ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Sanren Runchang formula in treating constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （IBS-C） by regulating the brain-gut axis and the effects of the formula on serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）， and substance P （SP）. MethodsA randomized controlled design was adopted， and 72 IBS-C patients meeting Rome Ⅳ criteria were randomized into observation and control groups （36 cases）.The observation group received Sanren Runchang formula granules twice daily， and the control group received lactulose oral solution daily for 4 weeks. IBS Symptom Severity Scale （IBS-SSS）， IBS Quality of Life Scale （IBS-QOL）， and Bristol Stool Form Scale （BSFS） were used to assess clinical symptoms， and bowel movement frequency was recorded. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale （SAS） and Self-Rating Depression Scale （SDS） were employed to evaluate psychological status. ELISA was employed to measure the serum levels of 5-HT， VIP， and SP. ResultsThe total response rate in the observation group was 91.67% （33/36）， which was higher than that （77.78%， 28/36） in the control group （χ²=4.50， P<0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed increased defecation frequency and BSFS scores， decreased IBS-SSS total score， abdominal pain and bloating scores， IBS-QOL health anxiety， anxiety， food avoidance， and behavioral disorders scores， SAS and SDS scores， serum 5-HT and VIP levels， and increased SP levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the observation group showed more significant changes in the indicators above than the control group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The SP level showed no significant difference between the two groups. During the 4-week follow-up， the recurrence rate was 5.88% in the observation group and 31.25% in the control group. No adverse events occurred in observation group， and 2 cases of mild diarrhea occurred in the control group. ConclusionSanren Runchang formula demonstrated definitive efficacy in alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms and improving the psychological status and quality of life in IBS-C patients， with a low recurrence rate. The formula can regulate serum levels of neurotransmitters such as 5-HT and VIP， suggesting its potential regulatory effect on the brain-gut axis through modulating neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. However， its complete mechanism of action requires further investigation through detection of additional brain-gut axis-related biomarkers.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Qingfei Shenshi Decoction （清肺渗湿汤） combined with western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome， and to explore its potential mechanism of action. MethodsEighty-six participants with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group and control group， each group with 43 participants. The control group received conventional western medicine， and the treatment group was additionally administered Qingfei Shenshi Decoction orally on the basis of the control group， 1 dose per day. Both groups were treated for 14 days. The primary outcome measure was clinical effectiveness； secondary outcome measures included traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， asthma control test （ACT） score， pulmonary function indices such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second （FEV₁）， forced vital capacity （FVC）， peak expiratory flow （PEF）， serum inflammatory factor levels including interleukin-4 （IL-4）， tumour necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and immune function indices including CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD8⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺. All outcome measures were evaluated before and after treatment. Vital signs were monitored， and electrocardiography， blood routine， urine routine， liver function， and renal function tests were performed before and after treatment. Adverse events and reactions during the study were recorded. ResultsA total of 80 patients completed the trial with 40 in each group. The total clinical effective rate of the treatment group was 97.5% （39/40）， which was significantly higher than that of the control group （85.0%， 34/40， P＜0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased TCM syndrome scores， IL-4， TNF-α， hs-CRP， and CD8⁺ levels， as well as increased ACT scores， CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺， FEV₁， FVC， and PEF levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Moreover， the improvements in these indices were more significant in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No significant abnormalities in safety indicators were observed in either group， and no adverse events or reactions occurred. ConclusionQingfei Shenshi Decoction combined with conventional western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome can effectively improve the clinical symptoms， pulmonary function， and clinical effectiveness， with good safety. Its mechanism may be related to reducing inflammatory factor levels and regulating T lymphocyte subsets to improve immune function.

