Objective To investigate the role and mechanism of ubiquitin-specific protease 46 (USP46) in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced pyroptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells. Methods Renal tubular epithelial cells were divided into negative control siRNA group (si-CTL group), USP46 knockdown group (si-USP46 group), negative control siRNA + H/R treatment group (si-CTL+H/R group), and USP46 knockdown + H/R treatment group (si-USP46+H/R group). Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis in each group. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was employed to measure the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of USP46, NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), gasdermin D (GSDMD), interleukin (IL)-18, and IL-1β. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of USP46, NLRP3, GSDMD, and cleaved cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase (C-Caspase)-1. The levels of inflammatory factors and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the cell supernatants were detected, and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the cells were detected. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to verify the interaction between USP46 and NLRP3. Results Compared with the si-CTL group, the si-CTL+H/R group exhibited increased cell apoptosis, elevated protein expression of USP46, NLRP3, GSDMD-N and C-Caspase-1, increased mRNA expression of USP46, NLRP3, GSDMD, IL-18 and IL-1β, higher levels of IL-18, IL-1β, TNF-α and LDH, and increased ROS and MDA levels (all P < 0.05). Compared with the si-CTL+H/R group, the si-USP46+H/R group showed decreased cell apoptosis, reduced protein expression of USP46, NLRP3, GSDMD-N and C-Caspase-1, decreased mRNA expression of USP46, GSDMD and IL-18, lower levels of IL-18, IL-1β, TNF-α and LDH, and decreased ROS and MDA levels (all P < 0.05). Co-immunoprecipitation results indicated that USP46 could bind to NLRP3. Conclusions Downregulation of USP46 alleviates H/R-induced pyroptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells, possibly by inhibiting USP46-dependent NLRP3 deubiquitination and promoting NLRP3 ubiquitination and degradation.

Perinatal depression (PND) is a critical public health issue affecting maternal and offspring health. Digital health intervention platforms, leveraging advantages in accessibility, privacy, and cost-effectiveness, demonstrate good application in PND prevention and treatment. This review systematically searched literature and policy documents published between January 2018 and March 2025 in CNKI, PubMed, Web of Science and World Health Organization. It summarized the development trajectory of digital health intervention platforms and their current applications and effectiveness in PND prevention and treatment. Existing evidence was evaluated across dimensions of efficacy, systematicity, and practicality, identifying major challenges faced by these platforms. Studies indicate that while PND digital health intervention platforms have achieved preliminary success in alleviating PND symptoms, widespread issues persist, including incomplete service closed-loop systems, low user adherence, and insufficient sustainability. Future efforts should focus on optimizing intervention content and interactive design, advancing intelligent assessment and tiered intervention strategies, strengthening continuous monitoring and crisis response mechanisms, and constructing a multidisciplinary collaborative support system. These steps are essential for achieving efficient, intelligent, and sustainable development of digital health intervention platforms for PND.

OBJECTIVES: In recent years, the incidence and detection rate of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) have increased significantly. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) plays an indispensable role in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of PCLs. However, evidence comparing the diagnostic performance of EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and fine-needle biopsy (FNB) remains limited. This study aims to compare the diagnostic yield, adequacy of tissue acquisition, and safety between EUS-FNA and EUS-FNB in evaluating PCLs to inform clinical practice. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted on patients with PCLs who underwent either EUS-FNA or EUS-FNB between January 2014 and August 2021. The diagnostic yield, tissue acquisition adequacy, and incidence of adverse events were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients with PCLs were included (52 in the FNA group and 38 in the FNB group). The diagnostic yield was similar between the FNA and FNB groups (94.2% vs 94.7%, P>0.05). The adequacy of tissue acquisition was 71.2% in the FNA group and 81.6% in the FNB group (P>0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of adverse events between the 2 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Both EUS-FNA and EUS-FNB demonstrate equally high diagnostic yields and tissue adequacy in PCLs, with excellent safety profiles. Both methods are safe and effective diagnostic tools for evaluating PCLs.
Humans ; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Male ; Pancreatic Cyst/diagnostic imaging* ; Middle Aged ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle/adverse effects* ; Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Adult ; Endosonography/methods* ; Pancreas/pathology* ; Diagnosis, Differential

