ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Solanum nigrum on hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄） in rats. MethodsSixty SD rats were randomly allocated into blank， model， low-， medium-， and high-dose （0.9， 1.8， 3.6 g·kg^-1， respectively） S. nigrum， and silibinin capsules （18.9 mg·kg^-1） groups. Except the blank group， the other groups were subjected to intraperitoneal injection of 40% CCl₄ solution for the modeling of hepatic fibrosis. After 4 weeks of gavage， blood was collected from the abdominal aorta following intraperitoneal anesthesia. The rats were sacrificed， and the liver was separated. The pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson staining. The levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and liver fibrosis indexes ［type Ⅲ procollagen （PCⅢ）， type Ⅳ collagen （Col Ⅳ）， laminin （LN）， and hyaluronic acid （HA）］ in the rat serum were determined. The mRNA and protein levels of B cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）/Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）/cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 （Caspase-3） pathway-related factors were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significant hepatocyte edema， infiltration of inflammatory cells， connective tissue proliferation， and collagen fiber deposition in the liver tissue. Compared with the model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose S. nigrum and silymarin capsules significantly improved the structure of liver cells and alleviated the edema， inflammatory cell infiltration， connective tissue proliferation， and collagen fiber deposition. Compared with those in the blank group， the serum levels of ALT， AST， PCⅢ， Col Ⅳ， LN， and HA were elevated in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum levels of ALT， AST， PCⅢ， Col Ⅳ， LN， and HA were reduced in all the treatment groups （P<0.05）. Real-time PCR and Western blot results showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bax and Caspase-3 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all the treatment groups showed down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bax and Caspase-3 （P<0.05）， with the high-dose S. nigrum group showing the best therapeutic effect. ConclusionS. nigrum modulates the progression of hepatic fibrosis in rats by regulating apoptosis through the Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the migration and distribution characteristics of chemical constituents in blood and hippocampal tissues before and after vinegar processing of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride（CRPV）， and to explore the potential material basis and mechanisms underlying their regulatory effects on emotional disorders by comparing the effects of raw and vinegar-processed products of CRPV. MethodsUltra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS） was employed to characterize and identify the chemical constituents of raw and vinegar-processed products of CRPV extracts， as well as their migrating components in blood and hippocampal tissues after oral administration. Reference standards， databases， and relevant literature were utilized for compound annotation， with data processing performed using PeakView 1.2 software. Seventy male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into seven groups， including the blank group， model group， diazepam group（2.5 mg·kg^-1）， raw CRPV low/high dose groups（0.6， 1.2 g·kg^-1）， and vinegar-processed CRPV low/high dose groups（0.6， 1.2 g·kg^-1）， with 10 mice per group. Except for the blank group， all other groups underwent chronic restraint stress（2 h·d^-1） for 20 d. Each drug-treated group received oral administration at the predetermined dose starting 10 d after modeling， with a total treatment duration of 10 d. Following model-based drug administration， mice underwent open-field， forced swimming， and elevated plus maze tests. After anesthesia with isoflurane， whole brains were collected from each group of mice， and hippocampi were dissected. Reactive oxygen species（ROS） level in hippocampal tissues was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe hippocampal tissue morphology. Immunofluorescence was performed to detect neuronal nuclei（NeuN） and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha（PPARα） expressions in hippocampal tissue. Then， pharmacodynamic evaluations were conducted to assess the effects of raw and vinegar-processed CRPV on mood disorders， exploring the potential mechanisms. ResultsVinegar processing caused significant changes in the chemical composition of CRPV， with 18 components showing increased relative content and 35 components showing decreased relative content. The primary changes occurred in flavonoid compounds， including 20 flavonoids， 20 flavonoid glycosides， 3 triterpenes， 3 phenolic acids， 1 alkaloid， and 6 other compounds. Twenty-one components were detected in blood（15 methoxyflavones， 4 flavonoid glycosides， and 2 phenolic acids）， with 17 shared between raw and vinegar-processed CRPV. Seven components reached hippocampal tissues（all common to both forms）. In regulating emotional disorders， Vinegar-processed CRPV exhibited superior antidepressant-like effects compared to raw products. HE staining revealed that both treatments improved hippocampal neuronal morphology， particularly in the damaged CA1 and CA3 regions. Immunofluorescence and ELISA analyses demonstrated that both raw and vinegar-processed CRPV significantly modulated NeuN and PPARα expressions in hippocampal tissue while alleviating oxidative stress induced by excessive ROS（P<0.05）. ConclusionThe chemical composition of CRPV undergoes changes after vinegar processing， but the migrating components in blood and hippocampus are primarily methoxyflavonoids. These components may serve as the potential material basis for activating the PPARα pathway， thereby negatively regulating ROS generation in the hippocampus， reducing oxidative stress， and promoting the development of NeuN-positive neurons. These findings provide experimental evidence for enhancing quality standards， pharmacodynamic material research， and active drug development of raw and vinegar-processed CRPV.

