ObjectiveTo explore the clinical efficacy and mechanism of Bupi Qingfei prescription （BPQF） in treating stable bronchiectasis in the patients with syndromes of lung-spleen Qi deficiency and phlegm-heat accumulation in the lungs. MethodsA randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Patients were randomized into BPQF and placebo control （PC） groups. On the basis of conventional Western medicine treatment， the BPQF granules and placebo were respectively administered at 10 g each time， twice a day， for a course of 24 weeks. The TCM symptom scores， Quality of Life Questionnaire for Bronchiectasis （QOL-B） scores， lung function indicators， T lymphocyte subsets， level of inflammatory factors in the sputum， level of neutrophil elastase （NE） in the sputum， and occurrence of adverse reactions were observed before and after treatment in the two groups. ResultsA total of 64 patients completed the study， encompassing 32 in the BPQF group and 32 in the PC group. After treatment， the BPQF group showed decreased TCM symptom scores （P<0.01）， increased QOL-B scores （P<0.01）， and declined levels of tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α and NE （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The PC group showed decreased TCM symptom （except spleen deficiency） scores （P<0.01）， increased the QOL-B health cognition and respiratory symptom domain scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and a declined TNF-α level （P<0.01）. Moreover， the BPQF group had lower TCM symptom （except chest tightness） scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）， higher QOL-B （except treatment burden） scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and lower levels of interleukin-6 and TNF-α （P<0.05） than the PC group. Neither group showed serious adverse reactions during the treatment process. ConclusionBPQF can ameliorate the clinical symptoms of stable bronchiectasis patients who have lung-spleen Qi deficiency or phlegm-heat accumulation in the lungs by regulating the immune balance and inhibiting airway inflammatory responses.

ObjectiveTo clarify the graded quantitative diagnostic characteristics of lung qi deficiency syndrome in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） based on latent class analysis combined with a hidden structure model. MethodsClinical data， including the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， were collected from 745 COPD patients with lung qi deficiency syndrome. Latent class modeling was performed using R 4.1.2 software， and each patient was classified into one of three severity categories （mild， moderate， or severe） based on probabilistic parameterization， parameter estimation， and model fitting. A database was established for different severity levels of lung qi deficiency syndrome. Based on this， Lantern 5.0 software was used to construct hidden structure models for mild， moderate， and severe lung qi deficiency syndrome， and syndrome differentiation rules were developed through comprehensive clustering. ResultsA latent class model was constructed using 28 symptoms and signs with a frequency greater than 10%. Considering TCM theory and model simplicity， the optimal model was determined when the number of latent classes was three， categorizing lung qi deficiency syndrome into mild （298 cases）， moderate （164 cases）， and severe （283 cases）. Hidden structure models were separately developed for each severity level， and syndrome differentiation rules were established. A comparison of common symptoms in the syndrome differentiation rules for mild and moderate lung qi deficiency syndrome showed no statistically significant differences in diagnostic values and weights （P＞0.05）， leading to their combined analysis and the development of a unified syndrome differentiation rule. Value and weight of quantitative diagnosis of mild-to-moderate lung qi deficiency syndrome were as followed： shortness of breath （diagnostic value 9.3， diagnostic weight 86.92%）， dyspnea on exertion （8.2， 76.64%）， low voice and reluctance to speak （6.7， 62.62%）， poor appetite （4.0， 37.38%）， loose stools （4.0， 37.38%）， weak cough sound （2.9， 27.10%）， wheezing （2.3， 21.50%）， fatigue （1.8， 16.82%）， spontaneous sweating （1.7， 15.89%）， susceptibility to colds （1.6， 14.95%）， swollen tongue （1.4， 13.08%）， teeth marks on the tongue edge （1.2， 11.21%）， deep pulse （1.6， 14.95%）， with a diagnostic threshold of 10.3. Value and weight of quantitative diagnosis of severe lung qi deficiency syndrome were as followed： weak cough sound （15.1， 61.13%）， soreness and weakness of the waist and knees （12.6， 51.01%）， shortness of breath （11.1， 44.94%）， low voice and reluctance to speak （8.3， 33.60%）， frequent nocturia （6.1， 24.70%）， spontaneous sweating （3.7， 14.98%）， susceptibility to colds （3.5， 14.17%）， teeth marks on the tongue edge （7.8， 31.58%）， pale tongue body （1.9， 7.69%）， white tongue coating （5.5， 22.27%）， thin pulse （1.5， 6.07%）， with a diagnostic threshold of 23.7. ConclusionThe combination of latent class analysis and a hideen structure model effectively clarified the graded quantitative diagnostic characteristics of lung qi deficiency syndrome， providing a reference for the quantitative diagnosis of other fundamental syndromes in TCM.

