Renal fibrosis （RF） is the primary pathological feature of chronic kidney disease （CKD） progression to end-stage renal disease （ESRD）， with glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis as core pathological manifestations. It involves abnormal accumulation of extracellular matrix （ECM） components such as collagen and fibronectin， ultimately leading to structural destruction and functional losses of the kidneys. Sirtuins （SIRTs）， a class of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide （NAD+）-dependent deacetylases， play crucial roles in cellular metabolism， oxidative stress responses， inflammation regulation， and cell survival. In mammals， there are seven distinct SIRT members （SIRT1 to SIRT7）， which collectively ameliorate RF progression through multiple pathways. These include regulating the transforming growth factor （TGF）-β/Smad signaling pathway， suppressing inflammatory responses， reducing oxidative stress， modulating mitochondrial and autophagy functions， and promoting fatty acid oxidation. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and its active components have demonstrated significant potential in activating or modulating the SIRT protease family and its regulatory networks to ameliorate RF in a multi-target and holistic manner. However， systematic reviews in this area remain lacking. This article elucidates the mechanisms by which the SIRT protease family regulates RF and reviews the latest research advances in TCM modulation of SIRTs for the prevention and treatment of RF， aiming to provide new insights and approaches for the TCM treatment of RF.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yangxue Qingnao Pills (YXQNP) combined with amlodipine in treating patients with grade 1 hypertension. METHODS: This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. Adult patients with grade 1 hypertension of blood deficiency and Gan (Liver)-yang hyperactivity syndrome were randomly divided into the treatment or the control groups at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group received YXQNP and amlodipine besylate, while the control group received YXQNP's placebo and amlodipine besylate. The treatment duration lasted for 180 days. Outcomes assessed included changes in blood pressure, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores, symptoms and target organ functions before and after treatment in both groups. Additionally, adverse events, such as nausea, vomiting, rash, itching, and diarrhea, were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 662 subjects were enrolled, of whom 608 (91.8%) completed the trial (306 in the treatment and 302 in the control groups). After 180 days of treatment, the standard deviations and coefficients of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were lower in the treatment group compared with the control group. The improvement rates of dizziness, headache, insomnia, and waist soreness were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 30 days of treatment, the overall therapeutic effects on CM clinical syndromes were significantly increased in the treatment group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 180 days of treatment, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, ankle brachial index and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were improved in both groups, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Combination therapy of YXQNP with amlodipine significantly improved symptoms such as dizziness and headache, reduced blood pressure variability, and showed a trend toward lowering urinary microalbumin in hypertensive patients. These findings suggest that this regimen has good clinical efficacy and safety. (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022470).
Humans ; Amlodipine/adverse effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Hypertension/complications* ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Adult ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Double-Blind Method ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents/adverse effects*

Ovarian tumor (OT) is the most lethal form of gynecologic malignancy, with minimal improvements in patient outcomes over the past several decades. Metastasis is the leading cause of ovarian cancer-related deaths, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Psychological stress is known to activate the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), a factor associated with poor prognosis in OT patients. However, the precise mechanisms linking NR3C1 signaling and metastasis have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that chronic restraint stress accelerates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis in OT through an NR3C1-dependent mechanism involving nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1). Mechanistically, NR3C1 directly regulates the transcription of NUPR1, which in turn increases the expression of snail family transcriptional repressor 2 (SNAI2), a key driver of EMT. Clinically, elevated NR3C1 positively correlates with NUPR1 expression in OT patients, and both are positively associated with poorer prognosis. Overall, our study identified the NR3C1/NUPR1 axis as a critical regulatory pathway in psychological stress-induced OT metastasis, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for intervention in OT metastasis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prevalence and burden of headache disorders in China and its provinces from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, the number of prevalent cases, prevalence rate, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and age-standardized DALY rates were analyzed by sex, age group, and province for headache disorders and their subtypes (migraine and tension-type headache [TTH]) between 1990 and 2021. Percentage changes during this period were also estimated. RESULTS: In 2021, approximately 426 million individuals in China were affected by headache disorders, with an age-standardized prevalence rate of 27,582.61/100,000. The age-standardized DALY rate for all headache disorders was 487.15/100,000. Between 1990 and 2021, the number of prevalent cases increased by 37.78%, while the prevalence of all headache disorders, migraine, and TTH increased by 6.92%, 7.57%, and 7.86%, respectively. The highest prevalence was observed in the 30-34 age group (39,520.60/100,000). Migraine accounted for a larger proportion of DALYs attributable to headache disorders, whereas TTH has a greater impact on its prevalence. In 2021, the highest age-standardized DALY rates for headache disorders were observed in Heilongjiang (617.85/100,000) and Shanghai (542.86/100,000). CONCLUSION The prevalence of headache disorders is increasing in China. Effective health education, improve diagnosis and treatment are essential, particularly for middle-aged working populations and women of childbearing age.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Aged ; Child ; Headache Disorders/epidemiology* ; Disability-Adjusted Life Years ; Child, Preschool ; Cost of Illness ; Infant ; Aged, 80 and over