BACKGROUND:Rev-erbα is involved in the regulation of inflammation,but pharmacological activation of Rev-erbα increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases.To reduce the relevant risk,an exploration on SR9009,a Rev-erbα agonist,combined with other drugs to relieve inflammation in skeletal myoblasts was conducted,laying the theoretical foundation for the treatment of inflammation-associated skeletal muscle atrophy. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship of SR9009,indolepropionic acid and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways in lipopolysaccharide-induced C2C12 myoblasts. METHODS:(1)C2C12 myoblasts were induced to differentiate in the presence of lipopolysaccharide(1 μg/mL).RNA-seq and KEGG pathway analysis were used to study signaling pathways.(2)C2C12 myoblast viability was assessed using the cell counting kit-8 assay to determine optimal concentrations of indolepropionic acid.Subsequently,cells were categorized into control group,lipopolysaccharide(1 μg/mL)group,SR9009(10 μmol/L)+lipopolysaccharide group,indolepropionic acid(80μmol/L)+lipopolysaccharide group,and SR9009+indolepropionic acid+lipopolysaccharide group.ELISA was employed to measure protein expression levels of interleukin-6 in the cultured supernatant.Real-time quantitative PCR were employed to measure mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor α,TLR4 and CD14.Western blot assay were employed to measure protein expression levels of NF-κB p65 and p-NF-κB p65.(3)After Rev-erbα was knocked down by siRNA,knockdown efficiency was assessed by RT-qPCR.And mRNA levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were also measured. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the blank control group,lipopolysaccharide time-dependently inhibited myofibroblast fusion to form myotubes,the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were elevated,and the level of interleukin-6 in the cell supernatant was significantly increased.The results of KEGG pathway showed that the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway was activated by lipopolysaccharide.Indolepropionic acid exhibited significant suppression of C2C12 myoblasts viability when its concentration exceeded 80 μmol/L.Indolepropionic acid and SR9009 inhibited the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway,thereby played an anti-inflammatory role,and suppressed the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor α,TLR4 and CD14.Compared with the lipopolysaccharide group,the ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 protein expression were downregulated.SR9009 combined with indolepropionic acid notably reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation,further downregulated the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor α,TLR4 and CD14.The ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 protein expression was significantly lower than that in the SR9009+lipopolysaccharide group or indolepropionic acid+lipopolysaccharide group.Rev-erbα increases time-dependently with lipopolysaccharide induction.The knockdown efficiency of Rev-erbα by siRNA reached over 58%,and lipopolysaccharide was added after Rev-erbα was successfully knocked down.Compared with the lipopolysaccharide group,the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were significantly up-regulated.These results conclude that Rev-erbα may act as a promising pharmacological target to reduce inflammation.SR9009 targeted activation of Rev-erbα combined with indolepropionic acid significantly inhibits the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway and attenuates the inflammatory response of C2C12 myofibroblasts.Moreover,the combined anti-inflammatory effect is superior to that of the intervention alone.

ObjectiveTo establish a risk recognition model for coronary artery stenosis by using a machine learning method and to identify the key causative factors. MethodsPatients aged ≥18 years，diagnosed with coronary heart disease through coronary angiography from January 2013 to May 2020 in two prominent hospitals in Shanxi Province， were continuously enrolled. Logistic regression，back propagation neural network （BPNN）， and random forest（RF）algorithms were used to construct models for detecting the causative factors of coronary artery stenosis. Sensitivity （TPR）， specificity （TNR）， accuracy （ACC）， positive predictive value （PV+）， negative predictive value （PV-）， area under subject operating characteristic curve （AUC）， and calibration curve were used to compare the discrimination and calibration performance of the models. The best model was then employed to predict the main risk variables associated with coronary stenosis. ResultsThe RF model exhibited superior comprehensive performance compared to logistic regression and BPNN models. The TPR values for logistic regression，BPNN，and RF models were 75.76%， 74.30%， and 93.70%， while ACC values were 74.05%， 72.30%， and 79.49%， respectively. The AUC values were：logistic regression 0.739 9； BPNN 0.723 1； RF 0.752 2. Manifestations such as chest pains，abnormal ST segments on ECG，ventricular premature beats with hypertension， atrial fibrillation， regional wall motion abnormalities（RWMA） by color echocardiography， aortic regurgitation（AR）， pulmonary insufficiency （PI）， family history of cardiovascular diseases，and body mass index（BMI）were identified as top ten important variables affecting coronary stenosis according to the RF model. ConclusionsRandom forest model shows the best comprehensive performance in identification and accurate assessment of coronary artery stenosis. The prediction of risk factors affecting coronary artery stenosis can provide a scientific basis for clinical intervention and help to formulate further diagnosis and treatment strategies so as to delay the disease progression.

