BACKGROUND:Although previous studies have reported associations between lipids and the risk of osteoporotic pathological fractures,the specific causal relationships between lipid level and osteoporotic pathological fractures remain unclear.OBJECTIVE:To elucidate the causal relationship between lipids and osteoporotic pathological fractures using a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis.METHODS:The data for 178 lipid metabolites were obtained from the IEU-GWAS database(developed by the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol,UK,which provides extensive summary data from genome-wide association studies),while osteoporotic pathological fracture data(from 173 619 European participants)were acquired from the FinnGen database(constructed by the Finnish national gene research program,focusing on investigating relationships between genomics and health/disease in the Finnish population).Osteoporotic pathological fracture data were used as the outcome variable,with lipids serving as exposures,for the bidirectional Mendelian randomization study to evaluate the causal effects of different lipids on osteoporotic pathological fractures.The UK Biobank database was employed as a validation set by switching the outcome variable to verify the findings horizontally.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The inverse variance weighted analysis indicated that each unit increase in sterol ester(27∶1/20∶2)levels was associated with a 25.55％increase in the risk of osteoporotic pathological fractures(odds ratio=1.256,95％confidence interval:1.001-1.575,P=0.049),suggesting a significant positive correlation between elevated sterol ester levels and increased fracture risk.Reverse Mendelian randomization analysis revealed a significant negative association between osteoporotic pathological fractures and three types of phosphatidylcholine.Horizontal validation yielded consistent results,confirming sterol ester as a risk factor for osteoporotic pathological fractures.(2)The results indicate that sterol ester is a risk factor for osteoporotic pathological fractures,while phosphatidylcholine serves as a protective factor.These findings strengthen the evidence supporting the effect of lipids on the risk of osteoporotic pathological fractures.Although the GWAS data used in this study were derived from European populations,given the broad commonality of human genetics,the results provide valuable reference significance for improving osteoporosis in Chinese populations through lipid regulation.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of cerebellar intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) on postural control and fall risk in stroke patients. MethodsFrom October, 2024 to August, 2025, 45 stroke patients were recruited from Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University. They were randomly divided into control group (n = 15), group A (n = 15) and group B (n = 15). All the groups received conventional medication and rehabilitation. Group A was additionally administered iTBS over the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1), while group B received iTBS over the contralesional cerebellum, for three weeks. Before and after intervention, postural stability indexes (eyes open/closed), limits of stability, directional control score and reaction time were measured using Biodex Balance System, and they were assessed with Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up & Go Test (TUGT) and 10-meter walk test (10MWT). ResultsAfter intervention, significant group-time interaction effects were observed for eyes open/closed postural stability indexes, limits of stability, directional control score, reaction time, BBS score, TUGT and 10MWT (F > 23.487, P < 0.001). All the groups improved in all the indexes after intervention (P < 0.01). The eyes open/closed postural stability indexes, limits of stability, directional control score and reaction time were the best in group B, followed by group A, and the worst in the control group (P < 0.05), while BBS, TUGT and 10MWT were better in groups A and B than in the control group (P < 0.05). ConclusionCerebellar iTBS can effectively improve postural control disorders and reduce fall risk in stroke patients, and may be superior to M1 iTBS.

