Atherosclerosis （AS） is a vascular disease primarily affecting large and medium-sized arteries. It serves as the pathological basis for many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and is associated with a relatively high incidence of complications and mortality worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of AS， demonstrating unique therapeutic advantages through multiple targets and pathways. Ligusticum chuanxiong， a commonly used Chinese medicine in clinical practice， contains key active components against AS， including ligustrazine， senkyunolide， ligustilide， quercetin， ferulic acid， vanillic acid， chlorogenic acid， gallic acid， protocatechuic acid， caffeic acid， chrysophanol， and β-sitosterol. Recent literature indicates that these active components can regulate AS through multiple mechanisms， including improving endothelial cell dysfunction， alleviating lipid metabolism disorders， inhibiting macrophage foam cell formation， suppressing the invasion， proliferation， and migration of smooth muscle cells， inhibiting apoptosis， exerting anticoagulant effects and inhibiting platelet activation， protecting mitochondrial function， and modulating intestinal flora and its metabolites， demonstrating significant pharmacological activity and clinical potential. Clinically， L. chuanxiong is often combined with Salvia miltiorrhiza， Paeonia lactiflora， Angelica sinensis， and borneol to form compound formulations， enhancing therapeutic effects and achieving synergistic anti-AS activity. Compound treatment with L. chuanxiong primarily focuses on promoting blood circulation and shows significant efficacy for different AS syndrome types. This article provides an in-depth review of the active components， drug pairs， and compound preparations of L. chuanxiong in the prevention and treatment of AS， aiming to lay a foundation for subsequent theoretical research and clinical applications in managing AS and its related complications.

ObjectiveTo investigate the inhibitory effect of Biejiajian Pills （BJJW） on the growth of liver cancer， as well as its potential mechanism in mediating the AMP-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） pathway through mitochondrial energy metabolism. MethodsHuman hepatoma Huh7 cells were used to establish a nude mouse model of subcutaneous xenograft tumor. A total of 18 tumor-bearing nude mice were randomly divided into model group， BJJW group （2.2 g/kg）， and metformin group （250 mg/kg）， and the corresponding drug was given by gavage for 14 consecutive days. Tumor volume and weight were monitored during the experiment； HE staining was used to observe histopathological changes； the levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS） and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in tumor tissue were measured； immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to measure the expression levels of proteins associated with the AMPK/mTOR pathway. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Tukey’s test was used for further comparison between two groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Dunn’s test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the model group， the BJJW group had a tumor inhibition rate of 45.73%， with significant reductions in both tumor volume and weight （P<0.01）. Pathological examination showed that compared with the model group， the BJJW group had a significant reduction in the number of tumor cells and the presence of extensive necrosis. Mechanistic studies showed that compared with the model group， the BJJW group had a significant increase in ROS level （P<0.001） and a significant reduction in ATP level （P<0.001）， as well as significant increases in p-AMPK/AMPK ratio （0.81±0.20 vs 0.13±0.04， P<0.01） and p-ULK1/ULK1 ratio （0.69±0.17 vs 0.18±0.13， P<0.01） and a significant reduction in p-mTOR/mTOR ratio （1.34±0.16 vs 3.20±0.62， P<0.01）. ConclusionBJJW may inhibit the growth of liver cancer by inducing mitochondrial energy metabolism dysfunction， increasing the level of ROS， reducing the level of ATP， and activating the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

Chronic liver disease is a general term for a variety of liver diseases， and its prevalence rate is increasing year by year. With the progression of the disease， patients may experience a variety of serious complications and even progress to liver failure. In recent years， a number of studies have revealed the association between ectopically colonized oral bacteria and chronic liver disease and explored their potential value in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver disease. This article systematically reviews the association of ectopically colonized oral bacteria with metabolic associated fatty liver disease， liver cirrhosis， and liver cancer and analyzes the mechanism for the influence of ectopically colonized oral bacteria on chronic liver disease， so as to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver disease using ectopically colonized oral bacteria.

