OBJECTIVE To predict and validate the mechanisms of Chaiqi yigan granules （CQYG） improving hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. METHODS The signaling pathways of CQYG intervention in HCC were predicted using network pharmacology. A mice model of transplanted hepatocellular carcinoma was established by injecting H22 hepatoma cells into the axilla. Successfully modeled mice were randomly divided into model group （normal saline）， sorafenib group （positive control， 50 mg/kg）， and CQYG low-， medium- and high-dose groups （24.83， 49.66， 99.32 g/kg）， with 10 mice in each group. Mice in each group were administered the corresponding drug solution or normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for 14 consecutive days. After last administration， pathological morphological changes in the tumor tissues of mice were observed in each group. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of the nuclear proliferation antigen Ki-67 in tumor tissues of mice. Western blot assay was used to measure the expression of proteins related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） [N-cadherin， E-cadherin， Vimentin， matrix metalloproteinase 7 （MMP7）] and the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway [p38 MAPK， phosphorylated p38 MAPK， c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）， phosphorylated JNK， extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 （ERK1/2）， phosphorylated ERK1/2] in tumor tissue of mice. RESULTS Network pharmacology analysis revealed that metabolic pathways， pathways in cancer， and the MAPK signaling pathway were key signaling pathways through which CQYG exert their anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects. In animal experiments， the tumor tissues of mice in the model group exhibited dense tumor cells and vigorous growth. Compared with model group， CQYG high-dose group showed a decreased density of tumor cells in the tumor tissues of mice. Moreover， the expression levels of Ki-67， N-cadherin， MMP7 and Vimentin proteins， along with the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and JNK proteins， were all significantly reduced （ P ＜0.05）. The expression level of E-cadherin protein was significantly increased （ P ＜0.05）， the phosphorylation level of p38 MAPK protein was increased， the difference was not statistically significant （ P ＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS CQYG can inhibit EMT by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway， thereby suppressing tumor cell invasion and metastasis and ultimately exerting a therapeutic effect in improving HCC.

Objective To analyze the efficacy of modified transvaginal rectal repair(MTVRR)in patients with moderate to severe rectocele(RC).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 21 female patients with RC who underwent MTVRR.The Constipation Scoring System(CSS)scale was used to assess patients'constipation symptoms before surgery and at 3,6,12 and 24 months after surgery,and the efficiency of symptom improvement was recorded.The occurrence of postoperative complications in RC patients was observed.Results All 21 patients successfully un-derwent the surgery,with surgical duration ranging from 25 to 135 minutes,with average of(83.14±30.39)minutes,and hospital stay ranging from 10 to 21 days,with average of(14.10±2.34)days.Postoperatively,one patient was lost during follow-up among 21 patients.The CSS scores of the remai-ning 20 patients were lower than those before surgery,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).The overall effective rates of constipation symptom improvement at 3,6 and 12 months postop-eratively were 100.00％,90.00％and 80.00％,respectively.Among 20 patients,15 patients com-pleted 24-month follow-up after surgery,and the CSS score after surgery was lower than that before sur-gery,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The CSS scores of the remaining 15 pa-tients were lower than those before surgery,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).The overall effective rate of constipation symptom improvement at 24 months postoperatively was 80.00％among 15 patients.During postoperative follow-up,it revealed that no complications occurred in any patient.Conclusion MTVRR can improve constipation symptoms in patients with RC,demonstra-ting good therapeutic efficacy.

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization （TACE） combined with anti-angiogenic drugs for the treatment of unresectable primary liver cancer （PLC）. METHODS Retrieved from Chinese and English databases such as CNKI， the Cochrane Library， Google， and Baidu Academic， randomized controlled trial （RCT） about TACE combined with anti-angiogenic drugs for the treatment of unresectable PLC were collected from the inception to May 27， 2024. After screening the literature， extracting data， and evaluating the quality of the literature， network meta-analysis was performed using R 4.2.2 and Stata 17.0. RESULTS A total of 44 RCT were included， involving 5 607 patients and 8 interventions. The network meta-analysis results showed that for prolonging median overall survival （mOS） and median progression- free survival （mPFS）， TACE+apatinib had the best efficacy， with TACE+apatinib and TACE+sorafenib ranking as the top two. For improving objective response rate （ORR） and disease control rate （DCR）， TACE+donafenib had the best efficacy， with TACE+ donafenib and TACE+ lenvatinib ranking as the top two. In terms of safety， TACE+donafenib was the best， with TACE+donafenib and TACE+apatinib ranking as the top two. CONCLUSIONS TACE+apatinib and TACE+donafenib have good efficacy for patients with unresectable PLC， and TACE+donafenib has the best safety profile.

