Objective: To investigate the objective characteristics of tongue manifestation in different stages of damp-heat syndrome in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolled 134 patients with DKD G3-5 stages who met the diagnostic criteria for damp-heat syndrome in DKD. The patients were treated at Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, from May 2023 to January 2024. The patients were divided into three groups: DKD G3, DKD G4, and DKD G5 stage, with 53, 33, and 48 patients in each group, respectively. Clinical general data (gender, age, and body mass index) and damp-heat syndrome scores were collected from the patients. The YZAI-02 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) AI Tongue Image Acquisition Device was used to capture tongue images from these patients. The accompanying AI Open Platform for TCM Tongue Diagnosis of the device was used to analyze and extract tongue manifestation features, including objective data on tongue color, tongue quality, coating color, and coating texture. Clinical data and objective tongue manifestation characteristics were compared among patients with DKD G3-5 based on their DKD damp-heat syndrome status. Results: No statistically significant difference in gender or body mass index was observed among the three patient groups. The DKD G3 stage group had the highest age (P<0.05). The DKD G3 stage group had a lower score for symptoms of poor appetite and anorexia(P<0.05) than the DKD G5 group. No statistically significant difference was observed in damp-heat syndrome scores among the three groups. Compared with the DKD G5 stage group, the DKD G3 stage group showed a decreased proportion of pale color at the tip and edges of the tongue (P<0.05). The DKD G4 stage group exhibited an increased proportion of crimson at the root of the tongue, a decreased proportion of thick white tongue coating at the root, a decreased proportion of pale color at the tip and edges of the tongue, an increased hue value (indicating color tone) of the tongue color in the middle, an increased brightness value (indicating color lightness) of the tongue coating color in the middle, and an increased thickness of the tongue coating (P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in other tongue color proportions, color chroma values, body characteristics, coating color proportions, coating color chroma values, and coating texture characteristics among the three groups. Conclusion Tongue features differ in different stages of DKD damp-heat syndrome in multiple dimensions, enabling the inference that during the DKD G5 stage, the degree of qi and blood deficiency in the kidneys, heart, lungs, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and stomach is prominent. Dampness is more likely to accumulate in the lower jiao, particularly in the kidneys, whereas heat evil in the spleen and stomach is the most severe. These insights provide novel ideas for the clinical treatment of DKD.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of Maxing Loushi decoction in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （AECOPD） with phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome， and to investigate its effects on inflammatory factors， immune function， and the programmed death-1（PD-1）/programmed death-ligand 1 （PD-L1） signaling pathway. MethodsA randomized controlled study was conducted， enrolling 90 hospitalized patients with AECOPD and phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome in the Respiratory and Emergency Departments of Dongzhimen Hospital， Beijing University of Chinese Medicine， from April 2024 to December 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to a control group and an observation group using a random number table， with 45 patients in each group. The control group received conventional Western medical treatment， while the observation group received additional Maxing Loushi decoction for 14 days. Clinical efficacy， COPD Assessment Test （CAT） score， modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale （mMRC）， 6-minute walk test （6MWT）， serum inflammatory factors， T lymphocyte subsets， and serum PD-1/PD-L1 levels were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. ResultsThe total clinical effective rate was 78.57% （33/42） in the control group and 95.35% （41/43） in the observation group， with the observation group showing significantly higher efficacy than that of the control group. The difference was statistically significant （χ² = 5.136， P<0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in CAT and mMRC scores （P<0.05， P<0.01） and significant increases in 6MWT compared to baseline （P<0.01）. The observation group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the control group in this regard. Levels of inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein （CRP）， procalcitonin （PCT）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， monocyte chemoattractant protein-1（MCP-1）， and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α （MIP-1α） were significantly reduced in both groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with greater reductions