ObjectiveTo establish an ultra-performance liquid fingerprint and multi-components determination method for Naomaili granules. To evaluate the quality of different batches by chemometrics， and the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of water extract and main components of Naomaili granules were tested in vitro. MethodsThe similarity and common peaks of 27 batches of Naomaili granules were evaluated by using Ultra performance liquid chromatography （UPLC） fingerprint detection. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-MS/MS） technology was used to determine the content of the index components in Naomaili granules and to evaluate the quality of different batches of Naomaili granules by chemometrics. LPS-induced BV-2 cell inflammation model was used to investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of the water extract and main components of Naomaili granules. ResultsThe similarity of fingerprints of 27 batches of samples was > 0.90. A total of 32 common peaks were calibrated， and 23 of them were identified and assigned. In 27 batches of Naomaili granules， the mass fractions of 14 components that were stachydrine hydrochloride， leonurine hydrochloride， calycosin-7-O-glucoside， calycosin，tanshinoneⅠ， cryptotanshinone， tanshinoneⅡ_A， ginsenoside Rb₁， notoginsenoside R₁， ginsenoside Rg₁， paeoniflorin， albiflorin， lactiflorin， and salvianolic acid B were found to be 2.902-3.498， 0.233-0.343， 0.111-0.301， 0.07-0.152， 0.136-0.228， 0.195-0.390， 0.324-0.482， 1.056-1.435， 0.271-0.397， 1.318-1.649， 3.038-4.059， 2.263-3.455， 0.152-0.232， 2.931-3.991 mg∙g^-1， respectively. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that paeoniflorin， ginsenoside Rg₁， ginsenoside Rb₁ and staphylline hydrochloride were quality difference markers to control the stability of the preparation. The results of bioactive experiment showed that the water extract of Naomaili granules and the eight main components with high content in the prescription had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the release of NO in the cell supernatant. Among them， salvianolic acid B and ginsenoside Rb₁ had strong anti-inflammatory activity， with IC₅₀ values of （36.11±0.15） mg∙L^-1 and （27.24±0.54） mg∙L^-1， respectively. ConclusionThe quality evaluation method of Naomaili granules established in this study was accurate and reproducible. Four quality difference markers were screened out， and eight key pharmacodynamic substances of Naomaili granules against neuroinflammation were screened out by in vitro cell experiments.

Diseases of the central nervous system have become a growing global health concern. At present， there are many adverse reactions in the treatment with Western medicine. In contrast， traditional Chinese medicine has shown unique efficacy and rich clinical practice accumulation in diseases of the central nervous system. As a traditional Chinese medicine， Bupleuri Radix has played an important role in the treatment of neurological diseases through multi-target regulation， multi-pathway intervention， and multi-pathway mechanism of action. In recent years， with the in-depth study of the pharmacological effects of Bupleuri Radix， it has been found that the active ingredients such as saikosaponin， baicalin， quercetin， and kaempferol in Bupleuri Radix can be used as the main material basis for the treatment of neurological diseases. The results of this study showed that in neurodegenerative diseases， active ingredients of Bupleuri Radix can inhibit β-amyloid （Aβ） deposition and abnormal phosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein （Tau protein） in Alzheimer's disease， regulate the nuclear factor-κB/nuclear factor E₂ related factor 2 （NF-κB/Nrf2） pathway to play the anti-inflammatory role， and alleviate α-Synuclein （α-Syn） aggregation and mitochondrial damage in Parkinson's disease. In epilepsy， depression， and cerebral ischemia， they can improve symptoms by regulating neurotransmitters， oxidative stress， and apoptosis pathways， and inhibit brain glioma proliferation. However， the mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated， and the complexity of compound components and poor blood-brain barrier penetration limit their clinical application. In the future， it is necessary to integrate multi-omics， network pharmacology， and nano-delivery technologies， focus on the optimization of active ingredient group compounds and the precise guidance of biomarkers， accelerate the development of innovative therapies for Alzheimer's disease， Parkinson's disease， and other diseases for laying a solid theoretical foundation for further development and application and inspiring new research ideas.

