OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the quality of the Heat-clearing and symptom-relieving formula and screen potential marker components that influence the quality of the formula. METHODS The contents of 11 components （calycosin-7- O - β -D-glucoside， ononin， hyperoside， isoquercitrin， baicalin， baicalein， cryptotanshinone， tanshinone Ⅱ A ， tanshinone Ⅰ， senkyunolide A， ferulic acid） in the Heat-clearing and symptom-relieving formula were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （HPLC-MS/MS）. Using the contents of the aforementioned components as variables， cluster analysis （CA）， principal component analysis （PCA）， and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） were conducted using OriginPro 2024 software and SIMCA 14.1 software； marker components affecting the quality of the Heat-clearing and symptom-relieving formula were then screened based on the criteria of variable importance in the projection （VIP） value＞1 and P ＜0.05. The comprehensive evaluation of 20 batches of samples was carried out using the entropy weight-technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution（TOPSIS） and grey correlation analysis （GCA） methods. RESULTS The contents of the above 11 components were 7.993-72.866， 4.542-31.228， 727.666-1 901.884， 496.846-1 293.279， 1 995.501-6 779.150， 54.500-241.280， 150.302-304.339， 79.698-189.206， 257.118-682.418， 5.498-21.687， 7.524-26.935 μg/g. CA， PCA and OPLS-DA results showed that 20 batches of samples were grouped into 2 categories. Q1， Q3， Q4， Q7-Q9， Q12， Q15， Q16 were grouped into one category， and the rest were grouped into another category； VIP values of ferulic acid， tanshinone Ⅱ A ， baicalin， cryptotanshinone， calycosin-7- O - β -D-glucoside and ononin were all greater than 1 （ P ＜0.05）. Both the entropy weight-TOPSIS and GCA methods showed that the samples ranked in the top 11 according to the euclidean distance and relative correlation degree were Q2， Q5， Q6， Q10， Q11， Q13， Q14， Q17-Q20. CONCLUSIONS The established HPLC-MS/MS method is rapid， accurate and highly sens itive. Combined with chemical pattern recognition analysis， entropy weight-TOPSIS and GCA methods， this method can be used to evaluate the quality of the Heat-clearing and symptom-relieving formula. Ferulic acid， tanshinone Ⅱ A ， baicalin， cryptotanshinone， calycosin-7- O - β -D-glucoside and ononin may be the marker components that affect the quality of this formula. The overall quality of 11 batches of the Heat-clearing and symptom-relieving formula， including Q17， is relatively superior.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the antitumor activity of Periplaneta americana extract（PAE） against human-derived lung adenocarcinoma organoids（LUAD-PDOs） and to elucidate its potential mechanism based on transcriptomics. MethodsFresh tumor and adjacent normal tissues from patients with LUAD were collected to construct LUAD-PDOs and normal lung organoid（Nor-PDOs） models using 3D organoid culture technology. The effective intervention concentration of PAE was determined using the cell counting kit-8（CCK-8） assay. Experimental groups included the model group（LUAD-PDOs）， normal group， model administration group（LUAD-PDOs+PAE）， and normal administration group（Nor-PDOs+PAE）. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological structures of PDOs， immunohistochemistry（IHC） was performed to detect the expressions of the proliferation marker Ki-67 and lung adenocarcinoma differentiation markers cytokeratin-7（CK-7） and Napsin A， TUNEL staining was applied to detect cell apoptosis. RNA sequencing（RNA-Seq） was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes（DEGs）， followed by Gene Ontology（GO）， Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG）， and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis（GSEA）， alongside protein-protein interaction（PPI） network analysis to screen core mechanisms. Finally， key targets were validated by integrating external database analysis with immunofluorescence（IF）. ResultsNor-PDOs and LUAD-PDOs that highly recapitulated the pathological characteristics of the primary tissues were successfully established. The CCK-8 assay determined that the effective intervention concentration of PAE was 16 g·L^-1. Morphological observation showed that Nor-PDOs exhibited lumen-forming structures， whereas LUAD-PDOs displayed dense， solid structures. CCK-8 and TUNEL assays revealed that， compared with the model group， PAE intervention inhibited the proliferation of LUAD-PDOs and promoted apoptosis in LUAD cells， while showing no significant effect on the viability of Nor-PDOs. Transcriptomic analysis identified 719 DEGs that were significantly reversed after PAE intervention（347 up-regulated and 372 down-regulated）（P<0.05）. GO enrichment analysis indicated that DEGs in the model administration group were significantly enriched in biological processes related to cell cycle regulation compared to the model group. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that PAE affected pathways related to proliferation and metabolism， including pathways in cancer and the p53 signaling pathway. GSEA further confirmed that PAE significantly enhanced the activity of the p53 signaling pathway（P<0.05）. PPI network analysis indicated that breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein（BRCA1） and checkpoint kinase 1（CHEK1） were the core down-regulated targets in the p53 pathway. IF verified the high expression of BRCA1 and CHEK1 in LUAD-PDOs and their significant downregulation after PAE intervention（P<0.05）. Furthermore， survival analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas（TCGA） database indicated that low expression of BRCA1 and CHEK1 was significantly associated with prolonged overall survival in patients with LUAD（P<0.05）. ConclusionPAE effectively inhibits proliferation of LUAD-PDOs and promotes their apoptosis， its anti-tumor mechanism is potentially associated with the activation of the p53 signaling pathway， with BRCA1 and CHEK1 genes likely serving as key downstream targets for the effects of PAE.

