This article systematically reviews and verifies the name， origin， production area， quality evaluation， harvesting， processing and other aspects of Cynanchi Atrati Radix et Rhizoma（CARR） by consulting relevant ancient and modern literature， in order to provide a basis for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this herb. Through textual research， Baiwei has been the official name for CARR， though it also bears alternative names such as Chuncao， Popo Zhenxianbao， Longdan Baiwei. The mainstream base is the roots and rhizomes of Cynanchum atratum. Historical records indicate primary producing areas include Shandong， Anhui， Jiangsu， Shaanxi and Shanxi. Since the late Ming dynasty， varieties from Juxian， Yishui and Rizhao in Shandong have been highly regarded as authentic， commonly known as eastern Baiwei. Since modern times， its quality has been summarized as fine， slender， and straight fibrous roots， pale yellow exterior， whiter interior， and dryness with easy breakability are considered superior. The harvesting time before the Song dynasty was on the third day of the third lunar month， but after the Song dynasty， harvesting was possible in both spring and autumn. The initial processing methods of CARR in ancient times included drying in the shade， removing Lu（the little rhizomes which are on tap of roots）， and removing mustaches， modern methods involve washing and sun-drying. During the Northern and Southern dynasties， processing methods included steaming. In the Song dynasty， drying and light stir-frying were predominant， while wine washing emerged in the Ming dynasty. Modern practices primarily involve using raw， stir-frying or honey processing. Regarding the medicinal properties of CARR， both ancient and modern texts agree it has a bitter and salty taste and is non-toxic. Records prior to the Qing dynasty predominantly describe its nature as extremely cold， while mainstream herbal texts after the Qing dynasty generally characterize it as cold. Before the Ming dynasty， there were no records of its meridian tropism. It was not until the Qing dynasty that it was recorded in the lung meridian. Modern records mainly refer to the stomach， liver， and kidney meridians. Throughout history， its main functions have been to clear heat， diuresis， nourish Yin， and replenish essence， primarily treating Yin deficiency and fever syndrome. Based on the research results， it is suggested that when developing famous classical formulas containing CARR， the dried roots and rhizomes of C. atratum can be selected as its medicinal source. If there are no specific processing requirements， raw products can be selected as medicine. If the processing requirements are specified， corresponding processed products can be selected as medicine according to the original formula requirements.

ObjectiveTo identify potential influencing factors of urate crystal deposition at ankle/foot in patients with hyperuricemia （HUA）， and to analyze the predictive value of inflammatory indicators for urate crystal deposition in patients with different traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， so as to provide potential reference for clinical risk assessment and individualized TCM intervention. MethodsA retrospective study was carried out with the enrollment of 231 HUA patients from The Third Affiliated People's Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2021 and December 2024. The enrolled patients were further divided into a crystal deposition-positive group （143 cases） and a crystal deposition-negative group （88 cases） according to the results of dual-energy computed tomography （CT）. Sociodemographic data， living habits， serum uric acid levels， and inflammatory indicators of the enrolled patients were collcted， and TCM syndrome differentiation was performed. Furthermore， univariate analysis was used to compare inter-group differences in clinical characteristics. MMultivariate Logistic regression was applied to identify the influencing factors of urate crystal deposition. In addition， the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves were plotted to evaluate the predictive efficacy of inflammatory indicators for crystal deposition across different TCM syndromes. ResultsThere were statistically significant inter-group differences in the proportion of males， age， body mass index， proportion of mental labor， rate of low water intake， and rate of high-sugar beverage consumption （P<0.05），whereas no significant difference in low exercise intensity was found between the two groups. Furthermore， compared with the negative group， the positive group had higher serum uric acid level， neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR）， and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio （PLR）， but lower systemic immune-inflammation index （SIRI） （P<0.05）. Regarding the distribution of TCM syndromes， the positive group was dominated by the dampness-heat accumulation syndrome （55/143，38.46%）， while the negative group was mainly characterized by the phlegm-turbidity obstruction syndrome （44/88，50.00%）. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that high-sugar beverage consumption， elevated NLR， and elevated PLR were risk factors for urate crystal deposition ［odd ratio （OR） = 8.002， 5.377， 1.034， respectively； 95% CI 1.572-40.732， 2.179-13.270， 1.013-1.054，all P<0.05］， while SIRI was a protective factor （OR = 0.869， 95% CI 0.778-0.971， P<0.05）. In the positive group， patients with the dampness-heat accumulation syndrome exhibited the highest NLR， while the lowest PLR and SIRI， showing statistically significant differences with those of other syndromes （all P<0.05）. In addition， ROC curve analysis indicated that for the dampness-heat accumulation syndrome， the combined "NLR + PLR" model had an area under the curve （AUC） of 0.901 （95% CI 0.850-0.951， P<0.01）， with a sensitivity of 89.1% and a specificity of 79.5%； for the blood stasis-heat obstruction syndrome， the combined "NLR + PLR" model had an AUC of 0.880 （95% CI 0.825-0.934， P<0.01）， with a sensitivity of 100.0% and a specificity of 67.3%； for the liver-kidney Yin-deficiency syndrome， the single PLR model had an AUC of 0.842 （95% CI 0.731-0.952， P<0.01）， with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 84.0%. ConclusionUrate crystal deposition in HUA patients exhibits intimate associations with high-sugar beverage consumption as well as elevated NLR and PLR levels. Meanwhile， TCM syndrome differentiation has potential correlation with inflammatory characteristics. The inflammatory indicator-based prediction model constructed based on TCM syndromes exhibits good predictive value.