Objective:To analyze the clinical symptoms and epidemiological characteristics of patients with tsutsugamushi disease (TD) in Utica County, Shiyan City, providing reference for scientific prevention and control of TD.Methods:The information of 57 TD patients admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases of the People's Hospital of Utica County in Shiyan City from January to December 2022 was collected, including age, gender, occupation, clinical manifestations (tarsus or chigger, high fever, rash and accompanying syndromes), laboratory and imaging test results, and field work and travel history. Blood samples and body crusts were collected, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to detect antibodies against Orientia tsugamushi (Ot-Ab-IgM) and Orientia tsutsugamushi (Ot). The scores of each patient were calculated using the TD Diagnostic Scale. A score of ≥8.5 was considered a clinical diagnosis of TD. According to the number of system functional damages (0, 1, 2, ≥3), 57 patients were divided into 4 groups, A, B, C, and D, TD was analyzed for system functional damages of each system.Results:Among the 57 TD patients, 26 (45.61%) were male and 31 (54.39%) were female, and the proportion of patients aged 40 - 79 years was 92.98% (53/57); farmers accounted for 89.47% (51/57). May was the peak of TD incidence, with 19 cases, which accounted for 33.33% (19/57) of the total number of patients affected that year. Fifty-four patients had a history of fieldwork or field trips before the onset of the disease. The incidence of high fever in 57 TD patients was 100.00%(57/57), the detection rate of body scorch or chiggers was 80.70% (46/57), and the incidence rate of rash was 98.25% (56/57); the incidence rate of tsutsugamushi disease triad (accompanied by scabs, high fever, and rash) was 80.70% (46/57); the incidence of eosinophil decline was 100.00%(57/57), and 77.19% (44/57) of TD patients experienced multiple-system functional damage (MSFD). The TD score diagnostic scale for 57 patients ranged from 8.5 to 10.5 points. After being hospitalized for 1 - 5 days, all TD patients experienced a decrease in body temperature to the normal range, and the damage to various systems functional gradually recovered.Conclusions:TD has become one of the most common natural infectious diseases in Utopia County, Shiyan City, Hubei Province. The patients are mainly middle-aged and elderly people, and the triple syndrome is a typical clinical manifestation. Asymptomatic injuries to the blood system, liver and kidneys are the most common.

Objective To explore the feasibility of minimally invasive autopsy by natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery.Methods Autopsy was performed on a deceased patient with COVID-19 via transesophageal,transtrachea,and transgastric natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery.The white light endoscopic manifestations of the corresponding organs were observed,and organ tissue specimens were obtained for routine pathological examination.Results All four pathways reached the corresponding organs successfully.Diffuse congestion and submucous bleeding were seen in the trachea,bronchus and bronchus of the pulmonary lobes.The bronchus of the left lower lobe was filled with dark red sputum;the surface of the left lung was congested obviously.Four thrombi and plaque rupture were seen on the aortic wall.The gastric mucosa was congested,eroded,and had active ulcers.The surface of heart and liver was smooth.Small lamellar panniculitis was seen in the omentum.Routine pathology showed chronic inflammation with acute inflammation of the bronchial mucosa and inflammatory exudation,and partial squamous metaplasia of the epithelium.In lung tissue,some alveolar epithelial hyperplasia,a little fibrin-like exudation,widened alveolar septa,and infiltration of acute and chronic inflammatory cells were seen.The columnar epithelial mucosa of the gastric mucosa showed chronic inflammation with acute inflammation and exudates and fungal masses.Conclusion Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery is feasible for autopsy,and covid-19 virus can cause multi-system and multi-organ damage.

