OBJECTIVE To explore the antidepressant mechanism of Wenyang jieyu granules （WYJYG） via the NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 （NLRP3）/apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC）/Caspase-1 pathway. METHODS A rat model of depression was established by chronic unpredictable mild stress combined with single-housing for 42 consecutive days.The experiment set up blank group， model group， MCC950 （NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor） group （10 mg/kg）， fluoxetine group （positive control，2.08 mg/kg），low-dose WYJYG（3.78 g/kg） and high-dose WYJYG group （7.56 g/kg），with 10 rats in each group. From the 22nd day of the experiment， rats in the fluoxetine group， low-dose and high-dose WYJYG groups were intragastrically administered with the corresponding drugs and intraperitoneally injected with an equal volume of normal saline. Rats in the MCC950 group were intraperitoneally injected with MCC950 at the corresponding concentration and intragastrically administered with an equal volume of distilled water. Rats in the blank group and model group were given an equal volume of distilled water by gavage and an equal volume of normal saline by intraperitoneal injection. All interventions were performed once a day for 21 consecutive days. Behavioral tests were conducted once a week. After the last administration， the contents of ASC， ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 （Iba1）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and IL-18 in hippocampal tissues were detected. The protein expressions of NLRP3， cluster of differentiation 68 （CD68）， Caspase-1， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein were determined， and neuronal apoptosis was observed. RESULTS After the last administration， compared with the model group， the open-field activity time was significantly prolonged （ P ＜0.05）， and the latency to feed in a novel environment was significantly shortened （ P ＜0.05） in rats of the high-dose WYJYG group. In hippocampal tissue， the contents of ASC， Iba1， IL-1β， and IL-18， as well as the protein expression levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， and CD68， and the positive rate of neuronal apoptosis were all significantly decreased/downregulated （ P ＜0.05）. Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly upregulated （ P ＜0.05）， and the density of neuronal apoptosis-positive cells was significantly reduced （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS WYJYG play on antidepressant role by inhibiting the NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 pathway， reducing microglia-mediated neuroinflammation， and inhibiting hippocampal neurons apoptosis.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have found that neuronal damage caused by continuous excessive fluoride exposure is related to Ca2+overload,but the mechanism of Ca2+flow conversion between intracellular calcium stores and cell apoptosis damage is still unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of fluoride exposure on Ca2+transport channel proteins and apoptosis levels in the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane of primary cultured neural cells.METHODS:Primary nerve cells of neonatal SD rats were cultured in vitro and identified by immunofluorescence staining with neuronal nucleus-specific antibody up to day 7.The nerve cells were divided into control group(containing 0 mmol/L sodium fluoride),low fluoride group(containing 0.5 mmol/L sodium fluoride),and high fluoride group(containing 1 mmol/L sodium fluoride).The cell morphological changes were observed by light microscope 24 hours after fluorine exposure.The expression levels of apoptosis-related protein BAX/BCL-2 and calcium transfer-related pathways VDAC1,GRP 75,and IP3R were detected using western blot assay.The expression levels of VDAC1,GRP 75,and IP3R mRNA were detected by RT-PCR.Ca2+levels were detected by Rhood-2AM Ca2+probe.Mitochondrial membrane potential detection kit was used to detect the change in mitochondrial membrane potential.The level of apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and TUNEL staining.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The purity of neurons cultured on day 7 had been determined to be over 90％,with few impurities,good growth status,and tight cell network connections,meeting the requirements of subsequent experiments.(2)Compared with the control group,growth of neural cell clusters in the low-fluoride group and the high-fluoride group increased;the processes were broken;the cell body was rounded,and the connection network between cells was destroyed.Compared with the low-fluoride group,the cell damage changes in the high-fluoride group were more obvious.(3)Compared with the control group,the protein expressions of VDAC1,GRP75,and IP3R were increased in the low-fluoride group and the high-fluoride group(P＜0.05),and the ratio of apoptosis-related protein BAX/BCL-2 was increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression of VDAC1 and GRP75 mRNA in the low-fluoride group was significantly increased(P＜0.05);the expression levels of VDAC1,GRP75,and IP3R mRNA in the high-fluoride group were significantly increased(P＜0.01).(4)The level of cell apoptosis increased significantly after fluoride exposure,and the high-fluoride group was significantly higher than the control and low-fluoride groups(P＜0.01).(5)After fluoride exposure,the concentration of mitochondrial Ca2+in nerve cells increased significantly(P＜0.05),the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased(P＜0.01),and the degree of damage in the high-fluoride group was more obvious(P＜0.05).The results show that fluoride exposure impairs the morphological structure of primary neural cells,resulting in upregulation of Ca2+transfer pathway protein expression between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria,mitochondrial Ca2+overload,mitochondrial damage,and increased levels of apoptosis.

Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is a common autoimmune disease characterised clinically by symmetrical joint pain， swelling， and stiffness. Long-term chronic synovial inflammation can lead to severe joint damage and even disability， thereby affecting quality of life for patients. Current clinical treatment of RA emphasises an integrated approach combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine， with traditional Chinese medicine offering certain advantages in reducing disease activity of RA， preventing relapses， and other aspects. Modern clinical evidence confirms that Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimutang （GSZT） is effective in improving symptoms such as immune metabolism， joint stiffness， and joint pain in RA patients. Pharmacological studies have revealed that GSZT primarily contains components such as cinnamaldehyde， total glucosides of paeony， total alkaloids of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata， glycyrrhetinic acid， zingiberone， isoimperatorin， ephedra polysaccharides， and cedrol. It improves RA symptoms via multiple mechanisms and targets， including enhancing immune responses， exerting anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects， regulating relevant signalling pathways， inhibiting cell apoptosis， and suppressing bone destruction. This paper reviewed the syndrome patterns and pharmacological basis of GSZT in the treatment of RA， as well as its clinical applications and related mechanisms， thereby providing a theoretical basis and reference for the further development and utilisation of GSZT in the treatment of RA.

Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is a common autoimmune disease characterised clinically by symmetrical joint pain， swelling， and stiffness. Long-term chronic synovial inflammation can lead to severe joint damage and even disability， thereby affecting quality of life for patients. Current clinical treatment of RA emphasises an integrated approach combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine， with traditional Chinese medicine offering certain advantages in reducing disease activity of RA， preventing relapses， and other aspects. Modern clinical evidence confirms that Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimutang （GSZT） is effective in improving symptoms such as immune metabolism， joint stiffness， and joint pain in RA patients. Pharmacological studies have revealed that GSZT primarily contains components such as cinnamaldehyde， total glucosides of paeony， total alkaloids of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata， glycyrrhetinic acid， zingiberone， isoimperatorin， ephedra polysaccharides， and cedrol. It improves RA symptoms via multiple mechanisms and targets， including enhancing immune responses， exerting anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects， regulating relevant signalling pathways， inhibiting cell apoptosis， and suppressing bone destruction. This paper reviewed the syndrome patterns and pharmacological basis of GSZT in the treatment of RA， as well as its clinical applications and related mechanisms， thereby providing a theoretical basis and reference for the further development and utilisation of GSZT in the treatment of RA.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and economic value of the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Dominant Diseases （abbreviated as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol） in adult patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on real-world clinical data. MethodsA retrospective real-world cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients hospitalized for non-severe CAP from September 1st， 2023 to December 31st， 2024 across 10 TCM hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were classified into an exposure group and a non-exposure group based on whether they received Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） according to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol. The non-exposure group received only conventional western medicine， while the exposure group additionally received differentiated CHM for at least five consecutive days. Outcomes were compared between two patient groups， including cough resolution rate， sputum resolution rate （assessed by volume， color， and consistency）， incidence of abnormal C-reactive protein （CRP）， incidence of abnormal white blood cell （WBC） count， and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing clinical efficacy. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age， gender， smoking status， history of hypertension， and pneumonia severity score （CURB-65）， and the efficacy of treatment for cough and sputum was analyzed within each subgroup. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using cough resolution rate as the outcome measure， evaluating the pharmacoeconomics of the two groups. ResultsA total of 1688 patients were included with 1293 in the exposure group and 395 in the non-exposure group. Compared to the non-exposure group， the exposure group demonstrated significantly higher resolution rates of cough， sputum volume， color， and consistency， as well as a significantly lower incidence of abnormal CRP （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of abnormal WBC count and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates （P＞0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the cough resolution rate in the exposure group was 1.83 times that of the non-exposure group， while the probabilities of resolution in sputum volume， color， and consistency were 1.37， 2.09， and 1.56 times those of the non-exposure group， respectively （P＜0.05）. Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure group achieved significantly higher cough resolution rates across most subgroups except for populations with a CURB-65 score ≥2 or those with a history of hypertension （P＜0.05）. Specifically， among females， patients aged ≥18 and ＜65 years， non-smokers， those without hypertension， and those with a CURB-65 score of 0， the exposure group showed a higher cough resolution rate than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. From an economic perspective， total hospitalization cost， length of stay， antibiotic cost， and CHM cost all differed significantly between groups （P＜0.05）. The cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） was 10,788.80 CNY/case in the exposure group， while 22,513.80 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. This implies that， compared with the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 17,302.27 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution. When the willingness-to-pay threshold ranged from 0 to 50,000 CNY， the probability of economic advantage was consistently higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine， the addition of CHM in accordance with the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol can effectively improve clinical symptoms， reduce inflammatory markers， promote clinical recovery， and is more cost-effective in treating adults with non-severe CAP.

