ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism by which Xiaoyaosan regulates HPT axis dysfunction in the rat model with the syndrome of liver depression and spleen deficiency by observing its effect on the glycoprotein hormone α-subunit （CGA）/glutathione peroxidase 2 （GPX2）/thyroid-stimulating hormone β-subunit （TSHβ） pathway for thyroid hormone synthesis. MethodsSeventy-two male SD rats were randomized into six groups： normal， model， high-dose （16.7 g·kg^-1）， medium-dose （8.35 g·kg^-1）， and low-dose （4.175 g·kg^-1） Xiaoyaosan， and fluoxetine （0.001 8 g·kg^-1） groups， with 12 rats in each group. The rat model of liver depression and spleen deficiency was induced by chronic restraint stress for 21 days. The intervention groups were treated with Xiaoyaosan decoctions or fluoxetine suspension， respectively. After modeling， hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe morphological changes in the thyroid and pituitary tissue of the rats. Serum levels of triiodothyronine （T3）， tetraiodothyronine （T4）， and thyroid-stimulating hormone （TSH） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were employed to determine the mRNA and protein levels， respectively， of TSH receptor （TSHR） in the thyroid tissue， thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor （TRHR） and TSHβ in the pituitary tissue， and thyrotropin-releasing hormone （TRH）， CGA， GPX2， and TSHβ in the hypothalamic tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significant atrophy and irregularity of thyroid follicles， a marked reduction in colloid secretion， extensive vacuolar degeneration of adenocytes in the anterior pituitary， lowered serum levels of T3， T4， and TSH （P<0.01）， and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of TSHR in the thyroid tissue， TRHR and TSHβ in the pituitary tissue， and TRH， CGA， GPX2， and TSHβ in the hypothalamic tissue （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， high- and medium-dose Xiaoyaosan and fluoxetine alleviated the pathological changes in the thyroid and pituitary tissue， outperforming the low-dose Xiaoyaosan group. Moreover， they elevated the serum levels of T3， T4， and TSH （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The serum TSH level was also elevated in the low-dose Xiaoyaosan group （P<0.05）. The mRNA and protein levels of TSHR in the thyroid， TRHR and TSHβ in the pituitary， and TRH， CGA， GPX2， and TSHβ in the hypothalamus were up-regulated in the high- and medium-dose Xiaoyaosan groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， the mRNA and protein levels of TSHβ in the hypothalamus were up-regulated in the low-dose Xiaoyaosan group （P<0.01）. In the fluoxetine group， the mRNA and protein levels of TSHR in the thyroid， TRHR in the pituitary， and TRH， CGA， and GPX2 in the hypothalamus were up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThe downregulation of CGA/GPX2/TSHβ pathway may be one of the biological mechanisms underlying HPT axis dysfunction in the rat model with the syndrome of liver depression and spleen deficiency. Xiaoyaosan may regulate the HPT axis dysfunction by up-regulating the CGA/GPX2/TSHβ pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of Qingre Sanzhuo decoction in treating gouty arthritis （GA） combined with hyperuricaemia （HUA）. MethodsSixty male SD rats were randomized into normal， model， colchicine （0.5 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （17， 34， 68 g·kg^-1， respectively） Qingre Sanzhuo decoction groups （n=10）. The rats in other groups except the normal group were treated with the modified method for the modeling of GA combined with HUA. The drug intervention groups were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage in the afternoon every day and the normal group and the model group were administrated with an equal volume of sterile normal saline by gavage. The level of uric acid （SUA） in the serum was measured 2 h after the last administration. The degree of ankle joint swelling was calculated 0.5， 12， 24， 48 h after modeling， and joint inflammation was scored. The pathological changes of ankle joints were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining， and the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， C reactive protein （CRP）， and interleukin-18 （IL-18） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Real-time PCR was performed to determine the mRNA levels of NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing CARD （ASC）， cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-1 （Caspase-1）， gasdermin D （GSDMD）， and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） in the synovial tissue of ankle joints. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， and Caspase-1 in ankle joints. The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of GSDMD and NF-κB in the synovial tissue of ankle joints. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased SUA in the serum （P<0.05）， ankle joint swelling and joint inflammation （P<0.05）， increased number of blood vessels in the synovium， inflammatory cell foci in the synovial bursa， elevated serum levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， CRP， and IL-18 （P<0.05）， and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD， and NF-κB in the synovial tissue of ankle joints （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the medium- and high-dose Qingre Sanzhuo decoction groups showed reduced SUA in the serum （P<0.05）， alleviated ankle joint swelling and joint inflammation （P<0.05）， lowered serum levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， CRP， and IL-18 （P<0.05）， and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD， and NF-κB in the synovial tissue of ankle joints （P<0.05）. However， in terms of ameliorating the pathological changes of ankle joints， only the high-dose Qingre Sanzhuo decoction group showed normal morphology of the synovial membrane of ankle joints and no obvious lesion in the articular cartilage. ConclusionQingre Sanzhuo decoction may play a role in preventing and controlling GA combined with HUA by down-regulating the activity of NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 pathway and inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines， such as TNF-α， IL-1β， CRP， and IL-18.

