Objective To optimize the extraction, separation and purification process of Actinoside E. Methods Single factor experiment combined with orthogonal test was used to determine the optimal extraction process of Actinoside E using its content as an index. The extracts were separated and purified by optimizing the chromatographic conditions of macroporous resin, silica gel and ODS column. Results 25 times amount of 55% ethanol with heating reflux at 95℃ for one hour were used as the optimal extraction process of Actinoside E. The optimum separation and purification process was as follows: D101 macroporous resin column was eluted with 7 BV of 50% ethanol, silica gel column was eluted with 5 BV of ethyl acetate-ethanol（10∶1）and 50% methanol eluted fraction was purified repeatedly by ODS column to obtain Actinoside E. The transfer rate of Actinoside E in the whole process was 53.70%, the yield was 0.35%, and the purity was 99.9%. Conclusion The process is stable and viable, which can provide material foundation for the development and utilization of Actinoside E.

Metabolic syndrome （MS） is a clinical syndrome characterized by obesity， insulin resistance， and dyslipidemia， and chronic inflammation is closely associated with its pathogenesis. The imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory macrophage polarization， as one of the core pathological mechanisms of chronic inflammation， is a crucial driver of MS progression. According to Essential Questions in Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon： Distinctive Theory on Meridians and Diseased Pulses， "the spleen Qi dispersing essence... along all the meridians and collaterals". When the spleen fails in transportation and transformation， the distribution of refined essence becomes disordered， leading to internal accumulation of phlegm-dampness， forming a dynamic pathological state of "root deficiency with branch excess". Accordingly， the core traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） pathogenesis of MS is closely related to "spleen failing in transportation and transformation coupled with the internal accumulation of phlegm-dampness"； however， its modern biological basis remains elusive. Therefore， based on the theory of "spleen Qi dispersing essence" and recent advances in immunometabolism， this paper explored the modern scientific connotation of the TCM pathogenesis of MS from the perspective of macrophage polarization driven by glucose metabolic reprogramming. Through theoretical analysis and literature integration， it was proposed that mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation participates in the energy metabolism process of "spleen Qi dispersing essence". The dysfunction of the spleen's transportation and transformation prompts macrophage metabolism to shift toward glycolysis， resulting in the accumulation of lactate and succinate， which represents the microscopic manifestation of "refined essence deviating from proper transformation" and can be defined as "microscopic phlegm-dampness". These metabolites subsequently drive M1 macrophage polarization via the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway， triggering the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inducing systemic chronic low-grade inflammation， ultimately manifesting as insulin resistance， lipid metabolic disorders， and other core components of MS， thus achieving immune amplification from local "microscopic phlegm-dampness" to systemic "internal accumulation of phlegm-dampness". Therefore， macrophage polarization driven by glucose metabolic reprogramming constitutes an important biological link connecting the TCM concept of "spleen failing to disperse essence" with the pathology of MS. Furthermore， this paper reviewed the potential mechanisms by which TCM herbal formulas and their monomeric components that "restore spleen transportation and resolve phlegm-dampness" ameliorate MS by modulating macrophage metabolic remodeling， thereby providing novel biological connotations for the modern interpretation of the theory of "spleen Qi dispersing essence". Future research should integrate multi-omics technologies with disease-syndrome animal models to elucidate the regulatory network of formulas that "restore spleen transportation and resolve phlegm-dampness". Additionally， the feasibility of utilizing macrophage metabolic phenotypes as objective diagnostic biomarkers for the phlegm-dampness syndrome in MS warrants further investigation.