ObjectiveTo clarify the associations between plasma fibrinogen （Fbg） and volumetric bone mineral density （vBMD） as well as osteoporosis measured by quantitative computed tomography （QCT）， and to explore the role of plasma Fbg in early screening and diagnosis of osteoporosis. MethodsPatients with hypertension who were hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2018 to June 2022 and underwent QCT examinations were included for cross-sectional analysis. The study analyzed the correlation between plasma Fbg and osteoporosis in patients. The diagnostic efficacy of plasma Fbg for osteoporosis was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve （AUC）. ResultsTotally 441 subjects were included in the analysis， with an average age of 46.0±14.5 years and a prevalence of osteoporosis of 6.4% （28/441）. As the level of plasma fibrinogen increased， the incidence of osteoporosis significantly increased （P<0.000 1）while the average bone mineral density of L1 and L2 were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the first quartile of plasma Fbg（1.99g/L -2.37g/L）， the risk of osteoporosis in the fourth quartile of plasma Fbg （3.67g/L-4.46g/L） increased by 8.85 times after adjusting for related confounding factors. ConclusionThis study found a negative correlation between plasma fibrinogen levels and bone density in patients with hypertension. Plasma fibrinogen levels may serve as a potential screening indicator for osteoporosis， aiding in early diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring. This discovery offers a new perspective for the study of bone metabolic diseases and warrants further investigation.

Breast cancer is a kind of malignant tumor with a complex mechanism， and its morbidity and mortality are increasing year by year， which seriously threatens women's health. At present， the main clinical treatments are surgical resection， radiotherapy， chemotherapy， and drug therapy， but they are often accompanied by side effects and adverse reactions， which affect the therapeutic effect. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has the advantages of multi-component and multi-target treatment in the fight against breast cancer. The wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is one of the classic pathways in cancer research. Abnormally activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibits β-catenin degradation by blocking the formation of Axin/glycogen synthase kinase 3β/adenomatous polyposis coli complex， thus promoting β-catenin nuclear metastasis， and it binds to T cell transcription factor/lymphoenhancer factor-1 to initiate downstream target genes and further interfere with the proliferation， migration， and invasion of tumor cells to affect the tumor process. Previous studies have shown that TCM monomers and compounds can mediate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to inhibit the malignant phenotype of breast cancer cells， thus playing an anti-breast cancer role， and the biochemical process involved in the regulation of therapeutic drugs has not been systematically combed. By analyzing and collating Chinese and foreign literature at the present stage， this paper discussed the association mechanism between Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and breast cancer and analyzed the internal mechanism of TCM monomers and compounds in mediating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to exert anti-breast cancer effect. The statistical results showed that the flavonoids， alkaloids， and terpenoids in TCM monomers could target the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and block the further development of malignant phenotype of breast cancer cells. TCM compounds with functions of clearing heat and detoxifying， promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis， and tonifying kidney and liver were commonly used to intervene in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to prevent breast cancer. Compared with the current inhibitors of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway， the application of TCM monomers and compounds is expected to bring low-toxicity and high-efficiency breast cancer treatment drugs to the clinical practice， and the existing results provide a reference for the subsequent screening， research， and development of TCM small-molecule compounds and TCM compounds against breast cancer.