ObjectiveThe development trend and knowledge structure of the research on human use experience （HUE） of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） were systematically reviewed， and the core challenges and future directions were identified. This study aims to provide reference for the construction of a scientific and feasible research and development framework and evidence transformation system. MethodsLiterature related to "human use experience" published from January 1， 2019 to July 31， 2025 was retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang， China Science and Technology Journal Database （VIP）， and PubMed databases. Bibliometric visualization was conducted using Excel， VOSviewer， and CiteSpace， followed by in-depth reading and thematic summarization of core literature. ResultsA total of 181 papers were included for bibliometric analysis， with 45 articles used for in-depth thematic mining. The analysis showed that the number of publications on HUE research has increased in a stepwise manner over the past five years. Yang Zhongqi （24 times） was the core of the author network， the journal with the highest number of publications was China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica， the institutions publishing the most articles were mainly research institutions， regulatory agencies， hospitals， and universities， high-frequency keywords included "new TCM drugs"， "real-world studies"， and "clinical comprehensive evaluation"， keyword clustering analysis formed three major clusters： Policy orientation， application fields， and methodological approaches. Thematic analysis reveals that HUE-based evaluation should be integrated throughout the research and development process， encompassing three dimensions： TCM theory， clinical value， and pharmaceutical fundamentals， with toxic herbs and compatibility contraindications being key foci. Data collection primarily relies on empirical data， while real-world data constitute the primary source for clinical research， with efficacy and safety as the shared core. Data management emphasizes quality control and statistical analysis； however， the management of bias and confounding remains a critical bottleneck in evidence transformation. In practice， HUE-based approaches have successfully supported the registration and evaluation of multiple categories of new TCM drugs. ConclusionThe research on HUE of TCM has formed a policy-driven pattern characterized by， rapid development and close link with regulatory practice. A technical framework covering the whole chain of research and development has been constructed with clinical value as the core， which provides methodological basis and strategy reference for the scientific transformation of HUE of TCM from "experience" to "evidence".

