Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease predominantly affecting the elderly and is characterized by cartilage degradation, synovitis, and subchondral bone sclerosis. Despite its widespread occurrence, no effective pharmacological interventions currently exist to halt or reverse disease progression. Polyphenolic compounds, a diverse class of plant-derived substances, have attracted considerable attention for their potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the multifaceted roles of polyphenols in OA. Specifically, polyphenols protect chondrocytes and preserve the extracellular matrix by mitigating oxidative stress, suppressing inflammation, regulating autophagy and cholesterol metabolism, and inhibiting programmed cell death pathways, including apoptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. Furthermore, they exert protective effects on synovial tissue by regulating macrophage polarization and inhibiting pathogenic fibroblast activation, while also contributing to the maintenance of subchondral bone homeostasis. Recent progress in nanotechnology-based delivery systems, designed to overcome the poor solubility and limited bioavailability of polyphenols, is also highlighted. Collectively, this review integrates mechanistic insights with emerging therapeutic strategies, underscoring the potential of polyphenolic compounds as disease-modifying agents for OA.

Objective:To investigate the impact of different CT reconstruction kernels on the quantitative analysis of small pulmonary vessels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and high-risk patients.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. Clinical and imaging data of 73 COPD and high-risk patients visiting the China-Japan Friendship Hospital between March and April 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent high-resolution CT of the chest and pulmonary function tests, with the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity (FEV 1/FVC) obtained. The raw CT data were reconstructed using different kernels: the FC86 group used the adaptive iterative dose reduction(AIDR) 3D standard lung sharp reconstruction algorithm, the FC18 group used the AIDR 3D standard Body standard reconstruction algorithm, the advanced intelligent clear-IQ engine(AiCE) Lung group used the AiCE deep learning reconstruction algorithm for lung, and the AiCE Body group used the AiCE deep learning reconstruction algorithm for body. Image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image noise were calculated. The pulmonary vessel segmentation & Measurement software was used to segment and extract pulmonary arteries and veins of four groups in thin-slice whole-lung CT imaging, obtaining the ratio of small pulmonary arteries (%V artery<5) and the ratio of small pulmonary veins (%V vein<5). The One-way repeated measures ANOVA or Friedman test was used to compare the differences in SNR, CNR, image noise, %V artery<5, and %V vein<5 among the four groups, followed by Bonferroni post hoc or Bonferroni-Dunn test with P-value correction to analysis differences between subgroups. The correlations between %V artery<5 and FEV 1/FVC, as well as between %V vein<5 and FEV 1/FVC were analyzed using Spearman rank correlation analysis in all four groups. Results:The overall differences in image noise, SNR, and CNR in the AiCE Lung, AiCE Body, FC18, and FC86 groups were statistically significant ( P<0.001). Except for the difference in CNR values between the AiCE Lung group and the FC18 group, which was not statistically significant ( P=0.192), all differences were statistically significant ( P<0.016 7). The overall differences in %V artery<5 values and %V vein<5 values in the AiCE Lung, AiCE Body, FC18, and FC86 groups were statistically significant ( P<0.001). The %V artery<5 and %V vein<5 values in the FC18 group were lower than those in the AiCE Lung, AiCE Body, and FC86 groups ( P<0.016 7), and the rest of the differences were not statistically significant ( P>0.016 7). %V artery<5 and %V vein<5 were positively correlated with FEV 1/FVC in all 4 groups ( P<0.05), with the highest correlation coefficient between %V vein<5 and FEV 1/FVC in the AiCE Body group ( r=0.501, P=0.001). Conclusions:DLR-AiCE-based kernel reconstruction optimizes image quality and significantly affects the results of quantitative parameters of small pulmonary vessels. The reconstruction kernel prioritized for quantitative analysis of small vessels within the lungs in COPD based on the CT scanner in this study is AiCE Body.

