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.

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".

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of the inhibitory effect of total flavonoids from Taraxacum mongolicum on high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice through modulation of intestinal flora. METHODS Twenty-four C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into blank group， model group and T. mongolicum total flavonoid group， with 8 mice in each group. Except for the blank group， the other 2 groups were given a high-fat diet， while T. mongolicum total flavonoid group was given T. mongolicum total flavonoid [400 mg/（kg·d）] intragastrically， once a day， for 8 consecutive weeks. During the experiment， the food intake of each group of mice was recorded. After the last medication， the body mass， fat weight， blood lipid level and pathological changes of liver and epididymal fat in mice were evaluated to observe the effect of T. mongolicum total flavonoid on the treatment of obesity in mice. The changes in abundance and structure of intestinal flora in mice were detected by amplicon sequencing； the effects of T. mongolicum total flavonoids on fat metabolism related genes were analyzed by qPCR. RESULTS Compared with model group， the body weight of mice in T. mongolicum total flavonoids group was decreased significantly （P＜0.05）； the levels of total lipid cholesterol， triglycerides， and LDL cholesterol were all decreased significantly （P＜0.01）， and the level of HDL cholesterol was increased significantly （P＜0.01）； the fat indexes of inguinal white adipose tissue and epididymal white wind_lz@hactcm.edu.cn adipose tissue were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）； significant improvement in hepatocellular steatosis and adipose cytopathy were significantly improved； mRNA expressions of COX7A1 and COX8B were significantly upregulated （P＜0.05）. The results of bacterial colony detection showed that compared with the model group， there was a rising trend in the diversity of the bacterial colony in T. mongolicum total flavonoids group， and the Sobs index characterization and β diversity were increased significantly （P＜0.05）. Relative abundances of Blautia， norank_f_Ruminococcaceae， Bilophila， Alistipes， classified_f_Ruminococcaceae， Parabacteroides， norank_f_Desulfovibrionaceae， Anaerotruncus were significantly up-regulated（P＜0.05）， while those of Faecalibaculum， Erysipelatoclostridium， GCA-900066575， Tuzzerella， Lactobacillus， norank_f_norank_o_RF39， achnospiraceae_FCS020_group were significantly down-regulated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS T. mongolicum total flavonoids can reduce body mass， fat weight and blood lipid levels， and repair the pathological damage to liver and epididymal fat in obese mice， which is related to improving intestinal flora disorders caused by high-fat diet.

When prostate cancer （PCa） progresses to the metastatic castration-resistant stage， significant challenges arise in clinical treatment. Microtubulin inhibitors have become first-line drugs for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant PCa due to their unique mechanism of action. Among them， taxanes （e.g. docetaxel and cabazitaxel） remain standard care with proven survival benefits， while other microtubule inhibitors （e.g. vincristine， colchicine） show limited clinical utility due to toxicity. Currently， the clinical approach primarily employs docetaxel-based triple therapy and combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors to improve the prognosis of PCa patients， reverse the immunosuppressive state of the tumor microenvironment， and enhance therapeutic efficacy. Despite the remarkable clinical efficacy of microtubule inhibitors in the treatment of PCa， the emergence of drug resistance has limited their long-term application. To address this issue， researchers have explored new solutions， including the development of novel microtubule inhibitors in combination with ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 inhibitors， the concurrent use of fatty acid synthase inhibitors with microtubule inhibitors， and the development of degraders based on proteolysis-targeting chimeras technology. Future research should focus on target discovery， drug formulation optimization， and personalized approaches to overcome current therapeutic limitations.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with levodopa in the treatment of Parkinson's disease（PD）. MethodsA total of 60 patients with PD were enrolled and randomly assigned to test group or control group， with 30 patients in each group. The control group received levodopa only， starting at 100 mg per dose， three times daily， with gradual increases not exceeding a maximum daily dose of 800 mg. The test group received acupuncture three times per week in addition to levodopa. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. Assessments were conducted before treatment， after 6 and 12 weeks treatment， using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale（UPDRS）， Wearing-Off Questionnaire-9（WOQ-9）， Montreal Cognitive Assessment（MoCA）， Mini-Mental State Examination（MMSE）， Depression Rating Scale（DRS）， Hamilton Depression Scale（HAMD）， Hamilton Anxiety Scale（HAMA）， PD Questionnaire-39（PDQ-39）， and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index（PSQI）. Repeated measures ANOVA was utilized to evaluate the effects of time， group， and their interaction on each index. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between combined treatment and outcome scores. Adverse events in both groups were recorded throughout the study. ResultsBoth groups showed significant improvements after 6 and 12 weeks treatment， with decreases in UPDRS total score， WOQ-9 total score， DRS score， HAMD score， HAMA score， PDQ-39 score， and PSQI score， and increases in MoCA and MMSE scores（P＜0.05）. Compared with the control group， the test group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in all the above indicators after 6 and 12 weeks （P＜0.05）. Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant time main effects， group main effects， and their interaction across all outcome measures（P＜0.01）. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that combined therapy was significantly negatively correlated with UPDRS， WOQ-9， DRS， HAMD， HAMA， PDQ-39， and PSQI scores， while positively correlated with MoCA and MMSE scores after 12 weeks of treatment（P＜0.05）. Both groups did not experience any serious adverse events and did not affect treatment. ConclusionAcupuncture combined with levodopa is more effective than levodopa alone in improving motor function， non-motor symptoms， cognitive function， depression and anxiety， quality of life， and sleep quality in patients with PD， with good safety.