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Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and changing trend of malignant tumor death in Danjiangkou City, the water source area along the middle route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Methods The surveillance data of cancer death cases in Danjiangkou City from 2015 to 2022 were collected, and the mortality rate, gender mortality rate, age-specific mortality rate and the rank of cancer cause of death were calculated. Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the trend of malignant tumor mortality and standardized mortality. Annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were calculated to analyze the trend changes. Results From 2015 to 2022, a total of 6 254 deaths from malignant tumors were reported in Danjiangkou City, with a crude mortality rate of 178.57/100 000 and a standardized mortality rate of 152.77/100 000. There were 4 366 male deaths, and the crude mortality and standardized mortality were 244.70/100 000 and 212.87/100 000 , respectively. There were 1 888 female deaths, and the crude mortality rate and the standardized mortality rate were 109.89/100 000 and 92.69/100 000, respectively. The crude death rate of malignant tumors in the whole population in Danjiangkou City showed an increasing trend from 2015 to 2022, and the difference was statistically significant (AAPC=5.18%, t=4.07, P<0.05). The crude mortality rates of malignant tumors in both men and women showed an upward trend, and the differences were statistically significant (AAPC =5.56% and 4.35%, both P<0.05). The standardized mortality rates of malignant tumors in the whole population, women and men remained stable, and the differences were not statistically significant (AAPC=0.68, 1.59 and -0.74, all P>0.05). The trend analysis of age-specific mortality of malignant tumors showed that the age-specific mortality of malignant tumors in the whole population, men and women showed an increasing trend with age, and the differences were statistically significant (AAPC =9.22%, 9.40% and 8.53%, P<0.05). The mortality rate of malignant tumors in 0-, 1-, 10-, 45- and 70- age groups decreased year by year (AAPC =-79.62%, -7.19%, -65.99%, -8.88%, and -5.83%, all P<0.05). The mortality rate in the age group of over 75 years old showed an increasing trend (AAPC =12.24%, P<0.05), and the differences were statistically significant. The top 10 malignant tumor deaths in the whole population were lung cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer , leukemia , pancreatic cancer , breast cancer , brain malignant tumor and cervical cancer, accounting for 88.49% of all malignant tumor deaths. Mortality rates in lung cancer (AAPC =6.75%), esophageal cancer (AAPC=11.24%), colorectal cancer (AAPC =12.95%), leukemia (AAPC=8.10%), pancreatic cancer (AAPC=15.11%), breast cancer (AAPC=13.11%) and brain malignancies (AAPC=11.16%) showed an increasing trend, and the differences were statistical significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Malignant tumor is the main cause of death in Danjiangkou City. The death rate increases year by year and increases with age. Lung cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer are the main causes of death. Men and the elderly are high-risk groups of malignant tumors. Early detection and treatment of malignant tumors should be strengthened to reduce the incidence and death.

Objective To explore the protective effect of Xionggui Decoction against cardiac myopathy in a mouse model of heart failure following myocardial infarction(MI)and explore the underlying mechanism.Methods We searched TCMSP,GeneCards,and CTD databases for the targets of active ingredients Xionggui Decoction and heart failure,and the intersecting targets were analyzed with GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis using DAVID database.In a mouse model of heart failure following acute MI induced by coronary artery ligation,the cardiac protective effects of 3 g/kg Xionggui Decoction were evaluated by assessing cardiac function,cardiac myopathy and ventricular remodeling of the mice using HE staining,Masson staining,RT-qPCR,and immunohistochemistry.We also tested the effect of Xionggui Decoction at 50 and 100 μg/mL on tert-butylhydrogen peroxide(TBHP)-induced apoptosis of H9C2 cells using CCK8 assay,detection kits for ROS,MDA,SOD,JC-1 and Hoechst 33342/PI staining.Results Network pharmacological analysis identified 62 potential targets of Xionggui Decoction for treatment of heart failure,and the core targets included PTGS2,ESR1,caspase-3,PPARG,HSP90AA1,BCL2,JUN,and GSK3B,which were involved in cell apoptosis and the AGE-RAGE,P53,PI3K-Akt,and VEGF signaling pathways.In the mouse models of heart failure,treatment with Xionggui Decoction significantly alleviated cardiac myopathy and ventricular remodeling,obviously improved heart function of the mice,lowered myocardial expressions of caspase-3 and BAX,and enhanced the expression of BCL2.In H9C2 cells,Xionggui Decoction significantly alleviated TBHP-induced cell apoptosis by inhibiting oxidative stress in the cells.Conclusion Xionggui Decoction can alleviate myocardial injury and improve cardiac function in mice with heart failure following acute MI possibly by inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by oxidative stress.