ObjectiveTo observe the real‑world effectiveness and economic outcomes of Weishi Qingjin Formula （苇石清金方， WQF） in the treatment of adult community‑acquired pneumonia （CAP） with phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome. MethodsBased on a multicenter， real-world retrospective cohort study， clinical data were collected from hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with non‑severe CAP and phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome in 10 traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were divided into an exposure group （those who received oral WQF） and a non‑exposure group （those who did not）. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment， which were remission rates of clinical symptoms including cough， expectoration （sputum volume， color， consistency）， and chest pain， levels of inflammatory markers including C‑reactive protein （CRP） and white blood cell count （WBC）， and the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age， gender， smoking status， presence of hypertension， and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia （CURB‑65） score， comparing the two groups in terms of cough remission rate， chest pain remission rate， and chest CT absorption rate. For health economic evaluation， cost‑effectiveness analysis was used to calculate the cost‑effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 647 patients in the exposure group and 1491 patients in the non-exposure group were included in the final statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay， gender， marital status， smoking history， bronchoscopy history， and comorbidities between the groups （P＞0.05）， but age， CURB-65 score， and antibiotic use. The exposure group had significantly higher remission rates of cough and sputum consistency than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. After adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression， the cough remission rate in the exposure group was 1.49 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference was observed between groups in the reduction rates of CRP and WBC， and in the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT （P＞0.05）. Subgroup analyses revealed that the cough remission rate in the exposure group was significantly better than that in the non-exposure group except for patients aged ≥65 years， smokers， hypertensive patients， those using other type antibiotics or not using antibiotics， and those with a CURB-65 score ≥1 （P＜0.05）. Among smokers， the chest pain remission rate in the exposure group was 4.38 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference in chest CT absorption rate was found between groups across subgroups of gender， age， hypertension status， or antibiotic type （P＞0.05）. In terms of economic evaluation， CER was 10,877.60 CNY/case in the exposure group and 16,773.10 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. Compared to the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 15,034.26 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution， indicating a more favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded results consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis， confirming the robustness of the findings. ConclusionWQF demonstrates significant efficacy in improving cough symptoms in the treatment of adult CAP with phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome， and also exhibits favorable economic benefits.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and economic value of the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Dominant Diseases （abbreviated as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol） in adult patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on real-world clinical data. MethodsA retrospective real-world cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients hospitalized for non-severe CAP from September 1st， 2023 to December 31st， 2024 across 10 TCM hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were classified into an exposure group and a non-exposure group based on whether they received Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） according to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol. The non-exposure group received only conventional western medicine， while the exposure group additionally received differentiated CHM for at least five consecutive days. Outcomes were compared between two patient groups， including cough resolution rate， sputum resolution rate （assessed by volume， color， and consistency）， incidence of abnormal C-reactive protein （CRP）， incidence of abnormal white blood cell （WBC） count， and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing clinical efficacy. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age， gender， smoking status， history of hypertension， and pneumonia severity score （CURB-65）， and the efficacy of treatment for cough and sputum was analyzed within each subgroup. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using cough resolution rate as the outcome measure， evaluating the pharmacoeconomics of the two groups. ResultsA total of 1688 patients were included with 1293 in the exposure group and 395 in the non-exposure group. Compared to the non-exposure group， the exposure group demonstrated significantly higher resolution rates of cough， sputum volume， color， and consistency， as well as a significantly lower incidence of abnormal CRP （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of abnormal WBC count and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates （P＞0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the cough resolution rate in the exposure group was 1.83 times that of the non-exposure group， while the probabilities of resolution in sputum volume， color， and consistency were 1.37， 2.09， and 1.56 times those of the non-exposure group， respectively （P＜0.05）. Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure group achieved significantly higher cough resolution rates across most subgroups except for populations with a CURB-65 score ≥2 or those with a history of hypertension （P＜0.05）. Specifically， among females， patients aged ≥18 and ＜65 years， non-smokers， those without hypertension， and those with a CURB-65 score of 0， the exposure group showed a higher cough resolution rate than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. From an economic perspective， total hospitalization cost， length of stay， antibiotic cost， and CHM cost all differed significantly between groups （P＜0.05）. The cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） was 10,788.80 CNY/case in the exposure group， while 22,513.80 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. This implies that， compared with the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 17,302.27 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution. When the willingness-to-pay threshold ranged from 0 to 50,000 CNY， the probability of economic advantage was consistently higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine， the addition of CHM in accordance with the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol can effectively improve clinical symptoms， reduce inflammatory markers， promote clinical recovery， and is more cost-effective in treating adults with non-severe CAP.