Osteoporosis is a common bone disease， whose incidence is still on the rise， posing great challenges to patients and society. This review mainly studies the pathogenesis of osteoporosis from the aspects of oxidative stress， inflammatory response， and glucolipotoxicity-induced injury and clarifies the efficacy and mechanism of some active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine against osteoporosis through the integration of in vitro and in vivo experiments. The experimental results suggest that some active ingredients can improve bone resorption markers and maintain bone homeostasis by modulating inflammation， oxidative stress， etc. These active ingredients regulate osteoporosis through the receptor activator of nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） ligand （RANKL） pathway， osteoprotegerin （OPG） pathway， Wnt/β-catenin pathway， NF-κB pathway， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） pathway， adenosine monophosphate （AMP）-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） pathway， and oxidative stress pathway. This review provides ideas for the progress of the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis with the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine， aiming to provide new potential lead compounds and reference for the development of innovative drugs and clinical therapy for the treatment of osteoporosis.

Polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS） is a common gynecological endocrine and reproductive disorder，with the main clinical manifestations including ovulation failure，insulin resistance，hyperandrogenism，and obesity. Its occurrence and development are closely related to cellular regulatory mechanisms such as apoptosis，autophagy，oxidative stress，and inflammatory response. Autophagy，as a clearance mechanism that maintains cellular homeostasis，plays a crucial role in maintaining the growth，development，and maturation of oocytes. Exploring the mechanism of autophagy during the occurrence and development of diseases can help develop treatment methods for PCOS by regulating autophagy. Studies have shown that autophagy plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PCOS，and it can affect the occurrence and development of PCOS through multiple pathways，levels，and targets. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） regulates autophagy in ovarian granulosa cells or endometrium of patients with PCOS by targeting the expression of autophagy signaling pathways，regulatory factors，and non-coding single-stranded RNA molecules，thereby alleviating inflammation，regulating metabolism disorders，and balancing hormone levels in PCOS. Accordingly，TCM can ameliorate pathological conditions such as insulin resistance，hyperandrogenism，and ovulation failure in PCOS. This article summarizes the TCM formulas and extracts for the treatment of PCOS，as well as the main autophagy pathways and regulatory factors involved，aiming to provide reference and suggestions for the future treatment of PCOS with TCM by regulating autophagy.

ObjectiveTo study the characteristics of the five tones of Parkinson's disease （PD） patients based on the theory of "five-viscera phonology"， and provide references for the syndrome differentiation and treatment of PD. MethodsA total of 272 cases of PD patients were collected as the PD group， and 240 individuals， including patient family members and hospital staff， were recruited as the control group. The 25-tone analyzer was used to collect the five-tone characteristics of both PD patients and control group participants. The participants were then stratified into three age groups， 41~55， 56~70， and 71~85 years old， and categorized by gender （male and female） for analysis. The frequency and composition ratio of the five tones were analyzed for both groups across the different age ranges and genders. Additionally， the average voice frequency of each participant was calculated to compare differences between groups， stratified by age range and gender. ResultsIn the 41~55 and 56~70 age groups， male participants in the PD group and the control group exhibited the highest frequency of Yu （羽） tone， with the PD group showing a significantly higher composition ratio of Yu tone compared to the control group （P＜0.05）； for males in the 56~70 age group， the composition ratios of Shang （商） and Zhi （徵） tone in the PD group were lower than those in the control group （P＜0.05）. For males in the 71~85 age group， both the PD group and the control group had the highest frequency of Yu tone， but there was no statistically significant difference in the composition ratios of the five tones between groups （P＞0.05）. For female participants in the PD group across all age groups， Yu tone was the most frequent， whereas for the control group， Jue （角） tone was the most frequent in all age groups， and the composition ratio of Yu tone in the PD group was significantly higher than that in the control group across all age groups （P＜0.05）； in the 56~70 age group， the composition ratio of Jue tone was lower in the PD group compared to that in the control group （P＜0.05）. Regarding voice frequency， males in the PD group aged 41~55 and 56~70 had higher voice frequency than those in the control group of the same age range， and similarly， females in the PD group aged 56~70 and 71~85 had higher voice frequency than their counterparts in the control group （P＜0.05）. ConclusionPD patients have a voice with a higher frequency and an increased proportion of Yu tone in their five-tone distribution. According to the theory of five-viscera phonology， PD patients may have disease mechanism of kidney essence deficiency.