ObjectiveTo investigate the migration and distribution characteristics of chemical constituents in blood and hippocampal tissues before and after vinegar processing of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride（CRPV）， and to explore the potential material basis and mechanisms underlying their regulatory effects on emotional disorders by comparing the effects of raw and vinegar-processed products of CRPV. MethodsUltra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS） was employed to characterize and identify the chemical constituents of raw and vinegar-processed products of CRPV extracts， as well as their migrating components in blood and hippocampal tissues after oral administration. Reference standards， databases， and relevant literature were utilized for compound annotation， with data processing performed using PeakView 1.2 software. Seventy male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into seven groups， including the blank group， model group， diazepam group（2.5 mg·kg^-1）， raw CRPV low/high dose groups（0.6， 1.2 g·kg^-1）， and vinegar-processed CRPV low/high dose groups（0.6， 1.2 g·kg^-1）， with 10 mice per group. Except for the blank group， all other groups underwent chronic restraint stress（2 h·d^-1） for 20 d. Each drug-treated group received oral administration at the predetermined dose starting 10 d after modeling， with a total treatment duration of 10 d. Following model-based drug administration， mice underwent open-field， forced swimming， and elevated plus maze tests. After anesthesia with isoflurane， whole brains were collected from each group of mice， and hippocampi were dissected. Reactive oxygen species（ROS） level in hippocampal tissues was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe hippocampal tissue morphology. Immunofluorescence was performed to detect neuronal nuclei（NeuN） and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha（PPARα） expressions in hippocampal tissue. Then， pharmacodynamic evaluations were conducted to assess the effects of raw and vinegar-processed CRPV on mood disorders， exploring the potential mechanisms. ResultsVinegar processing caused significant changes in the chemical composition of CRPV， with 18 components showing increased relative content and 35 components showing decreased relative content. The primary changes occurred in flavonoid compounds， including 20 flavonoids， 20 flavonoid glycosides， 3 triterpenes， 3 phenolic acids， 1 alkaloid， and 6 other compounds. Twenty-one components were detected in blood（15 methoxyflavones， 4 flavonoid glycosides， and 2 phenolic acids）， with 17 shared between raw and vinegar-processed CRPV. Seven components reached hippocampal tissues（all common to both forms）. In regulating emotional disorders， Vinegar-processed CRPV exhibited superior antidepressant-like effects compared to raw products. HE staining revealed that both treatments improved hippocampal neuronal morphology， particularly in the damaged CA1 and CA3 regions. Immunofluorescence and ELISA analyses demonstrated that both raw and vinegar-processed CRPV significantly modulated NeuN and PPARα expressions in hippocampal tissue while alleviating oxidative stress induced by excessive ROS（P<0.05）. ConclusionThe chemical composition of CRPV undergoes changes after vinegar processing， but the migrating components in blood and hippocampus are primarily methoxyflavonoids. These components may serve as the potential material basis for activating the PPARα pathway， thereby negatively regulating ROS generation in the hippocampus， reducing oxidative stress， and promoting the development of NeuN-positive neurons. These findings provide experimental evidence for enhancing quality standards， pharmacodynamic material research， and active drug development of raw and vinegar-processed CRPV.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism by which Sini San （SNS） inhibits ferroptosis， alleviates inflammation and myocardial injury， and improves myocardial infarction （MI）. MethodsThe active ingredients of SNS were obtained by searching the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Platform （TCMSP） database， its target sites were predicted using the SwissTargetPrediction Database， and the core components were screened out using the CytoNCA plug-in. The targets of MI and ferroptosis were obtained by using GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） database， DrugBank， Therapeutic Target Database （TTD）， FerrDb database and literature review， respectively. The intersection of these targets of SNS-MI-ferroptosis was plotted as a Venn diagram. The protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed using the STRING database， and the visualization graph was prepared using Cytoscape. The core targets were screened out using the CytoNCA plug-in， and the biological functions were clustered by the MCODE plug-in. Gene Ontology （GO） functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the David database. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock and visualized with PyMOL2.5.2. The Kunming mice were randomly divided into the control group， the model group， the SNS group， and the trimetazidine （TMZ） group. The mice were subcutaneously injected with isoprenaline （ISO， 5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） to establish an MI model. The drug was continuously intervened for 7 days. The ST-segment changes were recorded by electrocardiogram （ECG）， and the tissue morphology changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Cardiomyocyte ferroptosis was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Serum creatine kinase （CK）， creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， reduced glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA） levels were detected by biochemical assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of interleukin （IL）-6 and 4-hydroxynonenal （4-HNE）. Immunohistochemical staining was employed to detect IL-6 and phosphorylated signal transducer and transcription activator 3 （p-STAT3） in cardiac tissues. Western blot was used to detect STAT3 and p-STAT3 in cardiac tissues. Real-time PCR was used to detect the levels of IL-6， IL-18， solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）， arachidonic acid 15-lipoxygenase （ALOX15）， and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPx4） in cardiac tissues. ResultsA total of 121 active ingredients of SNS were obtained， and 58 potential targets of SNS in the treatment of MI by regulating ferroptosis were screened. The three protein modules with a score5 were mainly related to the inflammatory response. The GO function was mainly related to inflammation， and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that SNS mainly regulated ferroptosis- and inflammation- related signaling pathways. Molecular docking indicated that the core component had a higher binding force to the target site. Animal experiments confirmed that SNS reduced the level of p-STAT3 （P0.01）， down-regulated the expression of ALOX15 mRNA （P0.01）， up-regulated the level of serum GSH， and the expressions of SLC7A11 and GPx4 mRNA， reduced MDA and 4-HNE levels （P0.05， P0.01）. Additionally， SNS improved the mitochondrial injury induced by cardiomyocyte ferroptosis， reduced the area of MI， alleviated inflammation and myocardial injury， lowered the levels of serum CK， CK-MB， LDH， IL-6， and the mRNA expression levels of IL-16 and IL-18 （P0.05）， and improved ST segment elevation. ConclusionSNS can reduce ISO-induced STAT3 phosphorylation levels， inhibit ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes， alleviate inflammation and myocardial injury， thereby improving MI.