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent chronic metabolic disease with an increasing incidence worldwide, that poses a significant risk to public health. In many current clinical practices for diabetes management, conventional Western treatments, including oral or injectable hypoglycemic agents, have serious side effects. Given that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is characterized by a multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway approach, its combination with Western medicine could enhance efficacy and reduce adverse effects. Consequently, the use of TCM as a potential auxiliary or alternative treatment for the prevention and/or management of T2DM has emerged as a research hotspot. This article reviews existing reports on TCM in the treatment of T2DM and provides a detailed discussion of its applications. By integrating relevant clinical evidence, this review summarizes the clinical data on 23 TCM formulas and Chinese patent medicines, comprehensively describing their efficacy and potential pharmacological mechanisms in the treatment of T2DM. This includes an exploration of the impacts of TCM-based therapeutic interventions on T2DM-related microRNAs and their target genes. We hope this review not only offers new insights for future research directions but also enhances the understanding of the scientific value of TCM. Please cite this article as: Ni HX, Cao LH, Gong XX, Zang ZY, Chang H. Traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: Clinical evidence and pharmacological mechanisms. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):605-622.
Humans ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology*

Gastric polyps, as a common digestive system disease, have shown an increasing detection rate and are regarded as one of the precancerous states of gastric cancer. In TCM, gastric polyps can be classified as diseases such as "stomachache" and "fullness and distension in the stomach". TCM holds that the disease is often related to the accumulation of pathogenic factors such as phlegm and blood stasis in the body to form "kenang", which has the characteristics of insidiousness, stubbornness, and recurrence. Deficiency of healthy qi and disorder of qi movement can lead to the adhesion of phlegm and blood stasis, which highly aligns with the etiology and pathogenesis of gastric polyps. The treatment principles are promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, regulating qi movement, and strengthening the body resistance to consolidate the essence. Understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment principles of gastric polyps from the theory of "kenang" has important guiding significance for clinical diagnosis and treatment, providing new ideas and methods for the treatment of gastric polyps.

Objective To compare the technical indicators and clinical effect of catheter-directed thrombolysis(CDT)via two types of non-popliteal venous access in the treatment of acute mixed-type lower extremity deep vein thrombosis(DVT).Methods The clinical data of 119 patients with acute mixed-type lower extremity DVT,who were admitted to the Affiliated Jiangning Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and the Affiliated Nanjing Hospital of Nanjing Medical University of China to receive CDT treatment from January 2016 to June 2022,were retrospectively analyzed.Of the 119 patients,CDT via deep calf vein access was carries out in 45(calf vein group)and CDT via healthy-side femoral venous access was performed in 74(femoral vein group).The success rate of vascular puncture,success rate of catheterization technique,number of successful CDT venous puncturing,time spent for sheath placement,time spent for catheterization,thrombolysis time,used amount of thrombolytic agent and associated complications(including vein puncturing and anticoagulant thrombolysis-related complications),the thrombolytic effect of different anatomical segments,and the clinical efficacy during the follow-up period for at least 12 months were compared between the two groups.Results Successful catheterization via deep calf vein access and via healthy-side femoral vein access was obtained in 31 and 58 CDT patients respectively,with a technical success rate of 68.89％(31/45)and 78.38％(58/74)respectively,the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant(P=0.248).In 26 patients(67.74％)of the calf vein group,more than two times of puncturing were needed before the sheath placement could be successfully achieved.The time spent for sheath placement in the femoral vein group was(1.84±0.87)min,which was remarkably shorter than(10.52+6.13)min in the calf vein group(P＜0.001),but the time spent for catheterization in the femoral vein group was(41.60±13.31)min,which was obviously longer than(20.06+4.46)min in the calf vein group(P＜0.001).The thrombolysis time in the femoral vein group and the calf vein group was(5.34+1.43)days and(5.06±1.18)days respectively(P=0.354),and the used amount of thrombolytic agent in the femoral vein group was(352.16±71.98)×104 U,which was prominently larger than(284.68±77.64)× 104 U in the calf vein group(P＜0.001).The last follow-up check showed that the patency rate of the popliteal vein in the calf vein group was significantly higher than that in the femoral vein group(P=0.037).No statistically significant differences in the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome(PTS)and the mean VEINES-QOL/Sym scores existed between the two groups(all P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared with CDT via healthy-side femoral vein access,CDT via deep calf vein access can better remove the thrombus in the popliteal vein and superficial femoral vein,and improve the femoropopliteal vein patency rate,although it has no obvious advantages in reducing the occurrence of PTS and in improving the VEINES-QOL/Sym score,moreover,the deep calf vein puncture and sheath placement require a high-level technique.

