Thermal analysis technology has emerged as a pivotal tool for the identification and quality control of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） owing to its advantages of high sensitivity and capability for simultaneous multi-parameter detection. The application progress on thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）, differential thermal analysis （DTA）, and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） in four key areas: authenticity identification of herbal medicines, optimization of processing techniques, evaluation of extract thermal stability, and construction of quality evaluation systems were summarized. Thermal analysis technology enables rapid authentication of medicinal materials by establishing a thermal fingerprint. When integrated with hyphenated techniques （e.g., FTIR and GC-MS）, it facilitates in-depth analysis of compositional differences in complex matrices. In Future, the development of thermal analysis databases and multi-technology integration will be expected to further promote the standardization of TCM quality control.

Objective:To investigate the expression of lipoic acid synthase gene ( LIAS) and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 gene ( NRF2) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with silicosis and their correlation with silicosis. Methods:A total of 45 healthy controls and 107 patients with silicosis were randomly selected in this study in May 2019. PBMCs were isolated from peripheral blood and NRF2 protein expression was detected by immunofluorescence. The mRNA levels of LIAS and NRF2 in PBMCs were determined by real-time PCR. The dose-response relationship beween LIAS and NRF2 mRNA expression levels and their association with silicosis were analyzed by restricted cubic spline (RCS) and logistic regression. Results:Compared with the control group, the number of monocytes in the case group was significantly increased, and the forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1.0) decreased, the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05) . The positive expression rate of NRF2 in PBMCs of silicosis patients in stage Ⅰ group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the positive expression rate of NRF2 in silicosis patients in stageⅡ and Ⅲ groups was lower than that in silicosis patients in control group and stage Ⅰ group ( P<0.01) . Results of RCS showed that there was a linear dose-response relationship between LIAS and NRF2 mRNA expression (overall correlation test, χ 2=213.710, P<0.01; non-linear test, χ 2=1.340, P=0.511) . There was a positive correlation between mRNA expression of LIAS and that of NRF2 ( r=0.651, P<0.01) . The results of multivariate analysis showed that LIAS and NRF2 were increased the risk of incidence in silicosis patients with stageⅠ ( OR=11.184, 4.332, P<0.05) and NRF2 was the protective factor in silicosis patients with stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ ( OR=0.225, 0.208, P<0.05) after adjusting for potential confounding factors including age, education level, BMI and smoking. Conclusion:There is a linear dose-response relationship between the expression of LIAS and NRF2 mRNA in PBMCs of silicosis patients, LIAS and NRF2 are involved in the pathogenesis of silicosis.

Objective:To investigate the expression of lipoic acid synthase gene ( LIAS) and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 gene ( NRF2) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with silicosis and their correlation with silicosis. Methods:A total of 45 healthy controls and 107 patients with silicosis were randomly selected in this study in May 2019. PBMCs were isolated from peripheral blood and NRF2 protein expression was detected by immunofluorescence. The mRNA levels of LIAS and NRF2 in PBMCs were determined by real-time PCR. The dose-response relationship beween LIAS and NRF2 mRNA expression levels and their association with silicosis were analyzed by restricted cubic spline (RCS) and logistic regression. Results:Compared with the control group, the number of monocytes in the case group was significantly increased, and the forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1.0) decreased, the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05) . The positive expression rate of NRF2 in PBMCs of silicosis patients in stage Ⅰ group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the positive expression rate of NRF2 in silicosis patients in stageⅡ and Ⅲ groups was lower than that in silicosis patients in control group and stage Ⅰ group ( P<0.01) . Results of RCS showed that there was a linear dose-response relationship between LIAS and NRF2 mRNA expression (overall correlation test, χ 2=213.710, P<0.01; non-linear test, χ 2=1.340, P=0.511) . There was a positive correlation between mRNA expression of LIAS and that of NRF2 ( r=0.651, P<0.01) . The results of multivariate analysis showed that LIAS and NRF2 were increased the risk of incidence in silicosis patients with stageⅠ ( OR=11.184, 4.332, P<0.05) and NRF2 was the protective factor in silicosis patients with stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ ( OR=0.225, 0.208, P<0.05) after adjusting for potential confounding factors including age, education level, BMI and smoking. Conclusion:There is a linear dose-response relationship between the expression of LIAS and NRF2 mRNA in PBMCs of silicosis patients, LIAS and NRF2 are involved in the pathogenesis of silicosis.

Objective To investigate the effects of high-flux hemodialysis (HFD) on fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) levels in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and its clinical significance.Methods Sixty uremia patients were divided into HFD group and hemodialysis (HD)group and observed for 12 months.Flow mediated dilation (FMD),cardiac ultrasonography,levels of FGF-23,serum phosphorus,serum calcium,25-(OH)D3,parathyroid hormone (PTH),homocysteine (Hcy) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were tested in all patients before and after treatment.The correlation of above indexes were analyzed.Results No statistical difference were found in primary disease,age and duration of dialysis in two groups.The levels of FGF-23 [(56.07±26.63) vs (85.53±40.54) ng/L,P ＜0.01],IL-6 [(3.37±2.48) vs (5.59±2.53) ng/L,P ＜ 0.05] and Hcy [(21.13±6.95) vs (29.40±11.66) μmol/L,P ＜ 0.05] decreased and FMD,25-(OH)D3 [(27.3± 10.26) vs (23.15± 10.73) μg/L,P ＜ 0.05] increased significantly after the treatment of HFD.There were no significant changes in the HD group.The baseline FMD was negatively correlated with FGF-23 (r =-0.413,P ＜ 0.05) and Hcy (r =-0.301,P ＜0.05).The baseline LVMI was correlated with FGF-23 (r =0.464 P ＜ 0.05).After one year's trearmeat of HFD,the changes of FMD(/△ FMD) was negatively correlated with the changes of FGF-23 (/△ FGF-23)(r =-0.347,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions HFD can improve FMD and decrease FGF-23 levels.The improvement of FMD may be related to the decreased level of FGF-23.The effect of FGF-23 on FMD should be independent of serum phosphate.