Esophageal cancer （EC） is a highly prevalent malignant tumor in China. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway， as one of the key oncogenic pathways， can promote the cell cycle progression， proliferation， migration， and invasion， induce chemoresistance， and inhibit apoptosis and autophagy of EC cells. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with the advantages of targeting multiple points with multiple components to delay cancer progression， can target the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway for EC treatment. This article preliminarily discusses the molecular mechanism and role of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC and elaborates on the specific targets and efficacy of TCM in treating EC through intervention in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the past five years. TCM materials and extracts inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC include Borneolum， spore powder of Ganoderma lucidum without spore coat， extract of Celastrus orbiculatus， root extract of Taraxacum， and Bruceae Fructus oil emulsion. TCM active ingredients exerting the effect include flavonoids， terpenoids， saponins， phenols， polysaccharides， alkaloids， and other compounds. TCM compound prescriptions with such effect include Qige San， Huqi San， Xuanfu Daizhetang， Tongyoutang and its decomposed prescriptions， Liujunzi Tang， and Xishenzhi Formula. In addition， TCM injections such as Compound Kushen Injection and Kang'ai injection also inhibit the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC. This paper summarizes the role of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC and the TCM interventions， aiming to provide reference for the research and clinical application of new drugs for EC.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanism of Danggui Shaoyaosan （DSS） in ameliorating renal injury in db/db mice. MethodsThirty 8-week-old specific pathogen-free （SPF）-grade male db/db mice and six db/m mice were acclimated for one week. Urinary microalbumin and blood glucose levels were measured weekly in both db/db and db/m mice. Successful modeling was determined by significantly higher microalbuminuria in db/db mice compared to db/m mice and a fasting blood glucose ≥16.7 mmol·L^-1. The 30 db/db mice were randomly divided into five groups： the model group， the irbesartan （IBN） group， and three DSS dose groups （low-， medium-， and high-dose DSS groups， administered at 16.77， 33.54， 67.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively）. Additionally， the six db/m mice served as the normal control group. The IBN group received irbesartan at 0.025 g·kg^-1·d^-1 by gavage， while the three DSS groups received DSS at 16.77， 33.54， and 67.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1 by gavage， respectively. The normal and model groups were administered with an equivalent volume of normal saline by gavage. All interventions lasted for 8 consecutive weeks. After intervention， serum creatinine （SCr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， urinary total protein （UTP）， triglyceride （TG）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） were measured to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the treatments. Renal histopathological changes were observed with hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of silencing information regulator 1 （SIRT1）， hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）， very low-density lipoprotein receptor （VLDLr）， and cluster of differentiation 31 （CD31）. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA levels of HIF-1α and VLDLr. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe the expression and distribution of HIF-1α and Caspase-3. ResultsCompared to the normal group， the model group showed significantly increased SCr， BUN， UTP， TG， and LDL-C. HE staining revealed glomerulosclerosis， mesangial matrix hyperplasia， capillary loop distortion and thickening， with extensive inflammatory cell infiltration. Protein expression of SIRT1 and CD31 significantly decreased （P<0.05）， while HIF-1α and VLDLr protein and mRNA levels increased （P<0.05）. Immunohistochemistry showed increased expression of HIF-1α and Caspase-3 （P<0.05）， indicating hypoxia and apoptosis in renal cells. In all treatment groups， SCr， BUN， TG， and LDL-C were significantly reduced compared to the model group （P<0.05）， and UTP was significantly improved in the medium-dose DSS group （P<0.05）. Renal tissue structure and morphology were improved， inflammatory cells were reduced， and no vascular hyaline degeneration was observed. SIRT1 and CD31 protein expression was elevated to varying degrees compared to the model group （P<0.05）， while HIF-1α and VLDLr protein and mRNA levels decreased （P<0.05）. Immunohistochemistry showed reduced expression of HIF-1α and Caspase-3 in all treatment groups （P<0.05）， with the most significant improvement observed in the IBN group and medium-dose DSS group （P<0.05）. ConclusionDSS can effectively ameliorate glomerulosclerosis and lipid deposition in db/db mice， and its mechanism may involve the SIRT1/HIF-1α/VLDLr signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Danggui Shaoyaosan （DSS） on renal injury in db/db mice and its impact on endoplasmic reticulum stress （ERS） in renal tissues. MethodsThirty 8-week-old male db/db mice and six db/m mice were acclimated for one week， after which urinary microalbumin and blood glucose levels were monitored to establish a diabetic kidney disease （DKD） model. The model mice were randomly divided into a model group， an irbesartan group， and three DSS treatment groups with different doses （16.77， 33.54， and 67.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1）. A normal group was set as control. Each group was intragastrically administered with the corresponding drugs or saline for 8 weeks. After the intervention， general conditions were observed. Serum cystatin C （Cys-C）， 24-hour urinary total protein （24 h-UTP）， 24-hour urinary microalbumin （24 h-UMA）， urinary creatinine （Ucr）， and urea nitrogen （UUN） were measured. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） was used to observe glomerular basement membrane （GBM） and ultrastructural changes of the endoplasmic reticulum （ER） in glomerular endothelial cells. Western blot， real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze renal tissue structure and the expression of GRP78， CHOP， and related markers. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the mice in the model group showed curled posture， sluggish response， poor fur condition， increased levels of Cys-C， 24 h-UTP， 24 h-UMA， and UUN （P<0.05）， while Ucr decreased （P<0.05）. The GBM was significantly thickened， with podocyte and foot process fusion. The protein expressions of GRP78， CHOP， and ATF6 were significantly upregulated （P<0.05）， the mRNA levels of GRP78 and CHOP increased （P<0.05）， and immunohistochemistry showed an enhanced GRP78 signal （P<0.05）. After treatment， the mice exhibited improved behavior， normalized GBM and podocyte structure， improved ER morphology and markedly better biochemical indicators. Western blot， Real-time PCR， and immunohistochemistry indicated that the ERS-related markers were downregulated in the DSS treatment groups （P<0.05）， suggesting alleviated ERS and improved renal function. ConclusionDSS can effectively ameliorate renal pathological damage in db/db mice， possibly by regulating ERS in glomerular endothelial cells， although the underlying signaling mechanisms require further investigation.