Objective:To observe the mechanism of electroacupuncture on nerve repair in mice with neuropathic pain based on the protein kinase C(PKC)-purinergic receptor P2X ligand-gated ion channel 3(P2X3)signal pathway.Methods:A total of 48 mice were randomly divided into sham group,model group,acupuncture group and electroacupuncture group,with 12 mice in each group.Except the sham group,the other mice were constructed with chronic constriction injury(CCI)model.On the 8th day after operation,acupuncture group and electroacupuncture group received acupuncture and electroacupuncture interventions for 7 days.Mechanical withdrawal threshold(MWT)and thermal withdrawal latency(TWL)were measured before operation and 3rd,5th,7th,10th,12th and 14th day after operation.All mice were killed 15 days after operation.The histomorphology of sciatic nerve was ob-served by HE staining.The levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in spinal cord were detected by ELISA.PKC and P2X3 levels in spinal cord tis-sue were detected by Western blot.PKC and P2X3 expressions in spinal cord neurons were detected by Immunofluorescence.Results:In the sham group,the neuronal cells were of different sizes,the cell membrane was intact,the cytoplasm was fine and granular,the nucleus was large and round,and the nucleolus was clearlyvisible in the middle.Atrophic neurons could be seen in the model group,myelinated nerve fibers were disordered,axons were swollen,and spaces were formed between neurons.Compared with the model group,the number of atrophic neurons decreased in the acupuncture group and the electroacupuncture group(P<0.05),the arrange-ment of myelinated nerve fibers improved and the improvement in the electroacupuncture group was more obvious than that in the acu-puncture group.Compared with the sham group at the same time point,on the 3rd,5th,7th,10th,12th and 14th day after opera-tion,the MWT and TWL values of the model group,acupuncture group and electroacupuncture group decreased significantly(P<0.05),while the expressions of IL-1β,TNF-α,PKC,P2X3,the numbers of PKC and P2X3 positive cells and the average optical den-sity increased(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the values of MWT and TWL in the acupuncture group and electroacupunc-ture group increased significantly on the 10th,12th and 14th day after operation(P<0.05),while the expression of IL-1β,TNF-α,PKC,P2X3,the number of PKC and P2X3 positive cells and the average optical density decreased(P<0.05).Compared with the acu-puncture group,the values of MWT and TWL in the electroacupuncture group increased significantly on the 10th,12th and 14th day after operation(P<0.05),while the expressions of IL-1β,TNF-α,PKC,P2X3,the numbers of PKC and P2X3 positive cells and the average optical density decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion:Electroacupuncture can reduce the neuroinflammatory reaction of CCI model mice,reduce the expression levels of PKC and P2X3,improve the morphology of sciatic nerve cells and the arrangement of myelinated nerve fibers,reduce the gap between neurons,increase the values of MWT and TWL,and relieve the degree of neuropathic pain.

The structure and biological function of CXCL12/CXCR4 are the basis of physiological and pathological function.Combination of HIV-1 envelope protein and CXCR4 will promote the entry of virus into host cells.CXCL12 can reduce the number of CXCR4 through rapid endocytosis and inhibit the replication and transmission of HIV.The interaction of CXCL12/CXCR4 axis with in-flammation and autophagy plays an important role in HIV infection.Previous research has found that gene expression profiles of differ-ent TCM syndromes of acquired immunedeficiency syndrome(AIDS)are different.CXCR4 has different expression in AIDS,lung and spleen qi deficiency syndrome,Qi Yin deficiency syndrome and dampness heat syndrome,which is related to chemokine signaling pathway;the differential gene CXCR4 in peripheral blood of AIDS patients with lung and spleen qi deficiency syndrome is related to au-tophagy process.According to the intervention of Yiaikang Capsule,CXCR4 expression is increased,indicating that Yiaikang Capsule can regulate the expression of autophagy related genes.Research on the role of CXCL12/CXCR4 in TCM syndromes of AIDS is condu-cive to better play the therapeutic advantages of TCM and provide a new direction for gene targeted therapy.

Chronic hepatitis B （CHB） is still a malignant infectious disease that seriously threatens human health， and currently nucleos（t）ide analogues and interferon are the main treatment methods for CHB， but they cannot achieve functional cure. The development and progression of CHB are closely associated with immune function dysregulation in the host， and therefore， regulating host immunity has become a key link in the treatment of CHB. Recent studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine exerts a therapeutic effect on CHB by regulating host immune function. This article introduces the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine theory and immunity and summarizes the theoretical basis and related studies for traditional Chinese medicine in the immune regulation of CHB， in order to provide new ideas for integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy for CHB.