Objective To investigate the role and mechanism of spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1s) in the senescence of primary renal tubular epithelial cells induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Methods Primary renal tubular epithelial cells were divided into the normal control group (NC group), H/R group, empty adenovirus negative control group (Ad-shNC group), targeted silencing XBP1s adenovirus group (Ad-shXBP1s group), empty adenovirus+H/R treatment group (Ad-shNC+H/R group) and targeted silencing XBP1s adenovirus+H/R treatment group (Ad-shXBP1s +H/R group), respectively. The expression levels of XBP1s in the NC, H/R, Ad-shNC and Ad-shXBP1s groups were measured. The number of cells stained with β-galactosidase, the expression levels of cell aging markers including p53, p21 and γH2AX, and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined in the Ad-shNC, Ad-shNC+H/R and Ad-shXBP1s+H/R groups. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was employed to verify Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) of XBP1s transcription regulation, and the expression levels of Sirt3 and downstream SOD2 after down-regulation of XBP1s were detected. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) were detected by flow cytometry. Results Compared with the NC group, the expression level of XBP1s was up-regulated in the H/R group. Compared with the Ad-shNC group, the expression level of XBP1s was down-regulated in the Ad-shXBP1s group (both P<0.001). Compared with the Ad-shNC group, the number of cells stained with β-galactosidase was increased, the expression levels of p53, p21 and γH2AX were up-regulated, the levels of ROS, MDA and mtROS were increased, the SOD activity was decreased, the expression level of Sirt3 was down-regulated, and the ratio of Ac-SOD2/SOD2 was increased in the Ad-shNC+H/R group. Compared with the Ad-shNC+H/R group, the number of cells stained with β-galactosidase was decreased, the expression levels of p53, p21 and γH2AX were down-regulated, the levels of ROS, MDA and mtROS were decreased, the SOD activity was increased, the expression level of Sirt3 was up-regulated and the ratio of Ac-SOD2/SOD2 was decreased in the Ad-shXBP1s+H/R group (all P<0.05). Conclusions Down-regulation of XBP1s may ameliorate the senescence of primary renal tubular epithelial cells induced by H/R, which probably plays a role through the Sirt3/SOD2/mtROS signaling pathway.

Decoction is the most commonly used dosage form in the clinical treatment of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). During boiling, the violent movement of various active ingredients in TCM creates molecular forces such as hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, hydrophobic interactions and electrostatic interactions, which results in the formation of self-assembled aggregates in decoction (SADs), including particles, gels, fibers, etc. It was found that SADs widely existed in decoction with biological activities superior to both effective monomers and their physical mixtures, providing a new idea to reveal the pharmacodynamic material basis of Chinese herbal medicine from the perspective of component interactions-phase structure. Recently, SADs have become a novel focus of research in TCM. This paper reviewed their relevant studies in recent years and found some issues to be concerned in the research, such as the polydispersity of decoction system, instability of active ingredient interactions during boiling, uncertainty of the aggregates self-assembly rules, and stability, purity, yield of the products. In this regard, some solutions and new ideas were presented for the integrated development and clinical application of SADs.