Metabolic syndrome （MS） is a clinical syndrome characterized by obesity， insulin resistance， and dyslipidemia， and chronic inflammation is closely associated with its pathogenesis. The imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory macrophage polarization， as one of the core pathological mechanisms of chronic inflammation， is a crucial driver of MS progression. According to Essential Questions in Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon： Distinctive Theory on Meridians and Diseased Pulses， "the spleen Qi dispersing essence... along all the meridians and collaterals". When the spleen fails in transportation and transformation， the distribution of refined essence becomes disordered， leading to internal accumulation of phlegm-dampness， forming a dynamic pathological state of "root deficiency with branch excess". Accordingly， the core traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） pathogenesis of MS is closely related to "spleen failing in transportation and transformation coupled with the internal accumulation of phlegm-dampness"； however， its modern biological basis remains elusive. Therefore， based on the theory of "spleen Qi dispersing essence" and recent advances in immunometabolism， this paper explored the modern scientific connotation of the TCM pathogenesis of MS from the perspective of macrophage polarization driven by glucose metabolic reprogramming. Through theoretical analysis and literature integration， it was proposed that mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation participates in the energy metabolism process of "spleen Qi dispersing essence". The dysfunction of the spleen's transportation and transformation prompts macrophage metabolism to shift toward glycolysis， resulting in the accumulation of lactate and succinate， which represents the microscopic manifestation of "refined essence deviating from proper transformation" and can be defined as "microscopic phlegm-dampness". These metabolites subsequently drive M1 macrophage polarization via the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway， triggering the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inducing systemic chronic low-grade inflammation， ultimately manifesting as insulin resistance， lipid metabolic disorders， and other core components of MS， thus achieving immune amplification from local "microscopic phlegm-dampness" to systemic "internal accumulation of phlegm-dampness". Therefore， macrophage polarization driven by glucose metabolic reprogramming constitutes an important biological link connecting the TCM concept of "spleen failing to disperse essence" with the pathology of MS. Furthermore， this paper reviewed the potential mechanisms by which TCM herbal formulas and their monomeric components that "restore spleen transportation and resolve phlegm-dampness" ameliorate MS by modulating macrophage metabolic remodeling， thereby providing novel biological connotations for the modern interpretation of the theory of "spleen Qi dispersing essence". Future research should integrate multi-omics technologies with disease-syndrome animal models to elucidate the regulatory network of formulas that "restore spleen transportation and resolve phlegm-dampness". Additionally， the feasibility of utilizing macrophage metabolic phenotypes as objective diagnostic biomarkers for the phlegm-dampness syndrome in MS warrants further investigation.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects the health of the elderly, marked by its incurability, high prevalence, and extended latency period. The current approach to AD prevention and treatment emphasizes early detection and intervention, particularly during the pre-AD stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which provides an optimal “window of opportunity” for intervention. Clinical detection methods for MCI, such as cerebrospinal fluid monitoring, genetic testing, and imaging diagnostics, are invasive and costly, limiting their broad clinical application. Speech, as a vital cognitive output, offers a new perspective and tool for computer-assisted analysis and screening of cognitive decline. This is because elderly individuals with cognitive decline exhibit distinct characteristics in semantic and audio information, such as reduced lexical richness, decreased speech coherence and conciseness, and declines in speech rate, voice rhythm, and hesitation rates. The objective presence of these semantic and audio characteristics lays the groundwork for computer-based screening of cognitive decline. Speech information is primarily sourced from databases or collected through tasks involving spontaneous speech, semantic fluency, and reading, followed by analysis using computer models. Spontaneous language tasks include dialogues/interviews, event descriptions, narrative recall, and picture descriptions. Semantic fluency tasks assess controlled retrieval of vocabulary items, requiring participants to extract information at the word level during lexical search. Reading tasks involve participants reading a passage aloud. Summarizing past research, the speech characteristics of the elderly can be divided into two major categories: semantic information and audio information. Semantic information focuses on the meaning of speech across different tasks, highlighting differences in vocabulary and text content in cognitive impairment. Overall, discourse pragmatic disorders in AD can be studied along three dimensions: cohesion, coherence, and conciseness. Cohesion mainly examines the use of vocabulary by participants, with a reduction in the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives in AD patients. Coherence assesses the ability of participants to maintain topics, with a decrease in the number of subordinate clauses in AD patients. Conciseness evaluates the information density of participants, with AD patients producing shorter texts with less information compared to normal elderly individuals. Audio information focuses on acoustic features that are difficult for the human ear to detect. There is a significant degradation in temporal parameters in the later stages of cognitive impairment; AD patients require more time to read the same paragraph, have longer vocalization times, and produce more pauses or silent parts in their spontaneous speech signals compared to normal individuals. Researchers have extracted audio and speech features, developing independent systems for each set of features, achieving an accuracy rate of 82% for both, which increases to 86% when both types of features are combined, demonstrating the advantage of integrating audio and speech information. Currently, deep learning and machine learning are the main methods used for information analysis. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate for AD exceeds 80%, and the diagnostic accuracy rate for MCI also exceeds 80%, indicating significant potential. Deep learning techniques require substantial data support, necessitating future expansion of database scale and continuous algorithm upgrades to transition from laboratory research to practical product implementation.

