ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics and distribution of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes in the patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）. MethodsAn electronic questionnaire was developed to collect the general data and four examination information of ESCC patients treated in 10 areas with high incidence of esophageal cancer in China from June 2020 to March 2021. Multiple analyses including frequency analysis， factor analysis， and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to analyze the potential syndrome elements， disease location， and common syndromes of ESCC. ResultsA total of 2 027 patients with ESCC were included. Statistical analysis was performed on 113 symptoms， physical signs， 33 tongue manifestation variables， and 23 pulse manifestation variables of the patients’ four examination information. Factor analysis was performed on 55 variables with frequency>10%， extracting 19 common factors. According to clinical experience and expert opinions， the main lesions of patients with ESCC were in the spleen and stomach， and the main syndrome elements were Qi stagnation， blood stasis， phlegm， dampness， and Qi deficiency， with the syndrome element combination of phlegm obstruction + Qi stagnation + blood stasis being the most common. The syndromes can be classified into four categories of liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction， kidney-spleen dysfunction + combined phlegm and stasis， spleen-kidney Yang deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis， and liver-kidney Yin deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis. The main syndrome of ESCC was liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction in the early stage， liver-spleen dysfunction + combined phlegm and stasis in the middle stage， and spleen-kidney Yang deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis in the late stage. ConclusionESCC mainly has main pathological features of internal deficiency and external excess and combined deficiency and excess， with the key syndrome elements being phlegm obstruction， Qi stagnation， and blood stasis. The main disease locations are in the spleen and stomach， involving the liver， kidney， chest and diaphragm， heart， and lung. The main syndrome is liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction. In clinical practice， it is necessary to grasp the pathogenesis dynamics of the disease and use prescriptions according to patients’ syndromes.