Objective To evaluate the effect of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) on hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced injury of senescent renal tubular epithelial cell (RTEC) in aged mice and its regulatory mechanism. Methods RTEC were divided into the Young group (young RTEC with normal growth), Old group (aged RTEC induced by Etoposide), Old+Ad-shNC+H/R group [aged RTEC induced by Etoposide and then transfected with adenovirus negative control (Ad-shNC) for H/R treatment], and Old+Ad-shGSK3β+H/R group (aged RTEC induced by Etoposide and then transfected with short-hairpin RNA-expressing adenovirus with targeted silencing GSK3β for H/R treatment), respectively. Apoptosis level and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species level were detected by flow cytometry. Calcium ion level was determined by immunofluorescence staining. The expression and phosphorylation levels of GSK3β, mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM)-related proteins of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor1 (ITPR1), voltage dependent anion-selective channel 1(VDAC1) and glucose-regulated protein 75 (GRP75) were detected by Western blot. The interaction between GSK3β and MAM-related proteins was analyzed by immunoprecipitation. Results Compared with the Young group, the apoptosis, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial calcium ion levels were higher in the Old group. Compared with the Old group, the apoptosis, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial calcium ion levels were higher in the Old+Ad-shNC+H/R group. Compared with the Old+Ad-shNC+H/R group, the apoptosis, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial calcium ion levels were lower in the Old+Ad-shGSK3β+H/R group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Compared with the Young group, the expression levels of ITPR1, GRP75 and GSK3β proteins were up-regulated, the phosphorylation levels of ITPR1 and GRP75 were increased, whereas the total protein and phosphorylation levels of VDAC1 were decreased in the Old group. Compared with the Old group, the expression level of GSK3β protein was unchanged, the total protein and phosphorylation levels of ITPR1 and GRP75 were increased, the expression level of total VDAC1 protein remained unchanged and the phosphorylation level was increased in the Old+Ad-shNC+H/R group. Compared with the Old+Ad-shNC+H/R group, the expression level of GSK3β protein was decreased, the expression levels of total ITPR1, GRP75 and VDAC1 proteins were unchanged, whereas the phosphorylation levels were decreased in the Old+Ad-shGSK3β+H/R group. Immunoprecipitation showed that GSK3β could interact with ITPR1, GRP75 and VDAC1 proteins. Conclusions The expression level of GSK3β is up-regulated in senescent RTEC. Down-regulating GSK3β expression may reduce the phosphorylation level of ITPR1-GRP75-VDAC1 complex, constrain the overload of mitochondrial calcium ion, protect mitochondrial function and mitigate cell damage during reperfusion.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the intervention effect of kushenol F （KSC-F） on ulcerative colitis （UC） mice. METHODS Totally 30 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into the normal group， model group， positive drug group （sulfasalazine， 703 mg/kg）， KSC-F 50 mg/kg group （KSC-F50 group）， and KSC-F 100 mg/kg group （KSC-F100 group）， with 6 mice in each group. Except for the normal group， the mice in the remaining groups were given 3% dextran sulfate sodium solution continuously for 7 days to induce UC model. Concurrently， administration groups received corresponding drug solution intragastrically， once a day， for 10 consecutive days. During the experiment， the changes in body weight and bowel movements of the mice were observed. Disease activity index scoring was performed after the last administration. The histopathological morphology of colonic tissue was examined. The levels of inflammatory factors in the serum and colon tissue were measured. Additionally， the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors， and the protein expressions of inflammation-related proteins [interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， forkhead box O1（FOXO1）， phosphoinositide 3-kinase（PI3K）， phosphorylated PI3K（p-PI3K）， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase（p38 MAPK）， phosphorylated p38 MAPK（p-p38 MPAK） and phosphorylated protein kinase B（p- Akt）] were determined in colonic tissue. RESULTS KSC-F could alleviate weight loss and colonic tissue damage in UC mice. KSC- F reduced the levels of IL-1β， IL-6， IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in serum， as well as IL-1β， IL-6， IL-17 and TNF- α in colonic tissue to varying degrees and increased the levels of IL-10 in both serum and colonic tissue （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Moreover， KSC-F decreased the expression levels of IL-1β， IL-17 and TNF-α mRNA， as well as p-PI3K， p-p38 MAPK， and p- Akt proteins in colonic tissue to varying degrees， and increased the expression levels of IL-10 mRNA and FOXO1 protein in colonic tissue （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS KSC-F effectively alleviates UC symptoms in mice by inhibiting PI3K， Akt and p38 MAPK activation， mitigating the release of pro-inflammatory factors such as IL-1β， IL-6， TNF- α，promoting the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 secretion， and reducing inflammation-induced colonic tissue damage.