[Objective] To analyze the prevalence of human T-lymphocyte leukemia virus (HTLV) among blood donors in Guangzhou from 2016 to 2021, and provide a basis for blood collection and supply management in this region. [Methods] A total of 2 116 951 voluntary blood donors were screened for anti-HTLV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from March 2016 to December 2021 in Guangzhou, and the reactive cases were further confirmed by Western blotting (WB). Qualitative data were analyzed by χ2 with spss19 software. The trend of the total positive rate of HTLV confirmation test by WB from 2016 to 2021 was analyzed with the Joinpoint software, and the annual percent change (APC) was used to determine whether the trend changes were statistically significant. [Results] From March 2016 to December 2021, the total positive rate for anti-HTLV by ELISA among voluntary blood donors in Guangzhou was 0.019 7% (416/ 2116 951), and the WB confirmed positive rate was 0.001 1% (23/2 116 951). The total positive rate of HTLV among individual voluntary blood donors in the six main districts (0.002 12%, 19/895 301) was higher than that among group voluntary blood donors (0.000 32%, 3/951 947) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total positive rate of HTLV confirmation between the six main districts (0.001 19%) and the three non-main districts (0.000 37%) (P>0.05). The trend of the total positive rate of HTLV infection in the six main districts and the Guangzhou area(including the six main districts and three non-main districts) showed no significant increase or decrease. [Conclusion] The prevalence of HTLV among blood donors in Guangzhou remains at a low level.

This study identified blood-entering components of Anshen Dropping Pills and explored their anti-insomnia effects and mechanisms. The main blood-entering components of Anshen Dropping Pills were detected and identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. The rationality of the formula was assessed by using enrichment analysis based on the relationship between drugs and symptoms, and core targets of its active components were selected as the the potential anti-insomnia targets of Anshen Dropping Pills through network pharmacology analysis. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, Gene Ontology(GO) enrichment analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway analysis were performed on the core targets. An active component-core target network for Anshen Dropping Pills was constructed. Finally, the effects of low-, medium-, and high-dose groups of Anshen Dropping Pills on sleep episodes, sleep duration, and sleep latency in mice were measured by supraliminal and subliminal pentobarbital sodium experiments. Moreover, total scores of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI) scale was used to evaluate the changes before and after the treatment with Anshen Dropping Pills in a clinical study. The enrichment analysis based on the relationship between drugs and symptoms verified the rationality of the Anshen Dropping Pills formula, and nine blood-entering components of Anshen Dropping Pills were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. The network proximity revealed a significant correlation between eight components and insomnia, including magnoflorine, liquiritin, spinosin, quercitrin, jujuboside A, ginsenoside Rb_3, glycyrrhizic acid, and glycyrrhetinic acid. Network pharmacology analysis indicated that the major anti-insomnia pathways of Anshen Dropping Pills involved substance and energy metabolism, neuroprotection, immune system regulation, and endocrine regulation. Seven core genes related to insomnia were identified: APOE, ALB, BDNF, PPARG, INS, TP53, and TNF. In summary, Anshen Dropping Pills could increase sleep episodes, prolong sleep duration, and reduce sleep latency in mice. Clinical study results demonstrated that Anshen Dropping Pills could decrease total scores of PSQI scale. This study reveals the pharmacodynamic basis and potential multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway effects of Anshen Dropping Pills, suggesting that its anti-insomnia mechanisms may be associated with the regulation of insomnia-related signaling pathways. These findings offer a theoretical foundation for the clinical application of Anshen Dropping Pills.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/metabolism* ; Mice ; Network Pharmacology ; Male ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Humans ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Sleep/drug effects* ; Female ; Adult