Objective To explore the medication patterns of famous traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in treating challenging aspects of idiopathic membranous nephropathy(IMN)based on data mining.Methods Medical cases meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were collected.Statistical analysis of syndrome patterns,herb frequency,association rules,and cluster analysis were conducted for key challenges,including disease duration ≥ 1 year,renal function impairment,hypoalbuminemia,and hypertriglyceridemia.Results A total of 128 medical cases were included.Spleen-kidney deficiency syndrome was identified as the most common pattern.Based on herb frequency and association rule analysis,Huangqi,Baizhu,Fuling,Danggui,Danshen were the most frequently used in prescription.Cluster analysis revealed core herbal groupings primarily based on classical formulas such as Zhenwu decoction,Shenling Baizhu powder,and Shuilu Erxian dan.Conclusion In the medical cases addressing treatment challenges,the syndrome patterns were predominantly characterized by spleen-kidney deficiency.Core medications included Huangqi,Baizhu,Fuling,Danggui and Danshen.The treatment emphasizes strengthening invigorating spleen and kidney,with variations in medication patterns based on disease duration and complications.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture therapy provides a complementary and alternative approach to treating major depressive disorder (MDD), but its efficacy and safety have still not been comprehensively assessed. Recently published systematic reviews remain confusing and inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy alone or combined with antidepressants for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD. SEARCH STRATEGY: Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched from their inceptions to March 2025. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials that compared acupuncture therapy with antidepressants, or acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants with acupuncture therapy or antidepressants for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Five reviewers independently extracted data from original literature using a standardized form, and the data were verified by two reviewers to ensure accuracy. Statistical meta-analyses, publication bias analyses, and subgroup analyses were performed by using Review Manager 5.3 software. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to assess the certainty of the evidence. RESULTS: A total of 60 eligible studies including 4675 participants were included. Low-certainty evidence showed that compared with antidepressants, acupuncture therapy (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-0.87, -0.27]; I² = 86%; P = 0.006) or acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants (SMD = -1.00; 95% CI = [-1.18, -0.81]; I² = 77%; P < 0.00001) may reduce the severity of depression at the end of treatment. Low-certainty evidence indicated that compared with acupuncture therapy alone, acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants slightly reduced the severity of depression at the end of treatment (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = [-0.61, -0.14]; I² = 18%; P = 0.002). Similar results were also found for acupuncture's relief of insomnia. The reported adverse effects of acupuncture therapy were mild and transient. For most of the subgroup analyses, acupuncture type, scale type, and the course of treatment did not show a significant relative effect. CONCLUSION Acupuncture therapy may provide antidepressant effects and relieve insomnia with mild adverse effects for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD. But the certainty of evidence was very low. More high-quality, well designed, large-scale studies with long-term follow-up are needed in the future. Please cite this article as: Kuang HJ, Yang HS, Feng YX, Tang H, Fan Q, Xu YQ, Cui S, Musil R, Luxenburger H, Zhang YX, Zhao H, Zhang YQ. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapies for adult patients with mild and moderate major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):471-491.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Depressive Disorder, Major/therapy* ; Adult ; Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

This study explored the drying kinetics of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma(SM), established the suitable models simulating the drying kinetics, and then analyzed the dynamic changes of active components during the drying processes with different methods, aiming to provide a basis for the establishment of suitable drying methods and the quality control of SM. The drying kinetics were studied based on the drying curve, drying rate, moisture effective diffusion coefficient, and drying activation energy, and the appropriate drying kinetics model of SM was established. The drying performance of different methods, such as hot air drying, infrared drying, and microwave drying of SM was evaluated, and the changes in the content of 10 salvianolic acids and 6 tanshinones during drying were analyzed by UPLC-TQ-MS. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution(TOPSIS) was employed to evaluate the quality of SM dried with different methods. The results showed that the drying rate and moisture effective diffusion coefficient of SM increased with the rise in drying temperature, and the maximum drying rates of different methods were in the order of microwave drying > infrared drying > hot air drying, slice > whole root. The drying rate decreased with the rise in temperature and the extension of drying time. The activation energy of hot air drying was higher than that of infrared drying in SM. The most suitable model for simulating the drying process of SM was the Page model. The TOPSIS results suggested infrared drying at 50 ℃ was the optimal drying method for SM. During the drying process, the content of salvianolic acids increased in different degrees with the loss of moisture, among which salvianolic acid B showed the largest increase of 44 times compared with that in the fresh medicinal material. Tanshinones also existed in the fresh herb of SM, and the content of tanshinone Ⅱ_A increased by 3 times after drying. The results provided a basis for the establishment of suitable drying methods and the quality control of SM.
Salvia miltiorrhiza/chemistry* ; Desiccation/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Rhizome/chemistry* ; Kinetics ; Quality Control ; Abietanes