AIM: To investigate the influence of pterygium thickness and area on corneal refractive status.METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study. A total of 60 cases(60 eyes)of pterygium patients admitted to our hospital from January 2024 to September 2024 were randomly selected. All patients underwent pterygium excision combined with pedicle conjunctival flap transplantation for treatment. Optical coherence tomography(OCT)was used to measure the preoperative thickness of patient's pterygium, and a digital slit lamp microscope was used to measure the area of pterygium. The corneal refractive status(degree of corneal astigmatism and average curvature)and changes in uncorrected visual acuity of patients before surgery, 1 d, 1, and 3 mo after surgery were compared. The relationship between preoperative thickness and area of pterygium in patients and corneal refractive status indicators at different postoperative time points were analyzed, and Logistic regression was used to analyze the impact of pterygium thickness and area on postoperative visual improvement in patients.RESULTS: All patients completed follow-up after surgery for 3 mo. At 3 mo after surgery, visual acuity improved in 21 eyes(35%). The results of bivariate Pearson correlation analysis showed that the thickness and area of pterygium positively correlated with the degree of corneal astigmatism and uncorrected visual acuity before surgery and 1 d, 1, and 3 mo after surgery(all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the average corneal curvature before surgery and 1 d, 1, and 3 mo after surgery(all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the thickness and area of pterygium before surgery, high degree of corneal astigmatism, and low uncorrected visual acuity(large LogMAR value)were all risk factors for poor postoperative visual improvement in patients(OR>1, P<0.05). The large average corneal curvature before surgery was a protective factor for poor postoperative visual improvement in patients(OR<1, P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The increase in thickness and area of pterygium can, to some extent, improve corneal astigmatism, reduce the average curvature of the cornea, and affect postoperative visual recovery.

AIM:To investigate the prevalence of visual impairment and its correction status among junior high school students in Xi'an, so as to provide evidence for the development of targeted myopia prevention and control strategies.METHODS: A stratified cluster sampling design was adopted. From March to May 2025, students in grades 7-9 were recruited from three schools in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China: Dongfang Middle School, the Middle School Attached to Xi'an University of Technology, and the Xingqing Campus of the High School Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University. In total, 3 974 students were invited, including 1 726 in grade 7, 1 206 in grade 8, and 1 042 in grade 9. The visual acuity was measured monocularly using a 5 m standard logarithmic visual acuity chart, with the fellow eye occluded; the line corresponding to the smallest optotype that could be correctly identified was recorded as the visual acuity value. Non-cycloplegic autorefraction was performed with a desktop autorefractor to obtain spherical equivalent(SE)values for refractive error screening.RESULTS: This study initially included 3 974 students, of whom 32 did not participate in the vision test, resulting in 3 942 students being included in the final analysis. Among them, 3 067(77.80%)were identified with poor vision. The prevalence of myopia was 81.47%(1 746)in males and 87.55%(1 575)in females(P<0.01). A stratified analysis by grade showed myopia rates of 81.72%(1 386)in junior grade one, 84.47%(1 017)in junior grade two, and 88.10%(918)in junior grade three, demonstrating a significant upward trend with increasing grade level(χ2=19.8484, P<0.01). Among the 3 321 myopic students, 2 287 adopted corrective measures. The rates of full correction, under-correction, and non-correction among all myopic students were 48.15%(1 599), 20.71%(688), and 31.14%(1 034), respectively. The rate of non-correction was significantly higher in male students than in females(32.70% vs 29.40%, χ2=4.2222, P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The findings indicate a high prevalence of visual impairment among junior high school students in Xi'an, coupled with suboptimal spectacle-wearing and full-correction rates. There is an urgent need for collaborative efforts across society, schools, and families to implement effective interventions to slow the onset and progression of myopia in this population.