Objective To investigate the levels and clinical significance of microRNA(miR)-17-5p and miR-141-3p in the serum of children with bacterial meningitis(BM).Methods A total of 111 children with BM ad-mitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from May 2019 to May 2022 were in-cluded as the study group,and another 111 healthy children who underwent physical examinations were in-cluded as the control group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to measure the ex-pression levels of serum miR-17-5p and miR-141-3p.Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between serum miR-17-5p,miR-141-3p levels and inflammatory factors in children with BM.Multivariate Lo-gistic regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors of BM occurrence.Receiver operating character-istic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the diagnostic value of miR-17-5p and miR-141-3p levels for BM.Re-sults The serum levels of miR-17-5p and miR-141-3p in the study group were obviously lower than those in the control group(P＜0.05),while the serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),inter-feron-γ(IFN-γ),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin(IL)-1β,and IL-6 in the study group were high-er than those in the control group(P＜0.05).According to Pearson correlation analysis,miR-17-5p and miR-141-3p were negatively correlated with CRP,PCT,IFN-γ,TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6(P＜0.05).According to multivariate Logistic analysis,CRP,PCT,IFN-γ,TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6 were risk factors affecting the occur-rence of BM(P＜0.05),while miR-17-5p and miR-141-3p were protective factors affecting the occurrence of BM(P＜0.05).According to the ROC curve,the area under the curve(AUC)of serum level of miR-17-5p for diagnosing BM was 0.756,and the AUC of serum level of miR-141-3p for diagnosing BM was 0.720.The AUC of the combination of the two for diagnosing BM was 0.819,which was larger than that of single detec-tion(Zcombination vs.miR-17-5p=2.278,Zcombination vs.miR-141-3p=2.425,P＜0.05).Conclusion The expression levels of miR-17-5p and miR-141-3p in the serum of children with BM are reduced.The two are related to the levels of inflammatory factors,and their combined detection has a high diagnostic value for BM.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of Tongdu Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with low-frequency electrical pulse in the treatment of neurogenic bladder (NB) caused by spinal cord injury (SCI); To explore its effects on urodynamics.Methods:A randomized controlled trial study was conducted. A total of 116 patients with NB caused by SCI in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2022 to June 2024 were selected as the observation objects and divided into 2 groups with random number table method, with 58 cases in each group. On the basis of conventional bladder function training, the control group was given low-frequency electronic pulse therapy, while the observation group was treated with the Tongdu Tiaoshen method on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated continuously for 3 months. The urination conditions of the patients were observed before and after the treatment respectively, and the residual urine volume, single urine volume within 24 hours, the number of urine leaks within 24 hours, and the number of urinations within 24 hours were recorded; urodynamic parameters such as bladder volume, urine flow rate, detrusor pressure, bladder compliance, and detrusor contractility were measured using a urodynamic analyzer; the severity of NB symptoms was evaluated using the Chinese version of the Neurogenic Bladder Symptom Scale (NBSS), and the quality of life was evaluated using the Chinese version of the Short Form Health Assessment Scale (SF-Qualiveen). The levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. Adverse reactions were recorded during the treatment period and the clinical efficacy was evaluated.Results:The total effective rate was 91.38% (53/58) in the observation group and 75.86% (44/58) in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=5.10, P=0.024). After treatment, the residual urine volume, single urine volume within 24 hours, frequency of urine leakage within 24 hours, and frequency of urination within 24 hours in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( t values were -15.68, 3.75, -3.81, and -7.54 respectively, P<0.01). The bladder capacity, urine flow rate, detrusor pressure, bladder compliance and detrusor contractility were higher than those of the control group ( t values were 11.04, 7.49, 9.76, 5.65 and 4.36 respectively, P<0.01), while the NBSS score and SF-Qualiveen score were lower than those of the control group ( t values were -10.82 and -9.83 respectively, P<0.01). No obvious adverse reactions occurred in either group during the treatment period. Conclusion:Tongdu Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with low-frequency electrical pulses can improve the bladder function of NB caused by SCI, restore urodynamics, and improve the quality of life. Its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of inflammatory responses.