ObjectiveMicrotube associated protein-2 （MAP-2）， alpha-tubulin （α-tubulin）， and synaptophysin （SYP） are important proteins in neuronal signal communication. This paper observed the effects of modified Zhigancao Tang on the expression of serum α-Synuclein （α-Syn） and its oligomers， MAP-2， α-tubulin， and SYP of patients with liver and kidney deficiency of Parkinson's disease （PD）， analyzed their correlation， and evaluated the therapeutic effect of modified Zhigancao Tang in patients with liver and kidney deficiency of PD based on α-Syn transmission pathway mediated by neuronal communication in vivo. MethodsA total of 60 patients with PD who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a treatment group （30 cases） and a control group （30 cases）. Both groups were treated on the basis of PD medicine， and the treatment group was treated with modified Zhigancao Tang. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. The changes in UPDRS score， TCM syndrome score， and expression of serum α-Syn and its oligomers， MAP-2， α-tubulin， and SYP were observed before and after 12 weeks of treatment in each group. The correlation between the above-mentioned serum biological indexes and the levels of serum α-Syn and its oligomers was analyzed. ResultsAfter treatment， the TCM syndrome score， UPDRS score， UPDRS-Ⅱ score， and UPDRS-Ⅲ score of the treatment group were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The UPDRS score， UPDRS-Ⅱ score， and UPDRS-Ⅲ scores in the treatment group were significantly decreased compared with those in the control group after treatment （P<0.05）. After treatment， the total effective rate of the control group was 63.3% （19/30）， and that of the treatment group was 86.7% （26/30）. The clinical effect of the observation group was better than the control group （Z=-2.03， P<0.05）. The total effective rate of the observation group was better than that of the control group， and the difference was statistically significant （χ²=5.136， P<0.05）. After treatment， the oligomer level of serum α-Syn and MAP-2 level in the treatment group were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The levels of serum α-Syn and its oligomers， as well as α-tubulin in the treatment group， were significantly decreased compared with those in the control group after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum α-Syn was correlated with serum MAP-2 and α-Syn oligomer in patients with PD （P<0.05， P<0.01） but not correlated with serum SYP . Serum α-Syn oligomers of patients with PD were correlated with serum MAP-2 and α-tubulin （P<0.05， P<0.01） but not correlated with serum SYP level. Serum SYP of patients with PD was correlated with serum MAP-2 （P<0.05）. ConclusionModified Zhigancao Tang has a therapeutic effect on patients with liver and kidney deficiency of PD by inhibiting the production of α-Syn oligomers and intervening α-Syn microtubule transport pathway in vivo.

The Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Qinbaohong Zhike Oral Liquid in Treatment of Acute Bronchitis and Acute Attack of Chronic Bronchitis （GS/CACM 337-2023） was released by the China Association of Chinese Medicine on December 13^th， 2023. This expert consensus was developed by experts in methodology， pharmacy， and Chinese medicine in strict accordance with the development requirements of the China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） and based on the latest medical evidence and the clinical medication experience of well-known experts in the fields of respiratory medicine （pulmonary diseases） and pediatrics. This expert consensus defines the application of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid in the treatment of cough and excessive sputum caused by phlegm-heat obstructing lung， acute bronchitis， and acute attack of chronic bronchitis from the aspects of applicable populations， efficacy evaluation， usage， dosage， drug combination， and safety. It is expected to guide the rational drug use in medical and health institutions， give full play to the unique value of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid， and vigorously promote the inheritance and innovation of Chinese patent medicines.