ObjectiveTo investigate the ameliorative effect of Wendantang combined with Danshenyin and Dushentang （WDD） on mice with ischemic heart disease （IHD） presenting phlegm-stasis syndrome based on the inflammatory phenotype and differentiation of circulating monocytes. MethodsA model of IHD with phlegm-stasis syndrome was established using left anterior descending coronary artery ligation supplemented with a high-fat diet. Eighty model mice were randomly assigned to the model group， WDD low-dose group （WDD-L）， WDD medium-dose group （WDD-M）， WDD high-dose group （WDD-H）， and atorvastatin calcium tablet group， with 16 mice in each group. An additional 16 C57BL/6J mice were designated as the sham-operation group. The WDD groups received intragastric administration at doses of 8.91， 17.81， 35.62 g·kg^-1， and the atorvastatin calcium tablet group received the corresponding drug at 1.3 mg·kg^-1， twice daily. The sham-operation and model groups were given the same volume of pure water by gavage each day. After 5 consecutive weeks of administration， the cardiac index was calculated. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. Myocardial histopathology was examined by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide （pro-BNP） content was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Hemorheological parameters were analyzed using an automated hemorheology analyzer. Serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein （LDL）， and high-density lipoprotein （HDL） were determined using an automated biochemical analyzer. Changes in circulating monocytes were detected by flow cytometry. Mouse bone marrow mononuclear cells were isolated in vitro and divided into blank group， model serum group， WDD-L drug-containing serum group， WDD-M drug-containing serum group， and WDD-H drug-containing serum group. CD36 expression and macrophage differentiation in each group were assessed by flow cytometry. The mechanism by which WDD mediates circulating monocyte differentiation was further explored using CD36 knockdown/overexpression RAW264.7 cell lines. ResultsCompared with the sham-operation group， the model group showed a significantly increased cardiac index （P0.01）， significantly decreased fractional shortening （FS） （P0.01）， and significantly increased left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter （LVDD） and left ventricular end-systolic internal diameter （LVDS） （P0.01）. Cardiomyocytes exhibited marked deformation and necrosis with inflammatory cell infiltration. Serum pro-BNP levels were significantly elevated （P0.01）， and whole-blood viscosity （BV） at high， medium， and low shear rates was significantly increased （P0.01）. Compared with the model group， the WDD groups showed significantly reduced cardiac index （P0.05， P0.01）， significantly increased FS （P0.05， P0.01）， significantly decreased LVDD and LVDS （P0.01）， markedly improved cardiomyocyte morphology， significantly reduced inflammatory infiltration， significantly decreased serum pro-BNP levels （P0.01）， and significantly decreased BV at high， medium， and low shear rates （P0.01）， with the most pronounced improvement observed in the WDD-M group. Compared with the sham-operation group， TC， TG， and LDL levels were significantly increased in the model group （P0.05， P0.01）， while HDL levels were significantly decreased （P0.05）. After WDD-H treatment， TC， TG， and LDL levels were significantly reduced and HDL levels were significantly increased in mice （P0.05， P0.01）. Compared with the sham-operation group， classical monocytes in blood and bone marrow and intermediate monocytes in blood were significantly increased in the model group （P0.01）， whereas intermediate monocytes in bone marrow and non-classical monocytes in blood were significantly decreased （P0.01）. After WDD administration， all circulating monocyte subsets in blood and bone marrow were significantly alleviated （P0.05， P0.01）， with the WDD-M group showing the optimal effect. In vitro， compared with the blank group， CD36 expression on bone marrow monocytes and the proportion of differentiated macrophages were significantly increased in the model serum group （P0.01）， and CD36 expression was significantly upregulated on RAW264.7 cells （P0.01）. Compared with the model serum group， all drug-containing serum groups exhibited significantly reduced CD36 expression on bone marrow monocytes and significantly reduced macrophage differentiation （P0.01）. WDD downregulated CD36 expression in both CD36 knockdown and overexpression RAW264.7 cell lines （P0.05， P0.01）， with the strongest regulatory effect observed in the WDD-M drug-containing serum group. ConclusionWDD can significantly improve the manifestations of phlegm-stasis syndrome in IHD mice and reduce the proportion of classical circulating monocytes. Its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of CD36 expression on classical circulating monocytes.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of Shenqi Wenfei prescription （SQWF） on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. MethodsA rat model of COPD with lung Qi deficiency was established using lipopolysaccharide （LPS） combined with cigarette smoke. Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group， a model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose SQWF groups （2.835， 5.67， 11.34 g·kg^-1）， and a Yupingfeng group （1.35 g·kg^-1）. Drug administration began on day 29 after modeling and continued for 2 weeks. The general condition of the rats was observed， and the lung function in each group was assessed. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue. The proportion of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） was measured. Apoptosis in lung tissue was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling （TUNEL） staining. The release level of lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） in BALF was detected by a microplate assay. Reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels in lung tissue were detected using fluorescent probes. The levels of malondialdehyde （MDA）， total superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and reduced glutathione （GSH） in BALF were measured by biochemical methods. Ultrastructural changes in lung cells were observed via transmission electron microscopy. Double immunofluorescence staining was performed to detect the expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein （TXNIP） and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） in lung tissue. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expression of TXNIP， NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC）， cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-1 （Caspase-1）， Caspase-1 p20， gasdermin D （GSDMD）， GSDMD N-terminal active fragment （GSDMD-N）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and IL-18 in lung tissue. Serum IL-1β and IL-18 levels were measured by ELISA. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed lassitude， fatigue， tachypnea， and audible phlegm sounds， and lung function significantly declined （P0.01）. Pulmonary emphysema and inflammatory cell infiltration were obvious. The level of inflammatory cells in BALF increased significantly （P0.05）. The number of TUNEL-positive cells increased （P0.01）. Levels of LDH， ROS， and MDA in BALF increased significantly （P0.01）， while GSH and SOD activities decreased significantly （P0.01）. Lung tissue cells showed irregular morphology， swollen mitochondria， disrupted cell membranes， and abundant vesicles， i.e.， pyroptotic bodies. Protein levels of TXNIP， NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， Caspase-1 p20， GSDMD， GSDMD-N， IL-1β， and IL-18 in lung tissue were significantly elevated （P0.01）， and serum IL-1β and IL-18 levels also increased significantly （P0.01）. Compared with the model group， each medication group showed alleviation of qi deficiency symptoms and improved lung function （P0.01）. Pulmonary emphysema and inflammatory cell infiltration were reduced. Inflammatory cell levels decreased （P0.05）. The number of TUNEL-positive cells decreased significantly （P0.01）. Levels of LDH， ROS， and MDA decreased significantly （P0.05）， while GSH and SOD activities significantly increased （P0.01）. Morphological and structural damage in lung tissue was improved to varying degrees. Protein levels of TXNIP， NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， Caspase-1 p20， GSDMD， GSDMD-N， IL-1β， and IL-18 in lung tissue significantly decreased （P0.01）， and serum IL-1β and IL-18 levels also decreased significantly （P0.05）. ConclusionSQWF can improve lung function and alleviate inflammatory responses in COPD rats. Its mechanism may be related to regulating the ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway and inhibiting pyroptosis.

ObjectiveTo explore the changes in color， odor and chemical components during wine-processing of Chuanxiong Rhizoma（CR）， identify differential markers， and provide a basis for standardizing the process and establishing quality standards. MethodsFifteen batches of CR samples from 4 producing areas were collected. Colorimeter and electronic nose were used to detect the color changes and odor components of CR before and after wine-processing. Multivariate statistical methods including partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）， principal component analysis（PCA）， discriminant factor analysis（DFA） and Fisher discriminant analysis were applied to identify wine-processed CR at different processing stages and establish discriminant models， and differential components were screened out based on variable importance in the projection（VIP） value1. Then， high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was employed to detect the content changes of four components（ferulic acid， senkyunolide I， senkyunolide A and ligustilide） during the processing stages. ResultsThe differences of wine-processed CR at various stages were primarily reflected in color parameters L^*（brightness value）， a^*（red-green value） and b^*（yellow-blue value）. Based on chromaticity differences， the color reference ranges were established for moderately processed CR， including L^* of 46.75-48.24， a^* of 5.37-6.07 and b^* of 20.32-21.70. In odor analysis， DFA revealed significant differences among processing stages， and 11 odor markers were identified， with four differential markers（4-hydroxy-3-butylphthalide， isopropyl butyrate， L-limonene and 1-methoxyhexane） based on VIP values. HPLC results showed that there was no significant difference of the four components except for ligustilide in wine-processed CR at different stages. ConclusionThis study achieved rapid identification of wine-processed CR with different processing degrees by electronic sensory technology and differential component content detection， with discrimination accuracy rates of 92.4% and 93.272% for color and odor， respectively. This paper also established the reference ranges of main colorimetric parameters for wine-processed CR at different stages， and four differential components were screened out， providing a basis for standardizing the processing of wine-processed CR and establishing quality standards for this decoction pieces.