Chronic heart failure （CHF） is a complex clinical syndrome caused by ventricular dysfunction， with mitochondrial energy metabolism disorder being a critical factor in disease progression. Heart-Yang deficiency syndrome， as the core pathogenesis of CHF， persists throughout the disease course. Insufficiency of heart-Yang leads to weakened warming and propelling functions， resulting in the accumulation of phlegm-fluid， blood stasis， and dampness. This eventually causes Qi stagnation with phlegm obstruction and blood stasis with water retention， forming a vicious cycle that exacerbates disease progression. According to the theory of reinforcing Yang， the clinical experience of the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） master Tang Zuxuan in treating CHF with heart-Yang deficiency syndrome， and achievements from molecular biological studies， this study innovatively proposes an integrated research framework of "TCM syndrome differentiation and staging-mitochondrial metabolism mechanisms-intervention with Yang-reinforcing prescriptions" which is characterized by the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Heart-Yang deficiency syndrome is classified into mild （Stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ）， severe （Stage Ⅲ）， and critical （Stage Ⅳ） stages. The study elucidates the precise correlations between the pathogenesis of each stage and mitochondrial metabolism disorders from theoretical， pathophysiological， and therapeutic perspectives. The mild stage is characterized by impaired biogenesis and substrate-utilization imbalance， corresponding to heart-Yang deficiency and phlegm-fluid aggregation. Linggui Zhugantang and similar prescriptions can significantly improve the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator-1α（PGC-1α）/silent information regulator 2 homolog 1 （SIRT1） and ATPase activity. The severe stage centers on oxidative stress and structural damage， reflecting Yang deficiency with water overflow and phlegm-blood stasis intermingling. At this stage， Zhenwu Tang and Qiangxin Tang can effectively mitigate oxidative stress damage， increase adenosine triphosphate （ATP） content， and repair mitochondrial structure. The critical stage arises from calcium overload and mitochondrial disintegration， leading to the collapse of Yin-Yang equilibrium. At this stage， Yang-restoring and crisis-resolving prescriptions such as Fuling Sini Tang and Qili Qiangxin capsules can inhibit abnormal opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore （MPTP）， reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate， and protect mitochondrial function. By summarizing the characteristics of mitochondrial energy metabolism disorders at different stages of CHF， this study explores the application of the theory of reinforcing Yang in treating heart-Yang deficiency syndrome and provides new insights for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of CHF.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the therapeutic effect of Huazhuo SanJie Chubi presciption （HSCD） on chronic gouty arthritis （CGA） rats with low-grade inflammation and to explore the underlying mechanism with a focus on macrophage polarization. MethodsThe 41 male 6-week-old SD rats were randomly allocated， using the random number table， to a normal group （n=8） and a model group （n =33）. CGA with low-grade inflammation was induced in the model group by daily gavage of potassium oxonate （250 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） and hypoxanthine （300 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， combined with intra-articular injection of a monosodium urate （MSU） crystal suspension （50 μL， 25 g·L^-¹） into the left ankle twice weekly. After 4 weeks of modeling， 3 rats were randomly selected from each group for model validation. The remaining successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， an HSCD group （10.35 g·kg^-1·d^-1， gavage once daily）， an M1 polarization agonist group （L-methionine sulfoximine， 300 mg·kg^-1， subcutaneous injection every other day）， an M1 polarization agonist + HSCD group， an M2 polarization inhibitor group （PD0325901， 10 mg·kg^-1·d^-1， gavage once daily）， and M2 polarization inhibitor + HSCD group. The corresponding drug or drug combination was administered according to group assignment， whereas rats in the normal and model groups received 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose sodium （CMC-Na） vehicle （10.35 g·kg^-1·d^-1， gavage once daily）. All interventions were continued for four weeks. During the intervention period， except for the normal group， potassium oxonate （250 mg·kg⁻¹） and hypoxanthine （300 mg·kg^-1） were co-administered by gavage every other day to maintain the model. At the end of treatment， serum uric acid （SUA）， ankle joint diameter and joint swelling index were measured. The levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 （CCL2）， S100 calcium-binding protein A8/A9 （S100A8/A9）， interleukin-10 （IL-10） and arginase-1 （Arg-1） in serum and joint fluid were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. High-frequency ultrasound was used to assess MSU deposition in the ankle joint. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to evaluate synovial histopathological changes. Quantitative Real-time PCR and immunofluorescence were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of the M1 macrophage polarization markers inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） and the M2 macrophage polarization marker scavenger receptor cysteine-rich type 1 protein M130 （CD163） in synovial tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly elevated SUA level and joint swelling index， and increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines， CCL2， and S100A8/A9 in both serum and joint fluid （P<0.05）， accompanied by MSU deposition and synovial inflammation in the ankle joint. The mRNA and protein expression levels of macrophage polarization M1/M2 markers iNOS and CD163 in synovial tissues were also significantly up-regulated （P<0.05）. Compared with model group， rats in HSCD group had significantly lower SUA levels， attenuated joint swelling， reduced serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines， and decreased levels of CCL2 and S100A8/A9 in both serum and joint fluid， accompanied with alleviated MSU deposition and synovial inflammation （P<0.05）. HSCD markedly downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of M1 marker iNOS （P<0.05）， whereas it had no significant effect on the expression of M2 marker CD163. Compared with the M1 polarization agonist group， the M1 polarization agonist + HSCD group showed significantly reduced joint swelling， lower serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines， and decreased levels of CCL2 and S100A8/A9 in joint fluid （P<0.05）. In addition， synovial inflammatory cell infiltration and angiogenesis were attenuated， and iNOS mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Compared with the M2 polarization inhibitor group， the M2 polarization inhibitor + HSCD group exhibited reduced joint swelling， decreased levels of CCL2 and S100A8/A9 in joint fluid and ameliorated synovial inflammation （P<0.05）， whereas the levels of anti-inflammatory mediators （IL-10， Arg-1） and CD163 mRNA and protein expression were not significantly increased. ConclusionHSCD alleviates low-grade inflammation in CGA rats， at least in part， by inhibiting macrophage polarization toward the M1 phenotype.