Da Qinjiaotang is the 54^th formula of the 100 formulas in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Formulas （the first batch） ，and it originated from the Collection of Writings on the Mechanism of Disease， Suitability of Qi， and Safeguarding of Life Discussed in Plain Questions. Da Qinjiaotang is composed of Gentiana macrophylla， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， Ligusticum chuanxiong， Angelica sinensis， Paeonia lactiflora， Asari Radix et Rhizoma， Notopterygium incisum， Saposhnikoviae Radix， Scutellariae Radix， Gypsum， Angelica dahurica， Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma， Rehmanniae Radix， Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata， Poria， and Angelicae Pubescentis Radix. It is a classical formula for treating strokes. Da Qinjiaotang is widely used in modern clinical practices for treating ischemic stroke， peripheral facial paralysis， cervical spondylosis， rheumatic arthritis， neurodermatitis， and other multisystem diseases. Therefore， following the Principles of Textual Research on the Key Information of Ancient Classical Famous Formulas， the authors collected the ancient Chinese medical literature of Da Qinjiaotang by the method of bibliometrics and screened out 177 valid data， involving 100 ancient books of traditional Chinese medicine. Based on the historical evolution， composition， dosage， method of preparation， and preparation of the original medicinal materials of Da Qinjiaotang， a systematic study was carried out. It was found that among the 175 records of the main diseases and syndromes， stroke （144） was the most， accounting for 82.29% of the total diseases and syndromes. Later generations mostly followed the practice of LIU Wansu in using Da Qinjiaotang to treat stroke caused by "weak blood and inability to nourish tendon"， featuring "hands and feet cannot move， stiff tongue hinders speaking"， as well as other symptoms， such as slant of the mouth， hemiplegia， numbness of the limbs， paroxysmal pain， and acerbic syncope. The treatment scope was expanded， covering tendon dryness， clonic convulsion， spasm syndrome， and arthralgia syndrome. At the same time， it was found that there was a controversy between "internal wind" and "external wind" in the treatment of stroke by Da Qinjiaotang. LIU Wansu thought that stroke was caused by internal factors， created the theory of "hot stroke"， and used Da Qinjiaotang to treat "internal wind". Many doctors in later generations focused on treating the "external wind" of "internal deficiency and evil". There were 76 valid data on the composition of drugs， 59 of which had doses for each drug. It was suggested to use the modern conversion dosage of the original formula， with 41.30 g per dose. The drug should be boiled in 600 mL water until 300 mL， decocted once， and taken in a warm state after removing the dregs anytime. Through the analysis and study of the ancient books about Da Qinjiaotang， the paper clarified its historical evolution and confirmed its key information， so as to provide the ancient literature evidence for the research and development of the classical famous formula Daqinjiaotan and its better clinical application.

Da Qinjiaotang is the 54^th formula of the 100 formulas in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Formulas （the first batch） ，and it originated from the Collection of Writings on the Mechanism of Disease， Suitability of Qi， and Safeguarding of Life Discussed in Plain Questions. Da Qinjiaotang is composed of Gentiana macrophylla， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， Ligusticum chuanxiong， Angelica sinensis， Paeonia lactiflora， Asari Radix et Rhizoma， Notopterygium incisum， Saposhnikoviae Radix， Scutellariae Radix， Gypsum， Angelica dahurica， Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma， Rehmanniae Radix， Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata， Poria， and Angelicae Pubescentis Radix. It is a classical formula for treating strokes. Da Qinjiaotang is widely used in modern clinical practices for treating ischemic stroke， peripheral facial paralysis， cervical spondylosis， rheumatic arthritis， neurodermatitis， and other multisystem diseases. Therefore， following the Principles of Textual Research on the Key Information of Ancient Classical Famous Formulas， the authors collected the ancient Chinese medical literature of Da Qinjiaotang by the method of bibliometrics and screened out 177 valid data， involving 100 ancient books of traditional Chinese medicine. Based on the historical evolution， composition， dosage， method of preparation， and preparation of the original medicinal materials of Da Qinjiaotang， a systematic study was carried out. It was found that among the 175 records of the main diseases and syndromes， stroke （144） was the most， accounting for 82.29% of the total diseases and syndromes. Later generations mostly followed the practice of LIU Wansu in using Da Qinjiaotang to treat stroke caused by "weak blood and inability to nourish tendon"， featuring "hands and feet cannot move， stiff tongue hinders speaking"， as well as other symptoms， such as slant of the mouth， hemiplegia， numbness of the limbs， paroxysmal pain， and acerbic syncope. The treatment scope was expanded， covering tendon dryness， clonic convulsion， spasm syndrome， and arthralgia syndrome. At the same time， it was found that there was a controversy between "internal wind" and "external wind" in the treatment of stroke by Da Qinjiaotang. LIU Wansu thought that stroke was caused by internal factors， created the theory of "hot stroke"， and used Da Qinjiaotang to treat "internal wind". Many doctors in later generations focused on treating the "external wind" of "internal deficiency and evil". There were 76 valid data on the composition of drugs， 59 of which had doses for each drug. It was suggested to use the modern conversion dosage of the original formula， with 41.30 g per dose. The drug should be boiled in 600 mL water until 300 mL， decocted once， and taken in a warm state after removing the dregs anytime. Through the analysis and study of the ancient books about Da Qinjiaotang， the paper clarified its historical evolution and confirmed its key information， so as to provide the ancient literature evidence for the research and development of the classical famous formula Daqinjiaotan and its better clinical application.