The aging microenvironment, as a key driver of tumorigenesis and progression, plays a critical role in tumor immune regulation through one of its core features-the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). SASP consists of a variety of interleukins, chemokines, proteases, and growth factors. It initially induces surrounding cells to enter a state of senescence through paracrine mechanisms, thereby creating a sustained inflammatory stimulus and signal amplification effect within the tissue microenvironment. Furthermore, these secreted factors activate key signaling pathways such as NF-κB, cGAS-STING, and mTOR, which regulate the expression of immune-related molecules (such as PD-L1) and promote the recruitment of immunosuppressive cells, including regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. This process ultimately contributes to the formation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, the article explores potential anti-tumor immunotherapy strategies targeting SASP and its associated molecular mechanisms, including approaches to inhibit SASP secretion or eliminate senescent cells. Although these strategies have shown promise in certain tumor models, the high heterogeneity among tumor types may result in varied responses to SASP-targeted therapies. This highlights the need for further research into adaptive stratification and personalized treatment approaches. Targeting immune regulatory mechanisms in the aging microenvironment-particularly SASP-holds great potential for advancing future anti-tumor therapies.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanism of Liangxue Tuizi Formula （凉血退紫方， LXTZF） in treating Henoch-Schönlein Purpura （HSP） by examining its regulatory effect on neutrophil extracellular trap （NETs） dysregulation via the rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma kinase （RAF）/mitogen-activated protein kinase （MEK）/extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK） signaling pathway. MethodsSeventy Wistar rats were randomly allocated into a blank control group （n=14） and a modeling group （n=56）. Rats in the modelling group underwent an eight-week modelling period to establish HSP rat models with blood-heat syndrome via modified ovalbumin （OVA） induction method combined with oral administration of heat-property Chinese herbal medicine. Fifty successfully modeled rats were subsequently randomly divided into five groups （n=10 per group）， model group， compound glycyrrhizin group， LXTZF group， RAF inhibitor group， and LXTZF + RAF agonist group. Additionally， 10 rats were selected from the original blank control group for the final experiment. From the 11th week of modelling， rats in the blank control group and the model group received 1 ml/（100 g·d） ultrapure water via oral administration， in addition to 0.5 ml/（kg·d） 0.9% sodium chloride solution via intraperitoneal injection. The LXTZF group and the compound glycyrrhizin group received 7.5 g/（kg·d） LXTZF granule suspension via gavage， 13.5 mg/（kg·d） compound glycyrrhizin suspension via gavage， respectively. The RAF inhibitor group received 1 mg/（kg·d） GW5074 suspension via intraperitoneal injection and ultrapure water via oral administration； the LXTZF + RAF agonist group received 7.5 g/（kg·d） LXTZF granule suspension via gavage and 1 mg/（kg·d） paclitaxel suspension via intraperitoneal injection. All administrations were performed once daily for 4 weeks. After intervention， skin tissue histopathology was examined by hematoxylin and eosin （H&E） staining， immunoglobulin A （IgA） deposition was assessed via immunofluorescence， serum levels of neutrophil elastase （NE）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM-1） were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， serum myeloperoxidase （MPO） level was determined by a colorimetric assay； the mRNA expression levels of RAF， MEK， and ERK in skin tissue were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （RT-qPCR）； and the protein expression of RAF， MEK， ERK， as well as phosphorylated MEK （p-MEK） and phosphorylated ERK （p-ERK）， were analyzed by Western Blot. ResultsSkin tissue in the blank control group rats remained normal， whereas the model group exhibited neutrophil infiltration and haemorrhage with red blood cell rupture. In all drug intervention groups， neutrophil infiltration and haemorrhagic exudation reduced markedly， with LXTZF group demonstrating the most pronounced improvement. Compared with the blank control group， rats in the model group exhibited enhanced IgA fluorescence intensity in skin tissue， elevated serum levels of NE， MPO， TNF-α and VCAM-1， increased mRNA expression of RAF， MEK， ERK1 and ERK2， as well as heightened RAF protein levels and p-MEK/MEK and p-ERK/ERK ratios （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， the drug intervention groups exhibited reduced IgA fluorescence intensity in skin tissue， along with decreased serum levels of NE， MPO， TNF-α， and VCAM-1 （P＜0.05）. In LXTZF group and RAF inhibition groups， reduced mRNA expression of RAF， MEK， ERK1， and ERK2 was observed in rat skin tissue， alongside decreased RAF protein levels and reduced p-MEK/MEK and p-ERK/ERK ratios （P＜0.05）. Compared with LXTZF + RAF agonist group， the compound glycyrrhizin group， LXTZF group， and RAF inhibitior group exhibited reduced IgA fluorescence intensity in skin tissue， decreased serum NE， MPO， TNF-α， and VCAM-1 levels， and decreased MEK mRNA expression and p-MEK/MEK ratio （P＜0.05）. ConclusionThe potential mechanism by which LXTZF treats Henoch-Schönlein purpura with blood heat syndrome may involve blocking the RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway in skin tissue， and suppressing excessive formation of NETs， thereby reducing IgA deposition in dermal microvessels and attenuating systemic inflammatory responses.

Aldehyde oxidase (AOX) is a molybdoenzyme that is primarily expressed in the liver and is involved in the metabolism of drugs and other xenobiotics. AOX-mediated metabolism can result in unexpected outcomes, such as the production of toxic metabolites and high metabolic clearance, which can lead to the clinical failure of novel therapeutic agents. Computational models can assist medicinal chemists in rapidly evaluating the AOX metabolic risk of compounds during the early phases of drug discovery and provide valuable clues for manipulating AOX-mediated metabolism liability. In this study, we developed a novel graph neural network called AOMP for predicting AOX-mediated metabolism. AOMP integrated the tasks of metabolic substrate/non-substrate classification and metabolic site prediction, while utilizing transfer learning from ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance data to enhance its performance on both tasks. AOMP significantly outperformed the benchmark methods in both cross-validation and external testing. Using AOMP, we systematically assessed the AOX-mediated metabolism of common fragments in kinase inhibitors and successfully identified four new scaffolds with AOX metabolism liability, which were validated through in vitro experiments. Furthermore, for the convenience of the community, we established the first online service for AOX metabolism prediction based on AOMP, which is freely available at https://aomp.alphama.com.cn.