Background: and Purpose Live cell-based assays (LCBA) are increasingly used for serological antibody detection due to their ability to preserve antigen conformation, offering moderately higher sensitivity than fixed cell-based assays. However, the clinical necessity of prioritizing LCBA for the detection of aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG) in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) remains unclear, especially when compared to its established role in diagnosing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease. Methods: We compared the performance of live cell-based assays using immunofluorescence (LCBA-IF) and fixed cell-based assays using immunofluorescence (FCBA-IF) in detecting AQP4-IgG in 90 cases of NMOSD meeting 2015 International Panel for Neuromyelitis Optica Diagnosis criteria, alongside 40 controls. Additionally, we further investigated the relationship between AQP4-IgG titers as measured by LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF and clinical parameters in NMOSD patients. Results: Results showed 96.9% agreement between LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF (Cohen’s κ=0.935), with a strong Spearman correlation (0.977, p<0.001). Both methods demonstrated 100% specificity, with LCBA-IF showing slightly higher sensitivity compared to FCBA-IF. Within LCBAIF-tested groups, statistically significant differences in annualized relapse rates were observed across all pairwise comparisons (low-titer vs. moderate-titer, low-titer vs. high-titer, and moderate-titer vs. high-titer; all p<0.050). However, this association reached statistical significance in some FCBA-IF-tested groups. Conclusions Overall, there is a strong concordance between LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF in detecting AQP4-IgG, where LCBA-IF shows slightly higher sensitivity. Furthermore, there is a potential link between elevated AQP4-IgG titers and an increased risk of relapse, and this correlation may appear more pronounced when using LCBA-IF.

Background/Aims: Early detection and effective prognosis prediction in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) provide an avenue for survival improvement, yet more effective approaches are greatly needed. We sought to develop the detection and prognosis models with ultra-sensitivity and low cost based on fragmentomic features of circulating cell free mtDNA (ccf-mtDNA). Methods: Capture-based mtDNA sequencing was carried out in plasma cell-free DNA samples from 1168 participants, including 571 patients with HCC, 301 patients with chronic hepatitis B or liver cirrhosis (CHB/LC) and 296 healthy controls (HC). Results: The systematic analysis revealed significantly aberrant fragmentomic features of ccf-mtDNA in HCC group when compared with CHB/LC and HC groups. Moreover, we constructed a random forest algorithm-based HCC detection model by utilizing ccf-mtDNA fragmentomic features. Both internal and two external validation cohorts demonstrated the excellent capacity of our model in distinguishing early HCC patients from HC and highrisk population with CHB/LC, with AUC exceeding 0.983 and 0.981, sensitivity over 89.6% and 89.61%, and specificity over 98.20% and 95.00%, respectively, greatly surpassing the performance of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and mtDNA copy number. We also developed an HCC prognosis prediction model by LASSO-Cox regression to select 20 fragmentomic features, which exhibited exceptional ability in predicting 1-year, 2-year and 3-year survival (AUC=0.8333, 0.8145 and 0.7958 for validation cohort, respectively). Conclusions We have developed and validated a high-performing and low-cost approach in a large clinical cohort based on aberrant ccf-mtDNA fragmentomic features with promising clinical translational application for the early detection and prognosis prediction of HCC patients.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of liver injury in the Lieber-DeCarli alcoholic liver disease(ALD)mouse model and to analyze its transcriptomic profile.Methods Eighteen male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into an alcohol-fed group(n = 10)and a control group(n = 8).The alcohol-fed group received a Lieber-DeCarli ethanol diet,starting with an adaptive one-week phase using incremental concentrations of ethanol(10～57.3 mL/L),followed by 2 weeks of a 57.3 mL/L concentration of 95％ethanol,for a total of 3 weeks.The control group was provided with an isocaloric control diet for 3 weeks.At the end of the study,mice were sacrificed,and serum and liver tissue samples were collected.Serum liver function markers(ALT,AST),hepatic lipids(TC,TG),reduced glutathione(GSH),total superoxide dismutase(T-SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA)were measured using biochemical assays.The levels of inflammatory cytokines(IL-6,IL-10,TNF-α,TGF-β1)in liver tissue were assessed by ELISA.Histopathological