Objective To investigate the impact of silymarin(SM)on the malignant growth of glioma cells and the regulatory mechanism on the miR-124-3p/WEE1 axis.Methods Glioma U87 cells were grouped into control,SM low,medium,and high concentration groups,and SM high concentration + miR-124-3p inhibitor group(SM high + miR-124-3p inhibitor group).CCK-8 was used to measure the proli-feration rate of cells;Transwell? assay was applied to assay the migration and invasion of cells;cell cycle progression was detected by flow cytometry;Western blotting was applied to measure the expression of cyclin D1 and apoptosis-related proteins;the levels of miR-124-3p and WEE1 mRNA were determined by qRT-PCR;and a luciferase activity test was applied to verify the targeting relationship between miR-124-3p and WEE1;in addition,the establishment,administration,and analysis of a NOD/SCID mouse model of intracranial trans-planted tumor were conducted.Results Compared with the control group,the cell proliferation,the numbers of migrating and invading cells,the expression of cyclin D1,and the level of WEE1 mRNA in the various SM treatment groups decreased,the number of cells in G0/G1 phase,the expression of cleaved caspase-8,cleaved caspase-9,cleaved caspase-3 and miR-124-3p increased(P＜0.05);furthermore,transfection of miR-124-3p inhibitor reversed the inhibitory effect of SM on the malignant behavior of glioma cells.In vivo experiments with mice showed that the weights and volumes of tumors in the SM treatment group were lower than those in the model group(P＜0.05),and there was no discernible change in the weight of the mice(P＞0.05).Conclusion SM can inhibit the malignant growth of glioma cells by upregulating miR-124-3p and downregulating WEE1.

Purpose To establish and evaluate a high-speed fragment-induced penetrating liver injury model in pigs assisted by portable ultrasound.Materials and Methods With the aid of portable ultrasound,the lower edge of the liver at the end of expiration and the lower edge of the right chest at the end of inspiration of 10 Landrace pigs were positioned on the body surface.Then the sighting line was traced to determine the direction of projection and the sighting point.High-speed(about 627 m/s)fragments were projected through an experimental ballistic gun to induce penetrating liver injury.Blood pressure,heart rate,respiratory rate,pulse oxygen saturation and other physiological indexes were measured 15 minutes before shooting and 20 minutes after shooting.20 minutes after injury,the liver injury and the degree of injury were examined by ultrasound.After injury,the liver injury and abdominal fluid accumulation were observed by on-site portable ultrasound,and the size of liver trauma,liver injury grade,abdominal fluid accumulation location and maximum depth were recorded.The degree of liver injury was evaluated by comparison with the gross pathological results.Results Nine out of ten pigs were successfully modeled.The success rate of penetrating liver injury induced by fragments was 90%(9/10),other organ injury in abdominal cavity was 22.22%(2/9),and diaphragm penetrating injury was 22.22%(2/9),which did not occur obvious hemopneumothorax.After injury,the systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,and pulse oxygen saturation of the pigs decreased[(132.44±12.65)mmHg vs.(103.33±33.43)mmHg,(96.44±12.27)mmHg vs.(70.89±24.21)mmHg,(89.44±8.49)%vs.(76.00±13.41)%;t=2.440,2.651,4.084,all P<0.05],and the heart rate increased[(94.00±17.39)times/min vs.(139.89±37.21)times/min;t=3.534,P<0.05].Within 20 minutes after modeling,portable ultrasound images showed that the liver injury was a patchy,heterogeneous,slightly strong echo area with clear and irregular boundary,and the continuity of the local liver capsule was interrupted.The ascites appeared in the abdominal cavity with the maximum depth of(4.16±1.35)cm.The American association for the surgery of trauma(AAST)liver injury grading of gross pathology after the animals were killed showed that there were 6 cases of grade Ⅱ and 3 cases of grade Ⅲ.Along the fragment projection direction,the short diameter measured by ultrasound was positively correlated with the depth of gross pathological laceration(r=0.945,P<0.001).Compared with the gross specimen,the accuracy rate of ultrasonic AAST grading of liver injury was 88.89%(8/9).Conclusion The model of high-speed fragment-induced liver injury in pigs assisted by portable ultrasound is accurate and stable,and portable ultrasound can effectively evaluate the penetrating liver injury,which provides a basis for the treatment of liver firearm injury.