ObjectiveAge-related macular degeneration （AMD） is one of the leading causes of low vision and blindness in people over 50 years old， and dry AMD （dAMD） is one type for which there is currently no clear treatment. On the basis of the diagnosis and clinical characteristics of dAMD in traditional Chinese and Western medicine， this paper evaluated the fitting degrees of existing animal models of dAMD with clinical characteristics according to the evaluation methods of animal models， and put forward suggestions and prospects. MethodsLiterature on animal models of dAMD was searched against database， and the characteristics of the models were assigned according to the diagnosis criteria of diseases and syndromes of traditional Chinese and Western medicine， and the fitting degrees of the models with clinical characteristics were analyzed and evaluated. ResultsAt present， the animal models of dAMD are mainly established targeting complement factors， chemokines， oxidative damage， lipid/glucose metabolism， and natural strains. Most of the models can simulate the major pathological changes of dAMD， showing the fitting degree of 25%-50% with clinical characteristics in Western medicine. However， the evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， especially the evaluation of secondary syndromes， is missing， and the models present low fitting degrees with the clinical characteristics in TCM. ConclusionExisting animal models of dAMD are mostly established under the guidance of Western diagnostic standards， which reproduce the main disease characteristics of Western medicine and lack observation of TCM syndromes. Future studies can pay attention to the intervention factors and evaluation systems of spleen deficiency Qi deficiency and liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome and build the animal model of dAMD with integration of disease and syndrome based on clinical characteristics of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism by which Sini San （SNS） inhibits ferroptosis， alleviates inflammation and myocardial injury， and improves myocardial infarction （MI）. MethodsThe active ingredients of SNS were obtained by searching the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Platform （TCMSP） database， its target sites were predicted using the SwissTargetPrediction Database， and the core components were screened out using the CytoNCA plug-in. The targets of MI and ferroptosis were obtained by using GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） database， DrugBank， Therapeutic Target Database （TTD）， FerrDb database and literature review， respectively. The intersection of these targets of SNS-MI-ferroptosis was plotted as a Venn diagram. The protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed using the STRING database， and the visualization graph was prepared using Cytoscape. The core targets were screened out using the CytoNCA plug-in， and the biological functions were clustered by the MCODE plug-in. Gene Ontology （GO） functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the David database. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock and visualized with PyMOL2.5.2. The Kunming mice were randomly divided into the control group， the model group， the SNS group， and the trimetazidine （TMZ） group. The mice were subcutaneously injected with isoprenaline （ISO， 5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） to establish an MI model. The drug was continuously intervened for 7 days. The ST-segment changes were recorded by electrocardiogram （ECG）， and the tissue morphology changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Cardiomyocyte ferroptosis was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Serum creatine kinase （CK）， creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， reduced glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA） levels were detected by biochemical assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of interleukin （IL）-6 and 4-hydroxynonenal （4-HNE）. Immunohistochemical staining was employed to detect IL-6 and phosphorylated signal transducer and transcription activator 3 （p-STAT3） in cardiac tissues. Western blot was used to detect STAT3 and p-STAT3 in cardiac tissues. Real-time PCR was used to detect the levels of IL-6， IL-18， solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）， arachidonic acid 15-lipoxygenase （ALOX15）， and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPx4） in cardiac tissues. ResultsA total of 121 active ingredients of SNS were obtained， and 58 potential targets of SNS in the treatment of MI by regulating ferroptosis were screened. The three protein modules with a score5 were mainly related to the inflammatory response. The GO function was mainly related to inflammation， and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that SNS mainly regulated ferroptosis- and inflammation- related signaling pathways. Molecular docking indicated that the core component had a higher binding force to the target site. Animal experiments confirmed that SNS reduced the level of p-STAT3 （P0.01）， down-regulated the expression of ALOX15 mRNA （P0.01）， up-regulated the level of serum GSH， and the expressions of SLC7A11 and GPx4 mRNA， reduced MDA and 4-HNE levels （P0.05， P0.01）. Additionally， SNS improved the mitochondrial injury induced by cardiomyocyte ferroptosis， reduced the area of MI， alleviated inflammation and myocardial injury， lowered the levels of serum CK， CK-MB， LDH， IL-6， and the mRNA expression levels of IL-16 and IL-18 （P0.05）， and improved ST segment elevation. ConclusionSNS can reduce ISO-induced STAT3 phosphorylation levels， inhibit ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes， alleviate inflammation and myocardial injury， thereby improving MI.