Purpose: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low breast cancer has the potential to emerge as a distinct subtype. Several studies have compared the differences between HER2-low and HER2-0 breast cancers, but no consensus has been reached.Additionally, a biomarker to predict pathological complete response (pCR) rates in patients with HER2-low breast cancer remains to be identified. Methods: We collected data from 777 patients across three centers, stratifying them into HER2-low and HER2-0 groups. We compared differences in survival and pCR rates between the two groups and investigated potential biomarkers that could reliably predict pCR. Results: The study found that patients with HER2-0 breast cancer had higher pCR rates compared to patients with HER2-low tumors (289 patients [30.1%] vs. 475 patients [18.1%], p < 0.0001). Survival analysis showed no significant advantage for HER2-low tumors over HER2-0 breast cancers. Binary logistic analysis revealed that androgen receptor (AR) expression predicts poorer pCR rates in both the overall patient group and the HER2-0 breast cancer group (overall patients: odds ratio [OR], 0.479; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.250–0.917; p = 0.026 and HER2-0 patients: OR, 0.267; 95% CI, 0.080–0.892; p = 0.032). In contrast, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was associated with more favorable pCR rates in the overall patient group (OR, 3.199; 95% CI, 1.020–10.037; p = 0.046). Conclusion There is currently insufficient evidence to classify HER2-low breast cancer as a distinct subtype. Our study revealed that AR expression, along with negative PD-L1 expression, contributes to lower pCR rates.

Adipose tissue is a critical energy reservoir in animals and humans, with multifaceted roles in endocrine regulation, immune response, and providing mechanical protection. Based on anatomical location and functional characteristics, adipose tissue can be categorized into distinct types, including white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT), beige adipose tissue, and pink adipose tissue. Traditionally, adipose tissue research has centered on its morphological and functional properties as a whole. However, with the advent of single-cell transcriptomics, a new level of complexity in adipose tissue has been unveiled, showing that even under identical conditions, cells of the same type may exhibit significant variation in morphology, structure, function, and gene expression——phenomena collectively referred to as cellular heterogeneity. Single-cell transcriptomics, including techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), enables in-depth analysis of the diversity and heterogeneity of adipocytes at the single-cell level. This high-resolution approach has not only deepened our understanding of adipocyte functionality but also facilitated the discovery of previously unidentified cell types and gene expression patterns that may play key roles in adipose tissue function. This review delves into the latest advances in the application of single-cell transcriptomics in elucidating the heterogeneity and diversity within adipose tissue, highlighting how these findings have redefined the understanding of cell subpopulations within different adipose depots. Moreover, the review explores how single-cell transcriptomic technologies have enabled the study of cellular communication pathways and differentiation trajectories among adipose cell subgroups. By mapping these interactions and differentiation processes, researchers gain insights into how distinct cellular subpopulations coordinate within adipose tissues, which is crucial for maintaining tissue homeostasis and function. Understanding these mechanisms is essential, as dysregulation in adipose cell interactions and differentiation underlies a range of metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2. Furthermore, single-cell transcriptomics holds promising implications for identifying therapeutic targets; by pinpointing specific cell types and gene pathways involved in adipose tissue dysfunction, these technologies pave the way for developing targeted interventions aimed at modulating specific adipose subpopulations. In summary, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of single-cell transcriptomic technologies in uncovering the heterogeneity and functional diversity of adipose tissues.