BACKGROUND:Existing studies have confirmed that exosomes can effectively promote pulp regeneration.However,the biological functions and properties of exosomes from preconditioned sources can be significantly changed,which have different effects on cell proliferation,migration and odontogenic differentiation. OBJECTIVE:To discuss the application status of exosomes and their preconditioning methods in the field of pulp regeneration,and summarize the preconditioning methods that affect the function of exosomes,and explore the effect of exosomes and their preconditioning on pulp regeneration. METHODS:The relevant articles were searched in WanFang,CNKI,PubMed,and Web of Science databases from 2006 to 2022.The Chinese and English search terms were"exosomes,pulp regeneration;preconditioning method".A total of 78 articles were included for analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Exosomes have the advantages of good biocompatibility,low immunogenicity and no cytotoxicity,and can induce the regeneration of pulp tissue by promoting stem cell tooth formation,neurogenesis and vascularization.(2)Exosomes derived from preconditioning can enhance the ability of tissue repair and regeneration and have a significant impact on the quality of regenerated dental pulp.(3)Currently,the preconditioning methods used in the field of dental pulp regeneration include inflammatory stimulation,hypoxia induction,conditioned medium and three-dimensional culture,and secreted exosomes can effectively improve the quality of regenerated dental pulp.Nevertheless,the specific effect and mechanism of different preconditioning methods on pulp regeneration need to be explored.

This paper summarized Professor LI Haisong's clinical experience in treating spermatorrhea based on the view of "spirit controlling essence and qi". It is emphasized that the heart spirit has the function of controlling the essence and qi of the human body， believing the frenetic stirring of heart spirit and the insecurity of essence gate are the core pathogenesis of spermatorrhea， LI advocates to regulate the heart spirit first and take into account of the zang-fu organs， essence and qi simultaneously for the treatment. Treatment should be performed according the clinical syndromes differentiatied. For those with heart spirit failing to nourish syndrome， it is recommended to supplement heart qi， nourish spirit and consolidate essence with self-made Yangxin Mijing Formula （养心秘精方）. In case of heart fire hyperactivity， the method of clearing heart heat and draining fire， calming spirit and consolidating essence should be used， and self-made Xiexin Gujing Formula （泻心固精方） is recommended. For heart-liver qi constraint， it is advised to soothe the liver and calm heart， calm the mind and regulate essence with self-made Jieyu Anshen Tiaojing Formula （解郁安神调精方） which is a modifcation to Chaihu Shugan Powder （柴胡疏肝散）. In terms of deficiency of both heart and liver， the treatment principle is supplementing spleen and nourishing heart， calming the mind and controlling essence， for which self-made Xinpi Tongtiao Shejing Formula （心脾同调摄精方） modified from Guipi Decoction （归脾汤） can be used. For deficiency of both heart and kidney， it is better to nourish the kidney and calm heart， calm the mind and consolidate essence with self-made Xinshen Liangzi Tianjing Formula （心肾两滋填精方） that modified from Shuilu Erxian Elixir （水陆二仙丹） and Wuzi Yanzong Pill （五子衍宗丸）. Prescriptions are used to treat the root by harmonizing the zang-fu organs， nourish the spirit by regulating qi and blood， and calm the mind by taking special medi-cinals， and they should be flexibly modified according to the disease.