Objective: To investigate the current status and trends of depressive symptoms among middle school and college students in Hunan Province, and to explore the primary related factors of depressive symptoms, so as to provide a scientific basis for strengthening mental health among students. Methods: A total of 279 382 students in Hunan Province were selected through a stratified cluster random sampling method from 2021 to 2023. National Survey Questionnaire on Common Diseases and Health Influencing Factors among Students was adopted for the survey, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to assess their depressive symptoms. The χ 2 test and trend χ 2 test were used to analyze depressive symptoms prevalence and trends, and multivariable Logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors of depressive symptoms. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among students in Hunan Province from 2021 to 2023 were 19.66%, 20.17% and 21.47%, respectively, showing an upward trend ( χ 2 trend =9.07, P <0.01). In addition, the results of the multivariable Logistic regression analysis showed that students with healthy diet ( OR=0.43, 95%CI =0.40-0.45), adequate sleep ( OR=0.88, 95%CI =0.86-0.90), and acceptable screen time ( OR=0.61, 95%CI =0.60-0.62) had lower risks in depressive symptoms detection, while students with smoking ( OR= 1.95, 95%CI =1.88-2.02), secondhand smoke exposure ( OR=1.33, 95%CI =1.30-1.36) and Internet addiction ( OR= 4.19 , 95%CI =4.05-4.34) had higher risks in depressive symptoms detection, with differences in the degree of association among different genders, educational stages and urban rural groups ( OR=0.40-6.04, Z =-12.69-11.98) ( P <0.05). Conclusions There is an increasing trend of depressive symptoms among middle school and college students in Hunan Province from 2021 to 2023.Targeted depression prevention measures should be taken for students with different demographic characteristics to promote their mental health.

Sarcopenia is a clinical syndrome characterized by a decrease in skeletal muscle strength and quality， often accompanied by adverse outcomes such as falls， loss of function and weakness. The pathogenesis of sarcopenia is complex， and studies have shown that dysfunction due to impaired mitochondrial quality control is an important pathological factor in the occurrence and development. Traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） has been widely favoured for regulating mitochondrial homeostasis and preventing sarcopenia by virtue of its multi-target and multi-pathway advantages. They can play a role in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia by regulating the mitochondrial quality control system to inhibit the occurrence of mitochondrial oxidative stress， regulate the balance of mitochondrial dynamics， inhibit mitochondrial autophagy， promote mitochondrial biosynthesis， resist the occurrence of mitochondrial apoptosis， and maintain the mitochondrial calcium and protein homeostasis. Based on this， the paper reviewed the relationship between mitochondrial quality control and sarcopenia， as well as the mechanism of TCM in intervening the mitochondrial quality control system to treat sarcopenia， in order to provide a new idea for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia by TCM and to a theoretical basis for the clinical research on TCM intervention in sarcopenia.