ObjectiveTo screen for the patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） among the physical examination population， to observe the characteristics of MAFLD patients， and to compare the differences in lifestyle between the MAFLD population and the non-MAFLD population. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 6 206 individuals who underwent physical examination in a physical examination institution in Beijing from December 2015 to December 2019， and according to the new diagnostic criteria for MAFLD， the examination population was divided into MAFLD group and non-MAFLD group. Based on body mass index （BMI）， the MAFLD group was further divided into lean MAFLD group （BMI<24 kg/m²） and non-lean MAFLD group （BMI ≥24 kg/m²）. Related data were compared between groups， including demographic indicators， education level， work pressure， physical measurement indicators， and lifestyles such as sleep， diet， and exercise. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsOf all individuals in this study， 1 926 （31.1%） had MAFLD and 4 280 （68.9%） did not have MAFLD. Compared with the non-MAFLD group， the MAFLD group had significantly higher age （Z=-14.459， P<0.001）， proportion of male patients （χ²=72.004， P<0.001）， work pressure （χ²=7.744， P=0.005）， body weight （Z=-43.508， P<0.001）， BMI （Z=-47.621， P<0.001）， waist circumference （Z=-48.515， P<0.001）， hip circumference （Z=-42.121， P<0.001）， and waist-hip ratio （Z=-43.535， P<0.001）， as well as a significantly lower education level （χ²=33.583， P<0.001）. In terms of behavior， the MAFLD group had a significantly shorter sleep time （χ²=5.820， P=0.016） and a significantly faster eating speed （χ²=74.476， P<0.001）. In terms of diet， the patients in the MAFLD group consumed more high-sodium， high-sugar， and high-calorie diets （χ²=42.667， P<0.001） and low-fiber diet （χ²=4.367， P=0.008）. In terms of exercise， the MAFLD group had a significantly higher proportion of patients without exercise habits （χ²=10.278， P=0.001）. Further analysis showed that there were 202 individuals （10.5%） in the lean MAFLD group and 1 724 （89.5%） in the non-lean MAFLD group. Compared with the non-lean MAFLD group， the lean MAFLD group had significantly higher age （Z=3.368， P=0.001） and education level （χ²=9.647， P=0.002） and significantly lower proportion of male patients （χ²=27.664， P<0.001）， body weight （Z=-18.483， P<0.001）， BMI （Z=-23.286， P<0.001）， waist circumference （Z=-18.565， P<0.001）， and hip circumference （Z=-18.097， P<0.001）， and in terms of behavior， the non-lean MAFLD group had a significantly faster eating speed （χ²=4.549， P=0.033）. ConclusionThere is a relatively high prevalence rate of MAFLD among the physical examination population in Beijing， with a higher number of people with unhealthy lifestyles compared with the non-MAFLD population.