Objective To analyze the budget impact of a price increase for carotid endarterectomy(CEA)on the total expenditure of health insurance expenditure in China.Methods We set 2021 as the base year,and 2022-2026 as the study years.A budget impact analysis model was developed to calculate the expenditure of health insurance funds over the next 5 years following a 30%price increase for carotid endarterectomy.Data on the target population,treatment costs,and market share changes both nationwide and in four sample cities were used.The data was collected in May to Jul 2022.Results The price increase for carotid endarterectomy will reduce total health insurance fund expenditures nationwide by 143.176 2 million yuan over five years.Total health insurance fund expenditures in the sample cities will also decrease to varying degrees.The higher the price increase for the surgical procedure,the greater the decrease in total expenditure of the health insurance fund.The market share of the surgical procedure has the greatest impact on the total expenditure of the health insurance fund.Conclusion Increasing the price of carotid endarterectomy may lead to increase in its market share and decline in the health insurance fund expenditures in future five years.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Buzhong Yiqitang on the immune imbalance of helper T cell 17 （Th17）/regulatory T cell （Treg） and Notch1 signaling pathway in mice with autoimmune thyroiditis （AIT）. MethodA total of 60 8-week-old NOD.H-2^h4 mice were randomly divided into the normal group， model group， western medicine group （selenium yeast tablet， 32.5 mg·kg^-1）， and low-dose （4.78 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， middle-dose （9.56 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and high-dose （19 g·kg^-1·d^-1） Buzhong Yiqitang groups， with 10 mice in each group. The normal group was fed with distilled water， and the other groups were fed with water containing 0.05% sodium iodide for eight weeks. After the animal model of AIT was formed spontaneously， the mice were killed under anesthesia after intragastric administration for eight weeks. Serum anti-thyroglobulin antibodies （TGAb）， thyroid-stimulating hormone （TSH）， free triiodothyronine （FT3）， and free thyroid hormone （FT4） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and thyroid tissue changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The mRNA and protein expressions of retinoid-related orphan receptor-γt （RORγt）， interleukin （IL）-17， forkhead box P3 （FoxP3）， IL-10， Notch1， and hair division-related enhancer 1 （Hes1） in thyroid tissue were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. ResultCompared with the normal group， the thyroid structure of the model group was severely damaged， and lymphocytes were infiltrated obviously. The levels of serum TGAb， FT3， and FT4 contents were significantly increased， and TSH content was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The mRNA and protein expression levels of RORγt， IL-17， Notch1， and Hes1 were significantly increased， while those of FoxP3 and IL10 were significantly decreased in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， thyroid structural damage and lymphocyte infiltration were improved in the treatment groups， and serum TGAb， FT3， and FT4 contents were significantly decreased. TSH content was increased， and mRNA and protein expression levels of RORγt， IL-17， Notch1， and Hes1 were decreased. mRNA and protein expression levels of FoxP3 and IL-10 were increased to different degrees （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the middle-dose Buzhong Yiqitang group had the most significant intervention effect. ConclusionBuzhong Yiqitang can alleviate the thyroid structural damage in AIT mice， and its mechanism may be related to improving the abnormal differentiation of Th17/Treg immune cells and inhibiting the activation of the Notch1 signaling pathway.

Threatened abortion is a common disease of obstetrics and gynecology and one of the diseases responding specifically to traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. The China Association of Chinese Medicine organized experts in TCM obstetrics and gynecology， Western medicine obstetrics and gynecology， and pharmacology to deeply discuss the advantages of TCM and integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment as well as the medication plans for threatened abortion. After discussion， the experts concluded that chromosome， endocrine， and immune abnormalities were the key factors for the occurrence of threatened abortion， and the Qi and blood disorders in thoroughfare and conception vessels were the core pathogenesis. In the treatment of threatened abortion， TCM has advantages in preventing miscarriages， alleviating clinical symptoms and TCM syndromes， relieving anxiety， regulating reproductive endocrine and immune abnormalities， personalized and diversified treatment， enhancing efficiency and reducing toxicity， and preventing the disease before occurrence. The difficulty in diagnosis and treatment of threatened abortion with traditional Chinese and Western medicine lies in identifying the predictors of abortion caused by maternal factors and the treatment of thrombophilia. Recurrent abortion is the breakthrough point of treatment with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. It is urgent to carry out high-quality evidence-based medicine research in the future to improve the modern diagnosis and treatment of threatened abortion with TCM.