ObjectiveTo identify the patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） among the health check-up population， and to perform stratified management of patients with the low， medium， and high risk of advanced fibrosis based on noninvasive fibrosis scores. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 3 125 individuals who underwent physical examination in Beijing Physical Examination Center from December 2017 to December 2019， and they were divided into MAFLD group with 1 068 individuals and non-MAFLD group with 2 057 individuals. According to BMI， the MAFLD group was further divided into lean MAFLD group （125 individuals with BMI<24 kg/m²） and non-lean MAFLD group （943 individuals with BMI≥24 kg/m²）. Indicators including demographic data， past history， laboratory examination， and liver ultrasound were compared between groups. Fibrosis-4 （FIB-4） score， NAFLD fibrosis score （NFS）， aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI）， and BARD score were calculated for the patients in the MAFLD group to assess the risk of advanced fibrosis. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. A logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influence of each indicator in MAFLD. ResultsCompared with the non-MAFLD group， the MAFLD group had significantly higher age （Z=-9.758， P<0.05）， proportion of male patients （χ²=137.555， P<0.05）， and levels of body weight （Z=-27.987， P<0.05）， BMI （Z=-32.714， P<0.05）， waist circumference （Z=-31.805， P<0.05）， hip circumference （Z=-26.342， P<0.05）， waist-hip ratio （Z=-28.554， P<0.05）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT） （Z=-25.820， P<0.05）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST） （Z=-16.894， P<0.05）， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT） （Z=-25.069， P<0.05）， alkaline phosphatase （Z=-12.533， P<0.05）， triglyceride （Z=-27.559）， total cholesterol （Z=-7.833， P<0.05）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） （Z=-8.222， P<0.05）， and uric acid （UA） （Z=-20.024， P<0.05）， as well as a significantly higher proportion of patients with metabolic syndrome （MetS） （χ²=578.220， P<0.05）， significantly higher prevalence rates of hypertension （χ²=241.694， P<0.05）， type 2 diabetes （χ²=796.484， P<0.05）， and dyslipidemia （χ²=369.843， P<0.05）， and a significant reduction in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） （Z=23.153， P<0.001）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male sex （odds ratio ［OR］=1.45， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.203‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.737）， ALT （OR=1.05， 95%CI： 1.046‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.062）， LDL-C （OR=1.23， 95%CI： 1.102‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.373）， and comorbidity with MetS （OR=5.97， 95%CI： 4.876‍ ‍—‍ ‍7.316） were independently associated with MAFLD. Compared with the non-lean MAFLD group， the lean MAFLD group had significantly higher age （Z=3.736， P<0.05） and HDL-C （Z=2.679， P<0.05） and significant reductions in the proportion of male patients （χ²=28.970， P<0.05）， body weight （Z=-14.230， P<0.05）， BMI （Z=-18.188， P<0.05）， waist circumference （Z=-13.451， P<0.05）， hip circumference （Z=-13.317， P<0.05）， ALT （Z=-4.519， P<0.05）， AST （Z=-2.258， P<0.05）， GGT （Z=-4.592， P<0.05）， UA （Z=-4.415， P<0.05）， the proportion of patients with moderate or severe fatty liver disease or MetS （χ²=42.564， P<0.05）， and the prevalence rates of hypertension （χ²=12.057， P<0.05） and type 2 diabetes （χ²=3.174， P<0.05）. Among the patients with MAFLD， 10 patients （0.9%） had an FIB-4 score of >2.67， 4 patients （0.4%） had an NFS score of >0.676， 8 patients （0.7%） had an APRI of >1， and 551 patients （51.6%） had a BARD score of ≥2. ConclusionThere is a relatively high prevalence rate of MAFLD among the health check-up population in Beijing， but with a relatively low number of patients with a high risk of advanced fibrosis， and such patients need to be referred to specialized hospitals for liver diseases.

Paclitaxel， a highly effective natural antitumor drug， has been demonstrated to be efficacious in the treatment of a variety of cancers， including breast cancer， ovarian cancer， and lung cancer. The traditional paclitaxel injections have been observed to present certain issues， including overt adverse reactions and a decline in the quality of life of patients following treatment. This ultimately leads to an inability to meet the comprehensive needs of patients， thereby limiting the clinical applications of the drugs. Compared with injectable administration， the oral administration can avoid the risk of infection present in the invasive route， is conducive to improving patient compliance and quality of life， and reduces healthcare costs， and has a good application prospect. However， paclitaxel has low solubility， poor permeability， and is susceptible to the exocytosis of P-glycoprotein， which presents a significant challenge in the development of its oral preparations. Novel drug delivery technologies can enhance the solubility of paclitaxel and facilitate its controlled release， which is beneficial for the oral absorption and efficacy. The paper reviews the development history of oral preparations of paclitaxel， and summarizes the delivery technologies such as polymer micelles， nanoparticles， nanoemulsions and nanocrystals， and discusses the application mechanisms， advantages and limitations of these technologies and their adaptability in different cancer treatments. Finally， the challenges faced in the development of oral preparations of paclitaxel are summarized， and future research directions are proposed in order to provide new ideas for the development of oral delivery of paclitaxel.