Atractylodes lancea is a perennial herbaceous plant of Asteraceae, with rhizomes for medical use. However, A. lancea plants from different habitats have great variability, and the germplasm resources of A. lancea are unclear and mixed during production. Therefore, it is urgent to protect new varieties of A. lancea. The distinctness, uniformity, and stability(DUS) testing of new plant varieties is the foundation of plant variety protection, and the DUS testing guidelines are the technical basis for variety approval agencies to conduct DUS testing. In this study, the phenotypic traits of 94 germplasm accessions of A. lancea were investigated considering the breeding and variety characteristics of A. lancea in China. The traits were classified and described, and 24 traits were preliminarily determined, including 20 basic traits that must be tested and four traits selected to be tested. The 20 basic traits included 3 quality traits, 5 false quality traits, and 12 quantitative traits, corresponding to 1 plant traits, 2 stem traits, 8 leaf traits, 6 flower traits, and 3 seed traits. The measurement ranges and coefficients of variation of eight quantitative traits were determined, on the basis of which the grading criteria and codes of the traits were determined and assigned. The guidelines has guiding significance for the trait evaluation, utilization, and breeding of new varieties of A. lancea.
Atractylodes/growth & development* ; China ; Phenotype ; Guidelines as Topic ; Plant Breeding

This study aims to investigate the potential effect of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix on hypercholesterolemia in mice that was induced by a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet and explore its possible mechanism from bile acid reabsorption. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into the following groups: control, model, low-and high-dose(4 and 8 g·kg~(-1), respectively) fresh Rehmanniae Radix, and positive drug(simvastatin, 0.05 g·kg~(-1)). Other groups except the control group were fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet for 6 consecutive weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia. From the 6th week, mice were administrated with corresponding drugs daily via gavage for additional 6 weeks, while continuing to be fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-c), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-c), and total bile acid(TBA), as well as liver TC and TG levels and fecal TBA level, were determined by commercial assay kits. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to observe the pathological changes in the liver. Three livers samples were randomly selected from each of the control, model, and high-dose fresh Rehmanniae Radix groups for high-throughput transcriptome sequencing. Differentially expressed genes were mined and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to predict the key pathways and target genes of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. RT-qPCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase(CYP7A1) and cholesterol 27α-hydroxylase(CYP27A1) in the liver. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of CYP7A1 and CYP27A1 in the liver as well as farnesoid X receptor(FXR), apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter(ASBT), and ileum bile acid-binding protein(I-BABP) in the ileum. The results showed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly lowered the levels of TC and TG in the serum and liver, as well as the level of LDL-c in the serum. Conversely, it elevated the level of HDL-c in the serum and TBA in feces. No significant difference was observed in the level of TBA in the serum among groups. HE staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy showed that the water extract reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver. Further mechanism studies revealed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly down-regulated the protein levels of FXR and bile acid reabsorption-related proteins ASBT and I-BABP. Additionally, it enhanced CYP7A1 and CYP27A1, the key enzymes involved in bile acid synthesis. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix may exert an anti-hypercholesterolemic effect by regulating FXR/ASBT/I-BABP signaling, inhibiting bile acid reabsorption, and increasing bile acid excretion, thus facilitating the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids.
Animals ; Male ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Cholesterol/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Hypercholesterolemia/genetics* ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics* ; Rehmannia/chemistry* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Humans ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase/genetics* ; Plant Extracts

Objective To investigate the protective effects of paeonol(PAE)on autophagy in human neuroblastoma cells(SH-SY5Y)induced by overexpression of α-synuclein(α-Syn),and to explore its related mechanism.Methods SH-SY5Y cells served as control group,while those induced with A53T-α-Syn mutation were used as model group.Additional groups included PAE(150 μg/ml)group,3-MA(1 mmol/L)group,and PAE(150 μg/ml)+3-MA(1 mmol/L)group.Cell viability was assessed using CCK-8 method,cell morphology was observed under an optical microscope,and protein expressions of α-Syn,LC3-Ⅱ,p62,Beclin-1,phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase(p-JNK),and p-Bcl-2 were determined by Western blotting.Results Compared with control group,model control exhibited decreased cell survival(P＜0.01),increased α-Syn expression(P＜0.001),reduced expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin-1(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),elevated autophagy substrate protein p62(P＜0.05),and decreased expression of autophagy pathway-related proteins p-JNK and Bcl-2(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Compared with model group,PAE group showed increased cell survival(P＜0.01),decreased α-Syn and p62 protein expression(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),and increased expression of LC3-Ⅱ,Beclin-1,p-JNK and Bcl-2(P＜0.05).Compared with PAE group,3-MA+PAE group demonstrated increased α-Syn expression(P＜0.05).Conclusions PAE could attenuate the injury of SH-SY5Y cells induced by A53T-α-Syn and eliminate over-expressed α-Syn by activating autophagy pathway,which may be associated with the upregulation of JNK/Bcl-2 mediated autophagy pathway.