In the differentiation and treatment of recurrent urinary tract infection （rUTI） from the perspective of the seminal orifice， it is proposed that the urinary tract belongs to the category of "seminal orifice"， and the physiological process of urination is closely related to the function of the seminal orifice. From the three dimensions of orifice body， orifice pivot and orifice spirit， the physiological relationship between seminal orifice and the function of five zang-organs （脏） is constructed， that is， lung heat， yin damage and pathogen counter-restriction lead to malnutrition of orifice body； burning heart fire and spirit disorder lead to unfavorable orifice spirit， and kidney deficiency， liver constraint and spleen stagnation lead to unfavorable orifice pivot. In the early stage of rUTI， there is usually unfavo-rable orifice pivot， for which the treatment principle should be treating the root and the branch simultaneously， consi-dering both deficiency and excess， and paying attention to the management of accompanied symptoms. Zishui Qinggan Beverage （滋水清肝饮） and Modified Shenzhuo Decoction （肾着汤加减） are often selected based on syndrome differentiation. In the middle stage， lack of nourishment of the orifice body and unfavorable orifice spirit and pivot coexist， and the treatment should be draining the orifice and unblocking strangury， commonly withmodified Qingxin Lianzi Beverage （清心莲子饮）. In the late stage， loss of nourishment of the orifice body is the main pathogenesis， and it is necessary to further nourish the orifice body to prevent recurrence， and modifed Wuzi Yanzong Pills and Erxian Decoction （五子衍宗丸合二仙汤） is often used. Furthermore， the specific medicinals should be selected targeting at the orifice body， orifice pivot， and orifice spirit， so as to nourish orifice body by dispelling external pathogens and rectify healthy qi， to drain orifice pivot by freeing emotions and minds and unblocking qi movement， and to calm orifice spirit by unblocking heart and kidney and nourishing heart spirit.

ObjectiveTo obtain the prevalence of sarcopenia in middle-aged and elderly people in Urumqi based on the 2020 updated based on the 2020 updated Consensus Report 2019 of Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia （AWGS2019）， and to further explore the association between sarcopenia and metabolic syndrome （MS）. MethodsA total of 1 438 middle-aged and elderly people （aged≥50 years） in Urumqi from July 2018 to January 2019 were selected as the research subjects. Data were collected by questionnaire survey， physical examination and laboratory test. Skeletal muscle mass，grip strength and 4 m walking speed were used to represent muscle mass， muscle strength and body function， respectively. Bioelectrical impedance analysis （BIA） was used to measure human body components. Based on the diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia recommended by AWGS2019， the prevalence of sarcopenia in people over 50 years old was obtained. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to explore the correlation between sarcopenia and MS in middle-aged and elderly people of different genders. ResultsThere were 194 patients with sarcopenia， with a prevalence of 13.49%. The prevalence was 15.56% in males and 12.12% in females. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of MS between male sarcopenia group （40.45%） and non-sarcopenia group （38.92%）， while the prevalence of MS in female sarcopenia group （39.04%） was higher than that in non-sarcopenia group （27.56%）. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sarcopenia was a related factor of MS. Compared with non-sarcopenia， the risk of MS in male sarcopenia group was higher （OR=2.11，95%CI： 1.15‒3.88 ）. ConclusionSarcopenia increases the risk of MS in middle-aged and elderly people， with a greater risk in men. Fully understanding of sarcopenia is helpful to early identify high-risk groups of MS and prevent the occurrence of MS.

Sepsis-induced liver injury (SILI) is an important cause of septicemia deaths. BaWeiBaiDuSan (BWBDS) was extracted from a formula of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, Lilium brownie F. E. Brown ex Miellez var. viridulum Baker, Polygonatum sibiricum Delar. ex Redoute, Lonicera japonica Thunb., Hippophae rhamnoides Linn., Amygdalus Communis Vas, Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A. DC., and Cortex Phelloderdri. Herein, we investigated whether the BWBDS treatment could reverse SILI by the mechanism of modulating gut microbiota. BWBDS protected mice against SILI, which was associated with promoting macrophage anti-inflammatory activity and enhancing intestinal integrity. BWBDS selectively promoted the growth of Lactobacillus johnsonii (L. johnsonii) in cecal ligation and puncture treated mice. Fecal microbiota transplantation treatment indicated that gut bacteria correlated with sepsis and was required for BWBDS anti-sepsis effects. Notably, L. johnsonii significantly reduced SILI by promoting macrophage anti-inflammatory activity, increasing interleukin-10⁺ M2 macrophage production and enhancing intestinal integrity. Furthermore, heat inactivation L. johnsonii (HI-L. johnsonii) treatment promoted macrophage anti-inflammatory activity and alleviated SILI. Our findings revealed BWBDS and gut microbiota L. johnsonii as novel prebiotic and probiotic that may be used to treat SILI. The potential underlying mechanism was at least in part, via L. johnsonii-dependent immune regulation and interleukin-10⁺ M2 macrophage production.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.10.016.].