in the observation group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. CD8⁺ levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， while CD3⁺， CD4⁺， and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ levels were significantly increased in both groups after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with more significant improvements observed in the observation group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum PD-1 levels were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and PD-L1 levels were increased significantly in both groups after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with more pronounced changes in the observation group （P<0.05）. ConclusionMaxing Loushi decoction demonstrates definite therapeutic efficacy as an adjunctive treatment for patients with AECOPD and phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome. It contributes to reducing serum inflammatory factors， improving immune function， and regulating the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of Maxing Loushi decoction in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （AECOPD） with phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome， and to investigate its effects on inflammatory factors， immune function， and the programmed death-1（PD-1）/programmed death-ligand 1 （PD-L1） signaling pathway. MethodsA randomized controlled study was conducted， enrolling 90 hospitalized patients with AECOPD and phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome in the Respiratory and Emergency Departments of Dongzhimen Hospital， Beijing University of Chinese Medicine， from April 2024 to December 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to a control group and an observation group using a random number table， with 45 patients in each group. The control group received conventional Western medical treatment， while the observation group received additional Maxing Loushi decoction for 14 days. Clinical efficacy， COPD Assessment Test （CAT） score， modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale （mMRC）， 6-minute walk test （6MWT）， serum inflammatory factors， T lymphocyte subsets， and serum PD-1/PD-L1 levels were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. ResultsThe total clinical effective rate was 78.57% （33/42） in the control group and 95.35% （41/43） in the observation group， with the observation group showing significantly higher efficacy than that of the control group. The difference was statistically significant （χ² = 5.136， P<0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in CAT and mMRC scores （P<0.05， P<0.01） and significant increases in 6MWT compared to baseline （P<0.01）. The observation group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the control group in this regard. Levels of inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein （CRP）， procalcitonin （PCT）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， monocyte chemoattractant protein-1（MCP-1）， and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α （MIP-1α） were significantly reduced in both groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with greater reductions in the observation group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. CD8⁺ levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， while CD3⁺， CD4⁺， and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ levels were significantly increased in both groups after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with more significant improvements observed in the observation group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum PD-1 levels were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and PD-L1 levels were increased significantly in both groups after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with more pronounced changes in the observation group （P<0.05）. ConclusionMaxing Loushi decoction demonstrates definite therapeutic efficacy as an adjunctive treatment for patients with AECOPD and phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome. It contributes to reducing serum inflammatory factors， improving immune function， and regulating the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway.

This paper summarized the key points and methods in terms of the establishment of the guideline working group and the management of conflict of interests， trying to provide reference for the development of clinical practice guidelines for Chinese patent medicine （CPM）. The establishment of the working group is the first important step for developing CPM guidelines. Considering the characteristics of the clinical practice guidelines for CPM， this study suggests that the three key elements of ‘multidisciplinarity’， ‘clinical relevance’ and ‘geographical representativeness’ should be put focus on when forming the working group. The guideline advisory committee， clinical expert group， evidence systematic evaluation group， secretary group and the external review group should be established. All group members should clarify the conflict of interest， and the process and management method of the conflict of interest should be clearly reported.