Objective:To evaluate the psychological pain of patients with head and neck cancer aged ≥60 years old before and after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).Methods:Distress Thermometer (DT)(Chinese version) was used to investigate the degree and problems of psychological pain before and after IMRT for 85 elderly patients with head and neck cancer. The results before and after IMRT were compared by paired t-test. Relevant factors were identified by Logistic regression analysis. Results:The median age in the cohort was 66 years old (60-85 years old). The incidence rates of psychological pain were 73% and 87% before and after IMRT ( P<0.001). The corresponding incidence rates of severe distress were 6% and 34%( P<0.001). The main distress problems before IMRT were memory loss/attention deficit, worry, oral pain, economic problems, stress, sleep problems, and dry nose. The significantly-increased distress problems after IMRT were oral pain, constipation, eating, nausea, and dry nose. Logistic regression analysis showed gender ( OR=5.520, 95% CI 1.437-21.212, P=0.013), pre-treatment PG-SGA score ( OR=1.220, 95% CI 1.048-1.421, P=0.010) and medical insurance ( OR=0.230, 95% CI 0.053-0.995, P=0.049) were the relevant factors of the severe psychological distress before IMRT. Occupation ( OR=2.286, 95% CI 1.291-4.050, P=0.005) and medical insurance ( OR=0.089, 95% CI 0.029-0.276, P<0.001) were the relevant factors of severe psychological distress after IMRT. Conclusion:The incidence rate of distress is high in elderly patients with head and neck cancer before IMRT, which can be aggravated after IMRT, primarily the treatment-related physical pain problems.

Objective:To identify the population who can obtain clinical benefit from concurrent chemoradiotherapy through the survival analysis during concurrent chemoradiotherapy in different subgroups.Methods:All data from a phase Ⅲ randomized controlled clinical trial were collected to compare the efficacy between preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy and preoperative radiotherapy from 2002 to 2012 in Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. A total of 222 patients received radiation therapy with a median dose of 69.96 Gy (27.56-76.00 Gy). The cisplatin chemotherapy regimen was adopted and the median dose was 250 mg (100-570 mg). In total, 98 patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The survival analysis was conducted with Kaplan- Meier method and univariate analysis was performed with log-rank test. The multivariate prognostic analysis was conducted with Cox’s regression model. Results:The median follow-up time was 59 months (7-139 months). Among them, 104 patients were assigned in the chemoradiotherapy group and 118 patients in the radiotherapy alone group. The local and regional recurrence rates did not significantly differ between two groups (both P>0.05), while chemoradiotherapy tended to decrease the distant metastasis rate compared with the radiotherapy alone (14.4% vs. 24.6, P=0.058). Univariate analysis showed that concurrent chemoradiotherapy significantly increased the local recurrence-free survival in the early N stage subgroup ( P=0.009), and there was an increasing trend in patients aged≤55 years and female patients ( P=0.052, 0.066). The distant metastasis-free survival was significantly improved in T 4( P=0.048), N 3( P=0.005), non-IMRT treatment ( P=0.001) and hypopharyngeal carcinoma ( P=0.004) subgroups, there was an increasing trend in male ( P=0.064), high-and moderate-grade squamous cell carcinoma ( P=0.076) and non-surgical treatment subgroups ( P=0.063). Multivariate analyses showed that concurrent chemoradiotherapy significantly prolonged the progression-free survival and overall survival in patients aged≤55 years ( P=0.017 and 0.039), women ( P=0.041 and 0.039), high-and moderate-grade squamous cell carcinoma ( P=0.006 and 0.022), N 3 stage ( P=0.001 and 0.017), non-surgical treatment ( P=0.007 and 0.033) and non-IMRT treatment subgroups ( P=0.030 and 0.024), and it significantly increased the progression-free survival in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma ( P=0.022). Conclusion:Concurrent chemoradiotherapy can be actively delivered for young age, female, high-and moderate-grade squamous cell carcinoma, N 3 stage, non-surgical treatment and non-IMRT treatment patients.