led to reduction in RIG-I ubiquitination and degradation, activation of the downstream NF-κB signaling pathway and increase in inflammatory cytokine production, which promoted the progression of renal fibrosis.
Animals ; Fibrosis ; Male ; Ubiquitination ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; DEAD Box Protein 58 ; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases/physiology* ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Ureteral Obstruction/complications* ; Kidney/pathology* ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/pharmacology*

In order to clarify the effects of drought stress training on the quality and drought resistance of Codonopsis pilosula, this study used PEG to simulate drought stress and employed potting with water control for the drought stress training of C. pilosula plants. The polysaccharide content, secondary metabolites, antioxidant system, and photosynthetic pigment system of C. pilosula after drought stress training were analyzed. The results showed that the content of fructans in the root of C. pilosula increased after two rounds of drought stress treatment, and it was significantly higher than that of the control group. The accumulation of fructans in the root of C. pilosula showed an upward trend during the rehydration treatment. The content of lobetyolin and tangshenoside Ⅰ increased after drought stress treatment compared with that of the control group. The rehydration treatment caused first increasing and then decreasing in the content of lobetyolin, while it had no significant effect on the tangshenoside Ⅰcontent. The content of photosynthetic pigments decreased after drought stress treatment, and it gradually increased during the first round of rehydration and the second round of rehydration. Moreover, the increase was faster in the second round of rehydration than in the first round of rehydration. The content of the peroxidation product malondialdehyde(MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD), peroxidase(POD), and catalase(CAT) increased after drought stress treatment compared with those of the control group, and they showed a tendency of decreasing during rehydration. Moreover, the decrease was faster in the second round of rehydration than in the first round of rehydration. When the plants of C. pilosula after drought stress training were again subjected to severe drought stress, the wilting rate decreased significantly, and the biomass increases significantly. This study showed that the drought stress training could promote the accumulation of polysaccharides and secondary metabolites in the root of C. pilosula. When encountering drought stress again, C. pilosula plants could quickly regulate the antioxidant system and delay the decomposition of chlorophyll to respond to drought stress. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the ecological cultivation of C. pilosula in arid and semi-arid areas.
Codonopsis/growth & development* ; Droughts ; Polysaccharides/metabolism* ; Stress, Physiological ; Water/metabolism* ; Antioxidants/metabolism* ; Photosynthesis ; Drought Resistance