This study aimed to characterize and identify the non-volatile components in aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the stems and leaves of Rhododendron tomentosum by using sensitive and efficient ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined with a self-built information database. By comparing with reference compounds, analyzing fragment ion information, searching relevant literature, and using a self-built information database, 118 compounds were identified from the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of R. tomentosum, including 35 flavonoid glycosides, 15 phenolic glycosides, 12 flavonoids, 7 phenolic acids, 7 phenylethanol glycosides, 6 tannins, 6 phospholipids, 5 coumarins, 5 monoterpene glycosides, 6 triterpenes, 3 fatty acids, and 11 other types of compounds. Among them, 102 compounds were reported in R. tomentosum for the first time, and 36 compounds were identified by comparing them with reference compounds. The chemical components in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of R. tomentosum leaves and stems showed slight differences, with 84 common chemical components accounting for 71.2% of the total 118 compounds. This study systematically characterized and identified the non-volatile chemical components in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of R. tomentosum for the first time. The findings provide a reference for active ingredient research, quality control, and product development of R. tomentosum.
Rhododendron/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Plant Leaves/chemistry*

Acute lung injury(ALI) is a critical clinical condition primarily characterized by refractory hypoxemia and infiltration of inflammatory cells in lung tissue, which can progress into a more severe form known as acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). Immune cells and inflammatory cytokines play important roles in the progression of the disease. Due to its unclear pathogenesis and the lack of effective clinical treatments, ALI is associated with a high mortality rate and severely affects patients' quality of life, making the search for effective therapeutic agents particularly urgent. Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, the dried root of the perennial herb Panax ginseng from the Araliaceae family, contains active ingredients such as saponins and polysaccharides, which possess various pharmacological effects including anti-tumor activity, immune regulation, and metabolic modulation. In recent years, studies have shown that ginsenosides exhibit notable effects in reducing inflammation, ameliorating epithelial and endothelial cell injury, and providing anticoagulant action, indicating their comprehensive role in alleviating lung injury. This review summarizes the pathogenesis of ALI and the molecular mechanisms through which ginsenosides act at different stages of ALI development. The aim is to provide a scientific reference for the development of ginsenoside-based drugs targeting ALI, as well as a theoretical basis for the clinical application of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma in the treatment of ALI.