ObjectiveAge-related macular degeneration （AMD） is one of the leading causes of low vision and blindness in people over 50 years old， and dry AMD （dAMD） is one type for which there is currently no clear treatment. On the basis of the diagnosis and clinical characteristics of dAMD in traditional Chinese and Western medicine， this paper evaluated the fitting degrees of existing animal models of dAMD with clinical characteristics according to the evaluation methods of animal models， and put forward suggestions and prospects. MethodsLiterature on animal models of dAMD was searched against database， and the characteristics of the models were assigned according to the diagnosis criteria of diseases and syndromes of traditional Chinese and Western medicine， and the fitting degrees of the models with clinical characteristics were analyzed and evaluated. ResultsAt present， the animal models of dAMD are mainly established targeting complement factors， chemokines， oxidative damage， lipid/glucose metabolism， and natural strains. Most of the models can simulate the major pathological changes of dAMD， showing the fitting degree of 25%-50% with clinical characteristics in Western medicine. However， the evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， especially the evaluation of secondary syndromes， is missing， and the models present low fitting degrees with the clinical characteristics in TCM. ConclusionExisting animal models of dAMD are mostly established under the guidance of Western diagnostic standards， which reproduce the main disease characteristics of Western medicine and lack observation of TCM syndromes. Future studies can pay attention to the intervention factors and evaluation systems of spleen deficiency Qi deficiency and liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome and build the animal model of dAMD with integration of disease and syndrome based on clinical characteristics of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and spatial-temporal clustering of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province from 2011 to 2024, so as to provide a basis for optimizing local SFTS prevention and control strategies, and identifying high-risk areas and key populations. Methods: Data on SFTS incidence and deaths in Huai'an City from 2011 to 2024 were collected from the Infectious Disease Reporting Information System of the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The reported incidence, mortality, and fatality rates were calculated. Descriptive analysis was performed on temporal, population, and regional distribution. The average annual percent change (AAPC) was used to analyze the trend in the reported incidence of SFTS. Global and local spatial autocorrelation analyses were employed to examine the spatial distribution patterns and spatial association patterns of SFTS incidence while spatio-temporal scanning analyses was used to assess the spatial-temporal clustering of SFTS. Results: A total of 337 SFTS cases were reported in Huai'an City from 2011 to 2024, with the reported incidence rising from 0.17/100 000 to 1.88/100 000. There were 20 deaths, with an average annual mortality of 0.03/100 000, and a fatality rate of 5.93%. The incidence showed obvious seasonality, with a peak in May and June (148 cases, accounting for 43.92%). Spring and summer accounted for 107 cases (31.75%) and 159 cases (47.18%), respectively. The reported SFTS cases were mainly male, farmers, and individuals aged ≥41 years, accounting for 56.38%, 79.23%, and 96.74%, respectively. The population distribution of death cases was basically consistent with that of incident cases. Xuyi County was a high-incidence area, with a total of 332 reported cases, accounting for 98.52%. All death cases were reported in this county. Spatial autocorrelation analyses revealed a positive spatial correlation in SFTS incidence from 2019 to 2024, with Moran's I values ranging from 0.214 to 0.336 (all P<0.05). Heqiao Town, Tianquanhu Town, and Guiwu Town in Xuyi County were identified as high-high clustering areas. Spatio-temporal scanning analyses showed that cluster 1 was consistent with the high-high clustering areas, with an aggregation time from the second quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2022. Conclusions From 2011 to 2024, the reported incidence of SFTS in Huai'an City showed an upward trend, with a high incidence in spring and summer. Males, farmers, and the middle-aged and elderly population were the key populations for prevention and control. Xuyi County was the key area for prevention and control.