This study explored the potential therapeutic targets and mechanisms of Danggui Shaoyao San(DSS) in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease(AD) through transcriptomics and metabolomics, combined with animal experiments. Fifty male C57BL/6J mice, aged seven weeks, were randomly divided into the following five groups: control, model, positive drug, low-dose DSS, and high-dose DSS groups. After the intervention, the Morris water maze was used to assess learning and memory abilities of mice, and Nissl staining and hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining were performed to observe pathological changes in the hippocampal tissue. Transcriptomics and metabolomics were employed to sequence brain tissue and identify differential metabolites, analyzing key genes and metabolites related to disease progression. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) was employed to validate the expression of key genes. The Morris water maze results indicated that DSS significantly improved learning and cognitive function in scopolamine(SCOP)-induced model mice, with the high-dose DSS group showing the best results. Pathological staining showed that DSS effectively reduced hippocampal neuronal damage, increased Nissl body numbers, and reduced nuclear pyknosis and neuronal loss. Transcriptomics identified seven key genes, including neurexin 1(Nrxn1) and sodium voltage-gated channel α subunit 1(Scn1a), and metabolomics revealed 113 differential metabolites, all of which were closely associated with synaptic function, oxidative stress, and metabolic regulation. RT-qPCR experiments confirmed that the expression of these seven key genes was consistent with the transcriptomics results. This study suggests that DSS significantly improves learning and memory in SCOP model mice and alleviates hippocampal neuronal pathological damage. The mechanisms likely involve the modulation of synaptic function, reduction of oxidative stress, and metabolic balance, with these seven key genes serving as important targets for DSS in the treatment of AD.
Animals ; Alzheimer Disease/genetics* ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Metabolomics ; Transcriptome/drug effects* ; Maze Learning/drug effects* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal ; Memory/drug effects*

Objective: To systematically analyzes the impact of blood donor characteristics on red blood cell (RBC) quality and transfusion outcomes, and to provide a scientific basis for optimizing donor selection criteria and developing personalized transfusion strategies. Methods: A literature search was conducted across electronic databases including CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data, PubMed, and Embase using combinations of keywords such as "donor characteristics", "blood storage lesion", "blood quality", and "transfusion outcomes" for summary and analysis. Results: Factors associated with the blood donor characteristics including demographic characteristics (sex, age, body mass index), lifestyle habits (smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise), and dietary or pharmacological exposures significantly influence blood storage stability and transfusion efficacy by modulating erythrocyte metabolism, oxidative stress levels, and immune properties. Conclusion: The complexity and diversity of the blood donor characteristics are associated with blood quality and transfusion outcomes. Future efforts should focus on refining donor selection criteria and establishing personalized transfusion strategies to enhance blood product quality and improve patient outcomes.

The chemical constituents from the n-butanol fraction of ethanol extract of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) were isolated and purified using chromatographic process including MCI Gel CHP-20, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and semi-preparative HPLC method, and one alkyne and two phenylpropanoid derivants were obtained. Their structures were identified as (5R,E)-tetradecane-12-ene-8,10-diyne-1,5,14-triol (1), (E)-8-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl n-butyl cinnamate (2), and (7S,8S)-7-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzene)-7-butyl-8,9-diol (3) by modern spectroscopy methods (1D NMR, 2D NMR, UV, IR and MS). 1-3 are all new compounds. Compounds 1-3 were screened for their anti-renal fibrosis activities in vitro, and none of them showed obvious effect.