Ginsenosides/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Acute Lung Injury/immunology* ; Animals ; Panax/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

ObjectiveTo investigate the ameliorative effect of Xingpi capsules on functional dyspepsia（FD） and the potential mechanism. MethodsSixty SPF-grade male SD neonatal rats（7 days old） were randomly divided into the normal group（n=12） and the modeling group（n=48）， and the FD model was prepared by iodoacetamide gavage in the modeling group. After the model was successfully prepared， the rats in the modeling group were randomly divided into the model group， the low-dose and high-dose groups of Xingpi capsules（0.135， 0.54 g·kg^-1） and the domperidone group（3 mg·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. Rats in the normal and model groups were gavaged with distilled water， and rats in the rest of the groups were gavaged with the corresponding medicinal solution， once a day for 7 d. The general survival condition of the rats was observed， and the water intake and food intake of the rats were measured， the gastric emptying rate and the small intestinal propulsion rate were measured at the end of the treatment， the pathological damage of the rat duodenum was examined by hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， and the expressions of colonic tight junction protein（Occludin） and zonula occludens protein-1（ZO-1） were detected by immunofluorescence. The differentially expressed genes in the duodenal tissues of the model group and the normal group， and the high-dose group of Xingpi capsules and the model group were detected by transcriptome sequencing after the final administration， and Gene Ontology（GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） enrichment analyses were carried out. The transcriptomic results were validated by Western blot， immunofluorescence， and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）， and the active ingredients of Xingpi capsules were screened for molecular docking with the key targets. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the general survival condition of rats in the model group was poorer， and the water intake， food intake， gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate were all significantly reduced（P<0.05）， inflammatory infiltration was seen in duodenal pathology， and the fluorescence intensities of Occludin and ZO-1 in the colon were significantly reduced（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the general survival condition of rats in the high-dose group of Xingpi capsules improved significantly， and the water intake， food intake， gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate were all significantly increased（P<0.05）， the duodenal pathology showed a decrease in inflammatory infiltration， and the fluorescence intensities of colonic Occludin and ZO-1 were significantly increased（P<0.01）. Transcriptomic results showed that Xingpi capsules might exert therapeutic effects by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase（PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt） through the key genes such as Slc5a1， Abhd6. The validation results showed that compared with the normal group， the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt proteins， the protein expression level of interleukin（IL）-1β， and the fluorescence intensities of IL-6 and IL-1β were significantly increased in the model group（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the mRNA levels of Slc5a1， Abhd6， Mgam， Atp1a1， Slc7a8， Cdr2， Chrm3， Slc5a9 and other key genes were significantly increased（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt， the protein expression level of IL-1β and the fluorescence intensities of IL-6 and IL-1β in the high-dose group of Xingpi capsules were significantly reduced（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the mRNA levels of Slc5a1， Abhd6， Mgam， Atp1a1， Slc7a8， Cdr2， Chrm3 and Slc5a9 were significantly reduced（P<0.05）. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and molecular docking results showed that E-nerolidol and Z-nerolidol in Xingpi capsules were well bound to ABDH6 protein， and linarionoside A， valerosidatum and senkirkine were well bound to Slc5a1 protein. ConclusionXingpi capsules can effectively improve the general survival and gastrointestinal motility of FD rats， its specific mechanism may be related to the inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to alleviate the low-grade inflammation of duodenum， and E-nerolidol， Z-nerolidol， linarionoside A， valerosidatum and senkirkine may be its key active ingredients.

ObjectiveTo investigate the ameliorative effect of Xingpi capsules on functional dyspepsia（FD） and the potential mechanism. MethodsSixty SPF-grade male SD neonatal rats（7 days old） were randomly divided into the normal group（n=12） and the modeling group（n=48）， and the FD model was prepared by iodoacetamide gavage in the modeling group. After the model was successfully prepared， the rats in the modeling group were randomly divided into the model group， the low-dose and high-dose groups of Xingpi capsules（0.135， 0.54 g·kg^-1） and the domperidone group（3 mg·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. Rats in the normal and model groups were gavaged with distilled water， and rats in the rest of the groups were gavaged with the corresponding medicinal solution， once a day for 7 d. The general survival condition of the rats was observed， and the water intake and food intake of the rats were measured， the gastric emptying rate and the small intestinal propulsion rate were measured at the end of the treatment， the pathological damage of the rat duodenum was examined by hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， and the expressions of colonic tight junction protein（Occludin） and zonula occludens protein-1（ZO-1） were detected by immunofluorescence. The differentially expressed genes in the duodenal tissues of the model group and the normal group， and the high-dose group of Xingpi capsules and the model group were detected by transcriptome sequencing after the final administration， and Gene Ontology（GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） enrichment analyses were carried out. The transcriptomic results were validated by Western blot， immunofluorescence， and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）， and the active ingredients of Xingpi capsules were screened for molecular docking with the key targets. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the general survival condition of rats in the model group was poorer， and the water intake， food intake， gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate were all significantly reduced（P<0.05）， inflammatory infiltration was seen in duodenal pathology， and the fluorescence intensities of Occludin and ZO-1 in the colon were significantly reduced（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the general survival condition of rats in the high-dose group of Xingpi capsules improved significantly， and the water intake， food intake， gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate were all significantly increased（P<0.05）， the duodenal pathology showed a decrease in inflammatory infiltration， and the fluorescence intensities of colonic Occludin and ZO-1 were significantly increased（P<0.01）. Transcriptomic results showed that Xingpi capsules might exert therapeutic effects by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase（PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt） through the key genes such as Slc5a1， Abhd6. The validation results showed that compared with the normal group， the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt proteins， the protein expression level of interleukin（IL）-1β， and the fluorescence intensities of IL-6 and IL-1β were significantly increased in the model group（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the mRNA levels of Slc5a1， Abhd6， Mgam， Atp1a1， Slc7a8， Cdr2， Chrm3， Slc5a9 and other key genes were significantly increased（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt， the protein expression level of IL-1β and the fluorescence intensities of IL-6 and IL-1β in the high-dose group of Xingpi capsules were significantly reduced（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the mRNA levels of Slc5a1， Abhd6， Mgam， Atp1a1， Slc7a8， Cdr2， Chrm3 and Slc5a9 were significantly reduced（P<0.05）. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and molecular docking results showed that E-nerolidol and Z-nerolidol in Xingpi capsules were well bound to ABDH6 protein， and linarionoside A， valerosidatum and senkirkine were well bound to Slc5a1 protein. ConclusionXingpi capsules can effectively improve the general survival and gastrointestinal motility of FD rats， its specific mechanism may be related to the inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to alleviate the low-grade inflammation of duodenum， and E-nerolidol， Z-nerolidol， linarionoside A， valerosidatum and senkirkine may be its key active ingredients.

Background: Obesity and chronic pain are related in both directions, according to earlier observational research.This research aimed to analyze the causal association between obesity and chronic pain at the genetic level, as well as to assess whether common factors mediate this relationship. Methods: This study used bidirectional two sample Mendelian randomization (MR) technique to analyze the association between obesity and chronic pain. Obesity's summary genome-wide association data were obtained from European ancestry groups, as measured by body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC), genome-wide association study data for chronic pain also came from the UK population, including chronic pain at three different sites (back, hip, and headache), chronic widespread pain (CWP), and multisite chronic pain (MCP). Secondly, a two-step MR and multivariate MR investigation was performed to evaluate the mediating effects of several proposed confounders. Results: The authors discovered a link between chronic pain and obesity. More specifically, a sensitivity analysis was done to confirm the associations between greater BMI, WC, and HC with an increased risk of CWP and MCP.Importantly, the intermediate MR results suggest that education levels and smoking initiation may mediate the causal relationship between BMI on CWP, with a mediation effect of 23.08% and 15.38%, respectively. Conclusions The authors’ findings demonstrate that the importance of education and smoking in understanding chronic pain’s pathogenesis, which is important for the primary prevention and prognosis of chronic pain.

Background: Obesity and chronic pain are related in both directions, according to earlier observational research.This research aimed to analyze the causal association between obesity and chronic pain at the genetic level, as well as to assess whether common factors mediate this relationship. Methods: This study used bidirectional two sample Mendelian randomization (MR) technique to analyze the association between obesity and chronic pain. Obesity's summary genome-wide association data were obtained from European ancestry groups, as measured by body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC), genome-wide association study data for chronic pain also came from the UK population, including chronic pain at three different sites (back, hip, and headache), chronic widespread pain (CWP), and multisite chronic pain (MCP). Secondly, a two-step MR and multivariate MR investigation was performed to evaluate the mediating effects of several proposed confounders. Results: The authors discovered a link between chronic pain and obesity. More specifically, a sensitivity analysis was done to confirm the associations between greater BMI, WC, and HC with an increased risk of CWP and MCP.Importantly, the intermediate MR results suggest that education levels and smoking initiation may mediate the causal relationship between BMI on CWP, with a mediation effect of 23.08% and 15.38%, respectively. Conclusions The authors’ findings demonstrate that the importance of education and smoking in understanding chronic pain’s pathogenesis, which is important for the primary prevention and prognosis of chronic pain.