ObjectiveTo characterize the quality differences among different germplasm and introduced varieties of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium roots（BSR）， and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms， providing a basis for high-quality production and quality control. MethodsWild BSR from Yulin（YLW） served as the quality reference， we conducted comparative analysis among YLW， locally domesticated wild germplasm in Yulin（YLC3）， Daqing germplasm introduced and cultivated in Yulin（YLDQC3）， and locally cultivated germplasm in Daqing（DQC3）. A combination of traditional pharmacognostic methods and modern multi-omics analyses was employed， including macroscopic traits（appearance， odor）， microscopic features（proportions of cork， phloem， xylem）， cell wall component contents（hemicellulose， cellulose， lignin）， carbohydrate contents（starch， water-soluble polysaccharides）， marker compound contents（ethanol-soluble extracts， total saponins， liposoluble extracts， and saikosaponins A， B₂， C， D）， metabolomics， and transcriptomics， in order to systematically characterize quality differences and investigate molecular mechanisms among these samples. ResultsMacroscopically， Yulin-produced BSR（YLW， YLC3， YLDQC3） exhibited significantly greater weight， length， and upper and middle diameters than Daqing-produced BSR（DQC3）. Odor-wise， YLW and YLC3 had a a fragrance taste， YLDQC3 had a rancid oil odor， and DQC3 had a sweet and fragrant taste. Microscopically， Yulin germplasm（YLW， YLC3） and Daqing germplasm（YLDQC3， DQC3） shared similar structural features， respectively. However， Yulin germplasm showed significantly higher proportions of cork and phloem， as well as stronger xylem vessel staining intensity compared to Daqing germplasm. Regarding various component contents， Yulin germplasm contained significantly higher levels of ethanol-soluble extracts， total saponins， and saikosaponins A， B₂， C， D， while Daqing germplasm had significantly higher levels of hemicellulose， starch， and liposoluble extracts. After introduction to Yulin， the Daqing germplasm（YLDQC3） showed increased starch， water-soluble polysaccharides and liposoluble extracts contents， decreased cell wall component content， but no significant difference in other component contents. Metabolomics revealed that saponins and terpenes accumulated significantly in Yulin germplasm， while alcohols and aldehydes accumulated predominantly in Daqing germplasm. Transcriptomics indicated similar gene expression patterns within the same germplasm but specificity between different germplasms. Integrative metabolomic-transcriptomic analysis identified 145 potential key genes associated with the saikosaponin biosynthesis pathway， including one acetyl-coenzyme A（CoA） acetyltransferase gene（ACAT）， one 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase gene（HMGS）， two hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA（HMG-CoA） reductase genes（HMG）， one phosphomevalonate kinase gene（PMK）， one 1-deoxy-D-xylose-5-phosphate synthase gene（CLA）， one hydroxymethylbuten-1-aldol synthase gene（HDR）， two farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase genes（FPPS）， one squalene synthase gene（SQS）， one β-amyrin synthase gene（BAS）， 102 cytochrome P450（CYP450） gene family members， and 32 uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase（UGT） gene family members. ConclusionAmong the three cultivated types， YLC3 most closely resembles YLW in appearance， microscopic features， contents of major bioactive constituents， metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles. Yulin germplasm exhibits superior saponin synthesis capability compared to Daqing germplasm， and Yulin region is more suitable for the growth of B. scorzonerifolium. Based on these findings， it is recommended that artificial cultivation in northern Shaanxi and similar regions utilize the local Yulin germplasm source cultivated for at least three years.

ObjectiveTo develop a community-family management model for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to formulate detailed application specifications, and to fully leverage the initiative of communities and families under limited resource conditions, for achieving community-based early detection and early intervention for older adults with MCI. MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted to identify pertinent publications. Corpus-based research methodologies were employed to extract, refine, integrate and synthesize management elements, thereby establishing the specific content and service processes for each stage of the management model. Utilizing the 5W2H analytical framework, essential elements such as management stakeholders, target populations, content and methods for each stage were delineated. The model and its application guidelines were finalized through expert consultation and demonstration. ResultsAn expert evaluation of the management model yielded mean scores of 4.84, 4.32 and 4.84 for acceptability, feasibility and systematicity, respectively. By integrating the identified core elements with expert ratings and feedback, the final iteration of the community-family management model for older adults with MCI was formulated. This model comprised of five stages: screening and identification, comprehensive assessment, intervention planning, monitoring and referral pathways to ensure implementation, and enhanced support for communities, family members and caregivers. Additionally, it included 18 specific application guidelines. ConclusionThe proposed management model may theoretically help delay cognitive decline, improve cognitive function and potentially promote reversal from MCI to normal cognition. It may also enhance the awareness and coping capacity of older adults and their families, strengthen community healthcare professionals' ability to early identify and manage MCI.