changes in liver tissue were examined using hematoxylin-eosin(HE)and Oil Red O staining.Immunohistochemical staining using the F4/80 antibody was employed to assess changes in macrophage expression.RNA-seq analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes between the two groups of liver tissues,followed by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.qRT-PCR was used to validate the expression of these differentially expressed genes.Results Compared with the control group,the alcohol-fed mice exhibited a significant decrease in body weight(P<0.01).Serum ALT and AST levels were significantly elevated(P<0.01),while liver tissue levels of TC,TG,and MDA were significantly increased(P<0.05).Conversely,GSH and T-SOD levels were significantly reduced(P<0.05).The levels of inflammatory factors IL-6,TNF-α,and TGF-β1 were increased,which was consistent with the qRT-PCR validation results(P<0.05).Histological examination revealed disrupted hepatic lobular structure,with macrovesicular steatosis,microvesicular steatosis,and ballooning degeneration.Additionally,fat droplets in liver tissue were significantly increased,and macrophage expression was upregulated.Differential gene expression analysis,using a threshold of|log2 FC|>1 and q<0.05,identified 2063 differentially expressed genes,of which 1236 were upregulated and 827 downregulated.Enriched pathways included xenobiotic metabolism via cytochrome P450,cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction,chemokine signaling,steroid hormone biosynthesis,glutathione metabolism,and retinol metabolism.(P<0.05).qRT-PCR validation confirmed the significant upregulation(e.g.,Mmp12,Gstm3,Cyp2a22)and downregulation(e.g.,Serpina1e,Acmsd,Mup3d)of 10 genes from each category,consistent with the transcriptome sequencing results.Conclusions The primary pathological mechanisms underlying alcoholic liver injury involve pathways related to xenobiotic metabolism and act via cytochrome P450,cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction,chemokine signaling,glutathione metabolism,and retinol metabolism.

AIM:To investigate the effects of the Qingfei-Jiedu-Huatan formula(QJHF)on damage to the lung vascular endothelial barrier induced by Klebsiella pneumoniae in mice with severe pneumonia,as well as to elucidate its underlying mechanisms.METHODS:Fifty-one C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group(n=6),model group(n=15),QJHF group(n=15),and ceftriaxone sodium(CRO)group(n=15).Severe pneumonia was in-duced in the mice by a single tracheal intubation with 50 μL of 1×1011 CFU/mL Klebsiella pneumoniae on day 0.Six hours after modeling,the mice in QJHF and CRO groups received their respective treatments,while those in control and model groups were administered an equal volume of saline.All mice were sacrificed on day 3 after the end of gavage.Lung histo-pathological changes were assessed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),and IL-6 in lung tissues were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Flow cytometry was used to detect CD11b+Ly6g+cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF).Proteomics and network pharma-cology analyses were conducted to elucidate the mechanisms of drug action.Western blot was conducted to assess the ex-pression levels of vascular endothelial cadherin(VE-cadherin),zonula occludens-1(ZO-1),occludin,vascular endothe-lial growth factor(VEGF),P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(P38),and phosphorylated P38(p-P38)in lung tis-sues.RESULTS:Treatment with QJHF significantly attenuated the symptoms such as mental status and respiratory dis-tress,reduced mortality,mitigated lung tissue lesions,and decreased levels of IL-6,TNF-α,IL-1β,as well as BALF to-tal protein concentration,total cell count and neutrophil content in a mouse model of severe pneumonia(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Additionally,QJHF increased the expression of VE-cadherin,ZO-1 and occludin proteins in lung tissues.Pro-teomic analysis demonstrated that QJHF modulated the expression of 129 proteins in the lung tissues of mice suffering from severe pneumonia.Network pharmacology identified 328 potential targets associated with 14 major bioactive components of QJHF and 1 665 genes related to severe pneumonia,with 125 overlapping genes between the two datasets.The construc-tion of a protein-protein interaction(PPI)network,along with Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses of the regulated proteins and overlapping genes,indicated that QJHF primarily in-fluenced the PI3K-Akt,MAPK and Rap1 signaling pathways,as well as VEGFR.Western blot analysis showed that QJHF significantly inhibited the expression of VEGF and P38 in lung tissues(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).CONCLUSION:Treatment with QJHF attenuates severe pneumonia in mice,potentially by inhibiting VEGF/P38 signaling to protect the vascular endothelial barrier.