Recommendations for Chinese patent medicine （CPM） based on key information on rational drug use are one of the important conditions for enhancing guideline enforceability as well as facilitating guideline implementation. In this study， we discussed in detail of the key information on the rational use of CPM in five aspects， which are dosage， drug discontinuation， drug-drug and drug-food interactions， safety and economy. Following the process of multi-source search， synthesis and prioritization， it is suggested to collect key information on the rational use of CPM from a multi-source search of drug instructions， policy documents， literature， and clinical experts' experiences. Then the searched information should be summarized and prioritized with the principle that taking drug instructions as the basis and other-sources information for check and supplementation. Finally， methodological recommendations for the retrieval and synthesis of key information on rational drug use in guideline recommendations has been formed.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of brexpiprazole in treating acute schizophrenia.Methods Patients with schizophrenia were randomly divided into treatment group and control group.The treatment group was given brexpiprozole 2-4 mg·d-1 orally and the control group was given aripiprazole 10-20 mg·d-1orally,both were treated for 6 weeks.Clinical efficacy of the two groups,the response rate at endpoint,the changes from baseline to endpoint of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS),Clinical Global Impression-Improvement(CGI-S),Personal and Social Performance scale(PSP),PANSS Positive syndrome subscale,PANSS negative syndrome subscale were compared.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events in two groups were compared.Results There were 184 patients in treatment group and 186 patients in control group.After treatment,the response rates of treatment group and control group were 79.50％(140 cases/184 cases)and 82.40％(150 cases/186 cases),the scores of CGI-I of treatment group and control group were(2.00±1.20)and(1.90±1.01),with no significant difference(all P＞0.05).From baseline to Week 6,the mean change of PANSS total score wese(-30.70±16.96)points in treatment group and(-32.20±17.00)points in control group,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).The changes of CGI-S scores in treatment group and control group were(-2.00±1.27)and(-1.90±1.22)points,PSP scores were(18.80±14.77)and(19.20±14.55)points,PANSS positive syndrome scores were(-10.30±5.93)and(-10.80±5.81)points,PANSS negative syndrome scores were(-6.80±5.98)and(-7.30±5.15)points,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of treatment-related adverse events between the two group(69.00％vs.64.50％,P＞0.05).Conclusion The non-inferiority of Brexpiprazole to aripiprazole was established,with comparable efficacy and acceptability.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of miR-135a/MYC-mediated resistance to venaclar treatment in myelodysplastic syndromes(MDS)with acute myeloid leukaemia(AML).Methods Eighty-six cases of patients were selected,including 23 healthy donors(control group),47 MDS patients with vinecella resistance(MDS group),and 16 AML patients with vinecella resistance transformed from myelodysplastic syndrome(AML group).The expression levels of miR-135a and MYC in the tissues of the three groups were detected.THP1 cells were divided into miR-NC group(transfected with nonsense sequence)and miR-135a minics group(transfected with miR-135a minics),and the cells were treated with venaclar concentration of 0,0.01,1,and 100 μmol·L-1 for 24 hours,and then detected the cell viability and apoptosis rate in each group.Results The expression of MYC mRNA were 1.00±0.14,0.21±0.04,and 0.25±0.08 in patients of the NC,MDS,and AML groups,respectively;the protein expression of MYC were 1.00±0.15,1.31±0.12 and 1.49±0.16,respectively(P＜0.05).At the cellular level,miR-135a expression were 1.00±0.11,1.31±0.15 and 1.93±0.23 in the BMSCs,MUTZ-1 and THP1 groups;MYC protein expression were 1.00±0.15,1.57±0.22 and 1.97±0.31,the differences were significant(P＜0.05).The methods showed the cell viability of miR-NC group were(100.00±13.26)％,(92.33±10.28)％,(85.41±11.37)％and(28.24±6.02)％at 0,0.01,1,100 μmol·L-1venaclar drug concentration,respectively;cell viability of miR-135a mimics group were(105.12±12.35)％,(82.11±12.07)％,(46.13±8.06)％and(18.20±5.03)％,respectively,there was statistical difference between the two groups only in the 1 μmol·L-1 venaclar drug concentration(P＜0.05).The methods showed that the apoptosis rates in miR-NC group at 0,0.01,1,100 μmol·L-1 venaclar drug concentration were(100.00±11.45)％,(92.48±12.04)％,(108.72±9.63)％and(207.15±21.49)％,the apoptosis rates in miR-135a mimics group were(106.34±16.21)％,(117.26±10.13)％,(269.41±23.59)％and(184.33±19.28)％,respectively;there was statistical difference between the two groups only in 1 μmol·L-1 venaclar drug concentration(P＜0.05).Conclusion The results of this study reveal that miR-135a/MYC mediates the mechanism of resistance to venaclar in the treatment of MDS and AML.