AIM: To investigate the abnormal conditions and change patterns of accommodative facility in patients with different refractive states before and after small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)surgery.METHODS:A prospective clinical cohort study was conducted. A total of 59 patients(118 eyes)who underwent SMILE surgery and had visual function files established in our hospital from June to December 2023 were randomly selected, including 37 males and 22 females, aged 18-35 years(with an average age of 25.19±5.65 years). According to the preoperative spherical equivalent(SE), they were divided into two groups: the low-to-moderate myopia group(SE≥-6.00 DS)with 40 patients(80 eyes), and the high myopia group(SE<-6.00 DS)with 19 patients(38 eyes). The monocular and binocular accommodative facility before surgery and at 1 wk and 1 mo after surgery were compared, and the changes in accommodative facility before and after SMILE surgery in the two groups of patients were analyzed.RESULTS:All surgeries were completed successfully. In the low-to-moderate myopia group, 33 cases(66 eyes)completed the 1-month follow-up after surgery, with a loss to follow-up rate of 17.5%(7/40). In the high myopia group, 15 patients(30 eyes)completed the 1-month follow-up after surgery, with a loss to follow-up rate of 21.1%(4/19). After SMILE surgery, the uncorrected visual acuity and SE of both low-to-moderate myopia and high myopia were significantly improved(all P<0.05). The accommodative facility of the right eyes in all the patients at 1 mo after surgery was better than that before surgery and at 1 wk after surgery(P=0.002, 0.006), the accommodative facility of the left eyes was significantly increased at 1 mo after surgery than that at 1 wk after surgery(P=0.005), and the binocular accommodative facility at 1 mo after surgery was significantly increased compared with that before surgery(P<0.017). Furthermore, there were statistical significance in accommodative facility of the right eyes in the low-to-moderate group at 1 mo compared with that before surgery and at 1 wk after surgery(P=0.011, 0.004); it was significantly increased in the left eyes at 1 mo after surgery compared with that at 1 wk after surgery(P=0.001), and binocular accommodative facility at 1 mo after surgery was significantly better than that before surgery(P<0.001). Furthermore, there was no statistical significance in the right, left and binocular accommodative facility of patients in the high myopia group(all P>0.017).CONCLUSION: After SMILE surgery, the monocular accommodative facility shows a transient decrease and then exceeds the preoperative level at 1 mo after surgery, and the binocular accommodative facility gradually improves after surgery. SMILE surgery has a positive impact on the monocular and binocular accommodative facility in patients with low-to-moderate myopia, but has no significant impact on the accommodative facility in patients with high myopia. It is of clinical significance to strengthen the detection of monocular and binocular accommodative facility before and after SMILE surgery.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Shaoyaotang in the prevention and treatment of colitis-associated carcinogenesis （CAC） based on myeloid-derived suppressor cells （MDSCs）-related immunosuppressive microenvironment. MethodsA total of 140 six-week-old SPF FVB male mice were randomly divided into seven groups： Blank group， Shaoyaotang without model group （7.12 g·kg^-1）， model group， sulfasalazine group （0.52 g·kg^-1）， Shaoyaotang low-dose group （3.56 g·kg^-1）， Shaoyaotang medium-dose group （7.12 g·kg^-1） and Shaoyaotang high-dose group （14.24 g·kg^-1）， with 20 mice in each group. The blank control group and the Shaoyaotang without model group received a single intraperitoneal injection of physiological saline （10 mg·kg^-1）， while the other five groups were given a single intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane （AOM） （10 mg·kg^-1）. After 1 week， the mice were given drinking water containing 2% dextran sulfate sodium （DSS） for 1 week， followed by normal drinking water for 2 weeks. This cycle was repeated three times over a total period of 14 weeks to establish the CAC mouse model. Each group was administered gavage once daily for 2 weeks starting on the 14^th day of the experiment， followed by three times a week until the end of the experiment. The body weight of the mice was recorded weekly. Mice were sacrificed on the 28^th and 98^th days of the experiment. After dissection， the colon length， colon weight， spleen weight， tumor size， and tumor number were measured. Hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining was used to assess the pathological morphology of colon tumor tissue. Flow cytometry was used to detect MDSCs， regulatory T cells （Tregs）， CD4⁺ T cells， CD8⁺ T cells， and the CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cell ratio in the spleen. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression levels of programmed cell death protein-1 （PD-1）， programmed cell death ligand 1 （PD-L1）， phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase （p-AMPK）， phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB （p-NF-κB）， and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α （HIF-1α） in the colon tissue. ResultsOn day 14， compared with the blank group， the body weight of the model group was significantly reduced （P<0.01）， reaching its lowest point on day 28 （23.39 ± 0.95 ） g. On days 28 and 98， compared with the blank group， the colon length in the model group was significantly shortened （P<0.01）， the colon index significantly increased （P<0.01）， the spleen index significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the tumor load significantly increased （P<0.01）. HE staining showed that in the model group， tumor cells， a large number of inflammatory cell infiltrates， goblet cell disappearance， and crypt loss were observed. In each dose group of Shaoyaotang， the damage to the colonic mucosa， inflammatory cell infiltration， and crypt structure destruction were alleviated. Compared with the model group， the body weight of mice in each dose group of Shaoyaotang increased. On day 98， the colon length was significantly increased （P<0.01）， the colon index significantly decreased （P<0.01）， the spleen index significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the tumor burden significantly decreased （P<0.01） in each Shaoyaotang dose group. On days 28 and 98， MDSCs and Tregs in the spleen of the medium- and high-dose Shaoyaotang groups were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， while CD4⁺ T cells and the CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cell ratio were significantly increased （P<0.01）. The proportion of CD8⁺ T cells in the spleen and the expression levels of PD-1 and PD-L1 in the colon tissues of mice in each Shaoyaotang dose group were significantly increased to varying degrees （P<0.05， P<0.01）. On days 28 and 98， the expression of p-AMPK-positive cells in the colon tissue of the medium- and high-dose Shaoyaotang groups was significantly increased （P<0.01）， while the expression of p-NF-κB and HIF-1α was significantly reduced （P<0.01）. ConclusionShaoyaotang can regulate MDSC recruitment and modulate the immune function of T lymphocyte subsets to inhibit the occurrence and development of AOM/DSS-induced CAC in mice. The mechanism may be related to the activation of the AMPK/NF-κB/HIF-1α pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Kaixinsan in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease （AD） based on network pharmacology， molecular docking， and animal experimental validation. MethodsThe Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform（TCMSP） and the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine（ETCM） databases were used to obtain the active ingredients and targets of Kaixinsan. GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man（OMIM）， TTD， PharmGKB， and DrugBank databases were used to obtain the relevant targets of AD. The intersection （common targets） of the active ingredient targets of Kaixinsan and the relevant targets of AD was taken， and the network interaction analysis of the common targets was carried out in the STRING database to construct a protein-protein interaction（PPI） network. The CytoNCA plugin within Cytoscape was used to screen out the core targets， and the Metascape platform was used to perform gene ontology（GO） functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis. The “drug-active ingredient-target” interaction network was constructed with the help of Cytoscape 3.8.2， and AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking. Scopolamine （SCOP） was utilized for modeling and injected intraperitoneally once daily. Thirty-two male C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into blank control （CON） group （0.9% NaCl， n=8）， model （SCOP） group （3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1， n=8）， positive control group （3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 of SCOP+3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 of Donepezil， n=8）， and Kaixinsan group （3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 of SCOP+6.5 g·kg^-1·d^-1 of Kaixinsan， n=8）. Mice in each group were administered with 0.9% NaCl， Kaixinsan， or Donepezil by gavage twice a day for 14 days. Morris water maze experiment was used to observe the learning memory ability of mice. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining method was used to observe the pathological changes in the CA1 area of the mouse hippocampus. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to determine the serum acetylcholine （ACh） and acetylcholinesterase （AChE） contents of mice. Western blot method was used to detect the protein expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3（STAT3） and nuclear transcription factor（NF）-κB p65 in the hippocampus of mice. ResultsA total of 73 active ingredients of Kaixinsan were obtained， and 578 potential targets （common targets） of Kaixinsan for the treatment of AD were screened out. Key active ingredients included kaempferol， gijugliflozin， etc.. Potential core targets were STAT3， NF-κB p65， et al. GO functional enrichment analysis obtained 3 124 biological functions， 254 cellular building blocks， and 461 molecular functions. KEGG pathway enrichment obtained 248 pathways， mainly involving cancer-related pathways， TRP pathway， cyclic adenosine monophosphate（cAMP） pathway， and NF-κB pathway. Molecular docking showed that the binding of the key active ingredients to the target targets was more stable. Morris water maze experiment indicated that Kaixinsan could improve the learning memory ability of SCOP-induced mice. HE staining and ELISA results showed that Kaixinsan had an ameliorating effect on central nerve injury in mice. Western blot test indicated that Kaixinsan had a down-regulating effect on the levels of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation and STAT3 phosphorylation in the hippocampal tissue of mice in the SCOP model. ConclusionKaixinsan can improve the cognitive impairment function in SCOP model mice and may reduce hippocampal neuronal damage and thus play a therapeutic role in the treatment of AD by regulating NF-κB p65， STAT3， and other targets involved in the NF-κB signaling pathway.