Objective:To study the effects of arsenic exposure on neurological function including voluntary motor ability, anxiety, and short-term memory ability of rats, as well as its impact on the expression levels of synaptic function related genes such as neuropeptide 1 (NLGN1), glutamate receptor 2A (NR2A), and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95).Methods:Forty 3-week-old male specific pathogen free (SPF) grade Wistar rats [weighing (453.97 ± 35.68) g] were selected and divided into four groups using a random number table: 0 (control group) and 2, 10, and 50 mg/L arsenic exposure groups, with 10 rats in each group. They were given deionized water and 2, 10, and 50 mg/L sodium arsenite solutions for 12 weeks, respectively. The open field experiment and Y-maze experiment were used to test the voluntary motor ability, anxiety, and short-term memory ability of rats. Nissl staining was used to observe the pathological damage of the hippocampus in the brain. Real time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of NLGN1, NR2A, and PSD95 in the hippocampus, respectively.Results:The results of the open field experiment revealed that the horizontal movement distances of rats in the 2 and 10 mg/L arsenic exposure groups were reduced compared to the control group, the movement distances in the central area in the 2, 10, and 50 mg/L arsenic exposure groups were reduced compared to the control group, and the residence time in the central area in the 10 and 50 mg/L arsenic exposure groups was reduced compared to the control group ( P < 0.05). The results of Y-maze experiment showed that the retention time of new arms in rats of the 2 and 10 mg/L arsenic exposure groups was shorter than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). The pathological examination results of Nissl staining showed that the control group had abundant Nissl bodies in hippocampal tissues of the cytoplasm with intact neuronal structures, tightly arranged cells, appearing blue purple in color and clear visible nuclei. However, the number of Nissl bodies decreased, intercellular gaps increased, disordered arrangement increased, cytoplasmic staining was lighter, and nuclear shrinkage phenomenon increased in the hippocampal tissues of rats in the 2, 10 and 50 mg/L arsenic exposure groups. The real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR detection results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the mRNA expression levels of NLGN1, NR2A, and PSD95 in the hippocampal tissues of the four groups ( F = 13.85, 44.94, 4.63, P < 0.05). The results of Western blot analysis showed that the protein expression levels of NLGN1 and NR2A in the hippocampal tissues of rats in the 10 and 50 mg/L arsenic exposure groups were lower than those in the control group (0.65 ± 0.07, 0.69 ± 0.03 vs 1.00 ± 0.04, 0.51 ± 0.11, 0.51 ± 0.13 vs 1.00 ± 0.07, P < 0.05), and the expression level of PSD95 in the hippocampal tissues of rats in the 50 mg/L arsenic exposure group was lower than that in the control group (0.51 ± 0.09 vs 1.00 ± 0.05, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Arsenic may affect synaptic function and cause neurological dysfunction in rats by adjusting the expression levels of NLGN1, NR2A, and PSD95.

Objective:To investigate serological characteristics of Rhnull with anti-Rh29 and its rare gene sequence.Methods:Microcolumn gel method was used for ABO and RhCcDEe blood typing,accidental antibody identification and cross matching.RHD/RHCE genotype and sequencing analysis were performed by PCR-SSP method.RHAG gene was sequenced by fluorescence PCR method.Antigen or protein associated with Rh complex was detected by flow cytometry.Results:Blood group of the patient was A,Rh pheno-type was typed as group C-c-D-E-e,presented with symptoms of anemia,proportion of globular and oral erythrocytes in blood smear was 6.0%and 0.8%,respectively,RH genotype was CCDee,and immune anti-Rh29 high-frequency antigen were developed.RHAG gene sequencing revealed exons 8,9 and 10 deletion.Conclusion:Mechanism of"regulator"type Rhnull generation in this study is caused by deletion of exons 8,9 and 10 in RHAG gene.