Objective To explore the protective effect of Xionggui Decoction against cardiac myopathy in a mouse model of heart failure following myocardial infarction(MI)and explore the underlying mechanism.Methods We searched TCMSP,GeneCards,and CTD databases for the targets of active ingredients Xionggui Decoction and heart failure,and the intersecting targets were analyzed with GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis using DAVID database.In a mouse model of heart failure following acute MI induced by coronary artery ligation,the cardiac protective effects of 3 g/kg Xionggui Decoction were evaluated by assessing cardiac function,cardiac myopathy and ventricular remodeling of the mice using HE staining,Masson staining,RT-qPCR,and immunohistochemistry.We also tested the effect of Xionggui Decoction at 50 and 100 μg/mL on tert-butylhydrogen peroxide(TBHP)-induced apoptosis of H9C2 cells using CCK8 assay,detection kits for ROS,MDA,SOD,JC-1 and Hoechst 33342/PI staining.Results Network pharmacological analysis identified 62 potential targets of Xionggui Decoction for treatment of heart failure,and the core targets included PTGS2,ESR1,caspase-3,PPARG,HSP90AA1,BCL2,JUN,and GSK3B,which were involved in cell apoptosis and the AGE-RAGE,P53,PI3K-Akt,and VEGF signaling pathways.In the mouse models of heart failure,treatment with Xionggui Decoction significantly alleviated cardiac myopathy and ventricular remodeling,obviously improved heart function of the mice,lowered myocardial expressions of caspase-3 and BAX,and enhanced the expression of BCL2.In H9C2 cells,Xionggui Decoction significantly alleviated TBHP-induced cell apoptosis by inhibiting oxidative stress in the cells.Conclusion Xionggui Decoction can alleviate myocardial injury and improve cardiac function in mice with heart failure following acute MI possibly by inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by oxidative stress.

By consulting the ancient and moderm literature， this paper makes a textual research on the name， origin， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing of Olibanum， so as to provide a basis for the development of the famous classical formulas containing this medicinal material. According to the herbal textual research， the results showed that Olibanum was first described as a medicinal material by the name of Xunluxiang in Mingyi Bielu（《名医别录》）， until Ruxiang had been used as the correct name since Bencao Shiyi（《本草拾遗》） in Tang dynasty. The main origin was Boswellia carterii from Burseraceae family. The mainly producing areas in ancient description were ancient India and Arabia， while the modern producing areas are Somalia， Ethiopia and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The medicinal part of Olibanum in ancient and modern times is the resin exuded from the bark， which has been mainly harvested in spring and summer. It is concluded that the better Olibanum has light yellow， granular， translucent， no impurities such as sand and bark， sticky powder and aromatic smell. There were many processing methods in ancient times， including cleansing（water flying， removing impurities）， grinding（wine grinding， rush grinding）， frying（stir-frying， rush frying， wine frying）， degreasing， vinegar processing， decoction. In modern times， the main processing methods are simplified to cleansing， stir-frying and vinegar processing. Nowadays， the commonly used specifications include raw， fried and vinegar-processed products. Among the three specifications， raw products is the Olibanum after cleansing， fried products is a kind of Olibanum processed by frying method， vinegar-processed products is the processed products of pure frankincense mixed with vinegar. Based on the research results， it is recommended to select the resin exuded from the bark of B. carterii for the famous classical formulas such as Juanbitang containing Olibanum， processing method should be carried out in accordance with the processing requirements of the formulas， otherwise used the raw products if the formulas without clear processing requirements.

AIM:To identify transcriptional differences between the ocular surface ectoderm(OSE)and surface ectoderm(SE)using RNA-seq, and elucidate the OSE transcriptome landscape and the regulatory networks involved in its development.METHODS:OSE and SE cells were differentiated from human embryonic stem(hES)cells. Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between OSE and SE were analyzed using RNA-seq. Based on the DEGs, we performed gene ontology(GO)analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis. Transcription factors(TFs)and hub genes were screened. Subsequently, TF-gene and TF-miRNA regulatory networks were constructed using the NetworkAnalyst platform.RESULTS:A total of 4 182 DEGs were detected between OSE and SE cells, with 2 771 up-regulated and 1 411 down-regulated genes in OSE cells. GO-BP analysis revealed that up-regulated genes in OSE were enriched in the regulation of ion transmembrane transport, axon development, and modulation of chemical synaptic transmission. Down-regulated genes were primarily involved in nuclear division, chromosome segregation, and regulation of cell cycle phase transition. KEGG analysis indicated that up-regulated genes in OSE cells were enriched in signaling pathways such as cocaine addiction, axon guidance, and amphetamine addiction, while down-regulated genes were enriched in proteoglycans in cancer, ECM-receptor interaction, protein digestion and absorption, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Additionally, compared with SE, 204 TFs(including FOS, EGR1, POU5F1, SOX2, and PAX6)were up-regulated, and 80 TFs(including HAND2, HOXB6, HOXB5, HOXA5, and HOXB8)were down-regulated in OSE cells. Furthermore, we identified 6 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated hub genes in OSE cells, and constructed TF-gene and TF-miRNA regulatory networks based on these hub genes.CONCLUSIONS:The transcriptome characteristics of OSE and SE cells were elucidated through RNA-seq analysis. These findings may provide a novel insight for studies on the development and in vitro directed induction of OSE and corneal epithelial cells.