Objective:To investigate the dynamic characteristics of human papillomavirus (HPV) genomic integration during cervical lesion progression and the clinical value of HPV integration detection in stratify HPV-positive women, and to explore its molecular mechanisms in cervical carcinogenesis.Methods:A prospective cohort study was designed to enroll high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) positive women who underwent cervical cancer screening in Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University Medical School and Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital from July 2022 to July 2024. Cervical exfoliated cells samples were collected, and HPV whole genome targeted capture and high-throughput sequencing technology were used. The HPV integration patterns, host gene functional region distribution and pathway enrichment characteristics of 157 samples with different cervical lesions grades were analyzed, including 31 cases of normal cervix, 40 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) Ⅰ, 32 cases of CIN Ⅱ, 42 cases of CIN Ⅲ, and 12 cases of cervical cancer.Results:HR-HPV integration was detected in 80.2% (126/157) of the 157 HR-HPV positive samples. The incidence of HR-HPV integration in cervical cancer patients was 12/12, which was higher than that in normal women (77%, 24/31). The incidence of HPV16 integration was significantly higher in high-grade lesions, and the incidence of HPV16 integration was 43% (18/42) in CIN Ⅲ patients and 8/12 in cervical cancer patients ( P<0.001). A total of 14 438 integration events were detected in 126 samples with HPV integration. The integration sites were mainly distributed in the host intergenic region (51.0%, 7 359/14 438) and intronic region (38.1%, 5 494/14 438), and the integration frequency of viral L1 gene was the highest (28.4%, 4 498/16 781). Functional enrichment analysis showed that HPV integration-related host genes were significantly enriched in transport of small molecules,cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-protein kinase G (PKG) signaling pathway, and purine ribonucleotide biosynthetic process, which synergistically drove carcinogenesis through multiple mechanisms. Conclusions:HPV integration events are significantly associated with the progression of cervical lesions. HPV integrated detection based on cervical exfoliated cells is expected to optimize the current screening strategy, reduce excessive intervention of HPV positive women and facilitate their accurate triage management.

AIM:A mouse model of acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(AE-IPF)was estab-lished.METHODS:One hundred and twenty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a negative control group,an IPF group,and an acute exacerbation of interstitial fibrosis(AE-IPF)group.The IPF group received a low dose(3 mg/kg)of bleomycin(BLM)by endotracheal drip on days 0,14,and 28.The AE-IPF group received a high dose(5 mg/kg)of BLM by endotracheal drip on day 56.The control group received an equal volume of saline at different time points.The AE-IPF group was injected with a high dose(5 mg/kg)of BLM via tracheal drip on day 56 on top of the initial IPF induction,while the control group received equal amounts of saline at different time points.Experiments were con-ducted on the 57th,59th,63rd,and 70th days after the initial modeling.Mice were observed for general conditions,CT imaging changes,HE,and Masson staining to assess the degree of alveolitis and fibrosis in lung tissues.Lung function,hydroxyproline(HYP)content in lung tissues,and interleukin-6(IL-6)content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were also measured.RESULTS:Mice in the AE-IPF group exhibited wheezing,shortness of breath,dyspnea,and weight loss.CT imaging revealed that IPF group mice showed patchy,subpleural reticular fuzzy shadows with irregular thickening of interlobular septa and intralobular linear shadows,along with tractional bronchiectasis.In the AE-IPF group,new ground-glass shadows and solid shadows appeared in addition to the IPF features.AE-IPF group mice demon-strated decreased lung function,elevated lung index,and acute pulmonary edema.HE and Masson staining of AE-IPF group mice showed consistent pathological manifestations of AE-IPF.HYP content in lung tissues,total cell count in BALF,and IL-6 concentration were significantly higher in the AE-IPF group compared to the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The use of multiple tracheal drip administrations of bleomycin successfully established an AE-IPF ani-mal model in mice.The 63rd day of the experiment was identified as the optimal observation point,as it exhibited the most significant pathological features and clinical symptoms.This model provides ideal conditions for studying AE-IPF patho-genesis and evaluating therapeutic efficacy.

Wound cleansing is an essential step in skin wound management. It can prevent local infection and optimize healing micro-environment by removing necrotic tissue and foreign matter, reducing microbial load, breaking bacterial biofilm formation and so on. Many randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis abroad have concluded that there is no significant difference in the incidence of wound infection and healing rate between the wounds irrigated with tap water and with sterile normal saline for skin wound cleansing. Considering the current requirements of medical fee policies in China, we recommend the use of tap water instead of saline or other wound cleansing solutions for cleansing skin wounds.