Acute liver injury (ALI) is one of the common severe diseases in clinic, which is characterized by redox imbalance and inflammatory storm. Untimely treatment can easily lead to liver failure and even death. Rosmarinic acid (RA) has been proved to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, but it is not clear how to protect ALI through antioxidation and inhibition of inflammation. Therefore, this study explored the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of RA on ALI through in vitro and in vivo experiments. In the mouse ALI model, the effects of RA on liver function and inflammatory indexes were studied, the pathological changes of liver were observed by HE, the effect of RA on reactive oxygen species in liver was detected by fluorescence method, and the level of F4/80 in liver tissue was detected by immunohistochemical method. The levels of thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1 (CASPASE-1) in liver tissue were measured by Western blot. All animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the rules of the Animal Ethics Committee of Southwest Minzu University. In vitro, human hepatoma cell line HepG2 was used to establish the model of oxidative damage induced by H₂O₂. The cell viability was detected by CCK-8 method. The level of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the supernatant was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the activity of lactatede hydrogenase (LDH) was detected by LDH kit, and the level of ROS was detected by fluorescence probe DCFH-DA labeling. The mRNA expression of Txnip, Nlrp3, Caspase 1, Il1β was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR), and the protein levels of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (NRF2), TXNIP, NLRP3 and CASPASE-1 were measured by Western blot. The results showed that compared with the model group, the degree of liver swelling, tissue injury, liver function index in RA group were significantly lower than those in model group. And RA significantly attenuated the increases of ROS in liver tissue. The expression levels of TXNIP, NLRP3 and CASPASE-1 in liver tissue were significantly lower than those in model group. Additionally, RA inhibited the expressions of F4/80 and IL-1β. In vitro experiment, compared with model group, RA effectively inhibited the secretion of IL-1β and LDH. The level of ROS also decreased significantly. RA inhibited the mRNA expressions of Txnip, Caspase 1, Il1β. Furthermore, RA significantly increased the expression level of NRF2 protein in nucleus, and decreased the expression level of TXNIP and NLRP3 protein. Specifically, with the addition of ML385, the effect of RA on NRF2, TXNIP, NLRP3, CASPASE-1 protein expression was reversed. Collectively, these findings suggested that RA may inhibit the production of ROS by promoting NRF2 nuclear transfer, and then reduce the activation of NLRP3 inflammatory bodies by TXNIP, reduce cell death and inflammatory response to prevent the liver injury.

Analyze the changes in phenolic components and gene expression profiles of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum leaves with supplemental blue light, and screen differentially expressed genes related to phenolic metabolism, providing a basis for improving the quality of T. hemsleyanum leaves. Using the leaves of T. hemsleyanum under supplemental blue light and visible light as research materials, the content of phenolic components such as neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, and 3-O-coumaroyl quinic acid was significantly increased by supplemental blue light. A total of 102 949 unigenes were obtained from the transcriptome, including 14 564 differentially expressed unigenes. They can be divided into 52 subclasses by gene ontology (GO) function, kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis showed that these differentially expressed unigenes were significantly enriched in phenolic metabolic pathways such as phenylpropane biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis and isoflavone biosynthesis. A total of 63 differentially expressed unigenes were identified in the pathways related to the biosynthesis of phenolic cpmponents, including 19 key enzymes such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), flavonol synthase (FLS), and so on. This study greatly enriched the genetic data information of T. hemsleyanum and laid a foundation for analyzing the mechanism of blue light promoting the biosynthesis of phenols and molecular breeding of T. hemsleyanum.

The adulteration and counterfeiting of herbal ingredients in medicinal and food homology (MFH) have a serious impact on the quality of herbal materials, thereby endangering human health. Compared to pharmaceutical drugs, health products derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are more easily accessible and closely integrated into consumers' daily life. However, the authentication of the authenticity of TCM ingredients in MFH has not received sufficient attention. The lack of clear standards emphasizes the necessity of conducting systematic research in this area. This study utilized DNA barcoding technology, combining ITS2, psbA-trnH, matK as universal barcode sequences, and DX, HH, JYH as specific barcode sequences, to identify the authenticity of commercial medicinal and food homology scented herbal teas. The aim was to investigate the authenticity of scented herbal tea products circulating in the market. The research results revealed that among 180 scented herbal tea samples, DNA barcodes were successfully obtained from 164 samples, while the remaining samples either lacked the target components or suffered severe DNA degradation, resulting in failed amplification. Combined with morphological identification studies, it was found that out of the 180 samples, 141 were authentic, accounting for 78.33% of the total samples, while 31 samples showed adulteration and 8 samples lacked the target components, accounting for 21.67% of the total samples. Additionally, water testing revealed that 5 samples of Carthamus tinctorius herbal tea exhibited the phenomenon of weight adulteration. This study exposed the presence of adulteration and weight adulteration in scented herbal tea products, highlighting the need for regulatory authorities to expedite the establishment of quality standards in scented herbal tea industry. These findings provide valuable insights for the rapid development of the scented herbal tea industry.