This study was aimed at performing epidemiologic investigation of the first psittacosis death case in Hangzhou City,to provide a reference for the investigation and disposal of psittacosis cases,as well as prevention and control.Epidemio-logic data were collected through field epidemiologic investigation,and close contacts and environmental samples were collected for pathogenicity testing.The first symptom in the patient was cough,which did not raise concerns at the time.Several days later,the patient developed abdominal distension and black stools,and visited two medical institutions for treatment and hospi-talization.The patient's sputum and peripheral blood were tested for Chlamydia psittaci infection by metagenomic analysis via next-generation sequencing.Samples collected from the patient's family members,close contacts,and home environment test-ed negative with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The patient later died of gastrointestinal bleeding.This article is the first report of a case of psittacosis contracted from exposure to a sick parrot in Hangzhou City,in a patient who died be-cause of an underlying disease.Operational training should be provided for medical personnel,and early diagnosis with mNGS and treatment of patients with underlying diseases should be performed as early as possible to avoid fatality.In addition,health education should be carried out to raise public awareness of the disease.

This paper summarizes the exploration process and academic significance of the academic thought of Zhou Zhongying,a master of traditional Chinese medicine,who took the creation of a new system of TCM pathogenesis theory as the core,and interprets its theoretical connotation.As a pioneer in the construction of higher education textbooks for traditional Chinese medicine,Professor Zhou Zhongying created the outline of TCM internal medicine viscera differentiation,persisted in carrying out innovative research on patho-genesis theory,achieved fruitful academic results,and enriched and developed the academic system of TCM theory.In the clinical di-agnosis and treatment of exogenous febrile diseases and acute and difficult internal injuries,he systematically created new pathogenesis theories such as stasis-heat theory and cancer toxicity theory.Based on this,the legislation of medication can improve the clinical effi-cacy,and it is realized that identifying the pathogenesis is the key link in syndrome differentiation and treatment.In his later years,Professor Zhou Zhongying,guided by the holistic view,proposed the"thirteen pathogenesis"and constructed a new system of TCM pathogenesis differentiation,highlighting the guiding value of complex pathogenesis and the causal chain of pathogenesis elements to complex clinical diseases and syndromes,forming a theory with the idea of"examining syndromes and seeking pathogenesis,activating syndrome differentiation"as its soul.This theory breaks through the rigid thinking of syndrome differentiation and treatment based on a single pathogenesis or fixed syndrome type,reconstructs the theoretical framework of TCM with the idea of holistic view,and is a major academic innovation in modern TCM.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Buzhong Yiqitang in ameliorating inflammatory injury in autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) mice based on the Toll-like receptor 4（TLR4）/nuclear transcription factor-kappa B（NF-κB）/absent in melanoma 2（AIM2）inflammasome signaling pathway. MethodThe 120 genetically susceptible 8-week-old NOD.H-2^h4 mice were selected and randomly divided into control group， model group， low， medium and high dose groups of Buzhong Yiqitang （4.78， 9.56， 19.12 g·kg^-1）， and western medicine group （selenium yeast tablets， 3.033×10^-5 g·kg^-1）. The AIT model mice in each group drank ad libitum 0.05% sodium iodide aqueous solution for 8 weeks to establish the AIT model， and the control group drank ad libitum distilled water. Eight weeks later， the mice in each dosing group were divided into groups and gavage. The swelling of thyroid tissue was observed with the naked eye， and the weight of spleen was weighed. The content of serum inflammatory factors interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of HMGB1， TLR4， AIM2， NF-κB p65，apoptosis-associated speck-like protein（ASC），cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-1（Caspase-1）， IL-1β mRNA. Western blot was used to detect the expression of high motility group protein 1 （HMGB1）， TLR4， AIM2， NF-κB p65， phosphorylation（p）-NF-κB p65， ASC， Caspase-1， and IL-1β proteins in thyroid tissue， and immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the protein expression of HMGB1， AIM2， and NF-κB p65 in thyroid tissue of mice. ResultCompared with the control group， the thyroid tissue of mice in the model group was significantly swollen， the spleen quality was significantly increased， and the expression of HMGB1， TLR4， NF-κB p65， AIM2， ASC， Caspase-1， IL-1β in thyroid tissue was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the swelling of thyroid tissue in mice in each dose group of Buzhong Yiqitang was improved， the quality of spleen was significantly reduced， and the expression of HMGB1， TLR4， AIM2， NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65， ASC， Caspase-1， IL-1β in thyroid tissue was significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBuzhong Yiqitang can effectively improve the inflammatory injury of AIT， and regulating the abnormal activation of the TLR4/NF-κB/AIM2 inflammasome signal pathway may be one of its intervention mechanisms.