ObjectiveTo observe the real‑world effectiveness and economic outcomes of Weishi Qingjin Formula （苇石清金方， WQF） in the treatment of adult community‑acquired pneumonia （CAP） with phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome. MethodsBased on a multicenter， real-world retrospective cohort study， clinical data were collected from hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with non‑severe CAP and phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome in 10 traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were divided into an exposure group （those who received oral WQF） and a non‑exposure group （those who did not）. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment， which were remission rates of clinical symptoms including cough， expectoration （sputum volume， color， consistency）， and chest pain， levels of inflammatory markers including C‑reactive protein （CRP） and white blood cell count （WBC）， and the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age， gender， smoking status， presence of hypertension， and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia （CURB‑65） score， comparing the two groups in terms of cough remission rate， chest pain remission rate， and chest CT absorption rate. For health economic evaluation， cost‑effectiveness analysis was used to calculate the cost‑effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 647 patients in the exposure group and 1491 patients in the non-exposure group were included in the final statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay， gender， marital status， smoking history， bronchoscopy history， and comorbidities between the groups （P＞0.05）， but age， CURB-65 score， and antibiotic use. The exposure group had significantly higher remission rates of cough and sputum consistency than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. After adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression， the cough remission rate in the exposure group was 1.49 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference was observed between groups in the reduction rates of CRP and WBC， and in the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT （P＞0.05）. Subgroup analyses revealed that the cough remission rate in the exposure group was significantly better than that in the non-exposure group except for patients aged ≥65 years， smokers， hypertensive patients， those using other type antibiotics or not using antibiotics， and those with a CURB-65 score ≥1 （P＜0.05）. Among smokers， the chest pain remission rate in the exposure group was 4.38 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference in chest CT absorption rate was found between groups across subgroups of gender， age， hypertension status， or antibiotic type （P＞0.05）. In terms of economic evaluation， CER was 10,877.60 CNY/case in the exposure group and 16,773.10 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. Compared to the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 15,034.26 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution， indicating a more favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded results consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis， confirming the robustness of the findings. ConclusionWQF demonstrates significant efficacy in improving cough symptoms in the treatment of adult CAP with phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome， and also exhibits favorable economic benefits.

Atherosclerosis （AS） is the main pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases and seriously threatens human quality of life. Its prevention and treatment urgently need breakthroughs. The inflammatory response， which runs through the physiological and pathological evolution process of AS， is one of the important mechanisms for AS occurrence. Currently， the treatment methods for AS in Western medicine are relatively mature. However， they have adverse reactions such as abnormal liver and kidney function， drug tolerance， target vessel restenosis， and stent thrombosis， which remain the key bottleneck restricting clinical efficacy. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， characterized by multiple components， multiple targets， and multi-pathway synergy， shows unique clinical application potential and efficacy advantages in the intervention of AS. This article reviewed the research progress of TCM in intervening in AS by regulating inflammatory-related signaling pathways， such as nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Toll-like receptors （TLRs）， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription （JAK/STAT）， in the past five years. It summarized the combined mechanism of action of TCM monomers， TCM pairs， and compound preparations in inhibiting the inflammatory cascade reaction through multiple targets， regulating lipid metabolism disorders， and improving vascular endothelial dysfunction and the imbalance of the microenvironment. It deepened the research on the molecular mechanism of TCM in anti-AS， so as to provide a scientific basis for the clinical transformation application and related theoretical research of TCM in anti-AS.

Atherosclerosis （AS） is the main pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases and seriously threatens human quality of life. Its prevention and treatment urgently need breakthroughs. The inflammatory response， which runs through the physiological and pathological evolution process of AS， is one of the important mechanisms for AS occurrence. Currently， the treatment methods for AS in Western medicine are relatively mature. However， they have adverse reactions such as abnormal liver and kidney function， drug tolerance， target vessel restenosis， and stent thrombosis， which remain the key bottleneck restricting clinical efficacy. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， characterized by multiple components， multiple targets， and multi-pathway synergy， shows unique clinical application potential and efficacy advantages in the intervention of AS. This article reviewed the research progress of TCM in intervening in AS by regulating inflammatory-related signaling pathways， such as nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Toll-like receptors （TLRs）， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription （JAK/STAT）， in the past five years. It summarized the combined mechanism of action of TCM monomers， TCM pairs， and compound preparations in inhibiting the inflammatory cascade reaction through multiple targets， regulating lipid metabolism disorders， and improving vascular endothelial dysfunction and the imbalance of the microenvironment. It deepened the research on the molecular mechanism of TCM in anti-AS， so as to provide a scientific basis for the clinical transformation application and related theoretical research of TCM in anti-AS.