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.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness of horticultural therapy involving the planting of Chinese medicinal herbs （mint and lily potted plants） combined with intradermal needling therapy for generalized anxiety disorder （GAD） of liver depression transforming into fire syndrome under transcranial magnetic stimulation and basic psychological therapy， and to explore the possible mechanisms of action. MethodsA total of 180 patients with GAD of liver depression transforming into fire syndrome were randomly divided into three groups， horticultural therapy group， intradermal needling group， and horticultural therapy+intradermal needling group， with 60 patients in each. All groups received basic treatment including basic psychological therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation. The horticultural therapy group received horticultural therapy in addition to the basic treatment； the intradermal needling group received intradermal needling therapy once a week for 8 weeks in addition to the basic treatment； the horticultural therapy+intradermal needling group received both horticultural therapy and intradermal needling therapy， following the same procedures and duration. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale （HAMA）， Self-Rating Anxiety Scale （SAS）， and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI） scores were assessed at baseline and after 2， 4， 6， and 8 weeks of treatment. Serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH） and corticosterone （CORT） were measured before treatment and after 8 weeks of treatment. Motor-evoked potential （MEP） baseline levels were recorded before treatment， and MEP amplitude ratios were compared after 1 week and 8 weeks of treatment. Clinical effectiveness and safety were evaluated after 8 weeks of treatment. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between serum ACTH and CORT levels， MEP amplitude， and anxiety. ResultsIn the horticultural therapy group and intradermal needling group， HAMA， SAS and PSQI scores after 4， 6， and 8 weeks treatment were lower than baseline scores （P＜0.05）. In the horticultural therapy+intradermal needling group， these scores showed a significant decline starting after 2 weeks treatment and continuing through 8 weeks after treatment （P＜0.05）. The HAMA， SAS， and PSQI scores in the horticultural therapy+intradermal needling group were significantly lower than those in the other two groups after 2， 4， 6， and 8 weeks treatment （P＜0.05）. After 8 weeks of treatment， serum CORT and ACTH levels in the horticultural therapy+intradermal needling group were significantly lower than baseline levels （P＜0.05） and were also lower than those in the horticultural therapy group and intradermal needling group at the same time point （P＜0.01）. When comparing the level after 8 weeks treatment to that after 1 week treatment， under PAS10 stimulation， the MEP amplitude ratio in the intradermal needling group decreased at 30 minutes， while in the horticultural therapy+intradermal needling group， the MEP amplitude ratio decreased at all time points （P＜0.05 or P＜0.001）； under PAS25 stimulation， the MEP amplitude ratio in the horticultural therapy group increased at 20 minutes， and in the intradermal needle group at 10 minutes （P＜0.05）. In the horticultural therapy+intradermal needling group， the MEP amplitude ratio increased significantly at all time points after treatment （P＜0.001）. The cure rate in the horticultural therapy+intradermal needling group （74.14%， 43/58） was significantly higher than that in the horticultural therapy group （30.00%， 18/60） and the intradermal needling group （48.28%， 28/58， P＜0.05）. Correlation analysis revealed that serum ACTH and CORT levels were positively correlated with HAMA scores （r = 0.488， P＜0.01； r = 0.428， P＜0.01）. Following PAS10 intervention， the MEP amplitude ratio was positively correlated with HAMA scores （r = 0.458， P＜0.01）， whereas after PAS25 intervention， the MEP amplitude ratio was negatively correlated with HAMA scores （r = -0.562， P＜0.01）. ConclusionHorticultural therapy combined with intradermal needling treatment， under transcranial magnetic stimulation and basic psychological therapy， demonstrates significant clinical effectiveness in patients with GAD of liver depression transforming into fire syndrome. Its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis and the reduction of cortical excitability.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Yuejuwan on lipid metabolism in serum， prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of depressed mice based on lipidomics， and to explore the potential pathways for improving lipid metabolism to prevent depression. MethodsSeven-week-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into blank group， model group， Yuejuwan group（3.6 g·kg^-1） and fluoxetine group（10 mg·kg^-1）， and chronic unpredictable mild stress（CUMS） was used to establish the depression model. After 3 weeks of modeling， each administration group was gavaged with the corresponding drug solution according to the dose， and mice in the blank and model groups were given an equal volume of deionised water by gavage， one time/d for 2 weeks. After administration， the antidepressant effect of Yuejuwan was evaluated by neurobehavioral indices such as sucrose preference test， open field test， tail suspension test and forced swimming test. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure contents of total cholesterol（TC）， triglyceride（TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol（LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol（HDL-C）， aspartate aminotransferase（AST） and alanine aminotransferase（ALT） in mouse serum. Lipidomic analysis of mouse serum， prefrontal cortex and hippocampus was performed based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap-electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry（UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS）， and the expression of mammalian target of rapamycin（mTOR）， ribosomal protein S6 kinase（S6K）， phosphorylation（p）-mTOR， p-S6K in gastric tissues of mice was detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the blank group， mice in the model group exhibited significantly reduced sucrose preference rate and center movement time in the open field test（P<0.01）， the immobility times in the tail suspension test and forced swimming test were significantly increased（P<0.01）， and serum levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， HDL-C， AST and ALT were significantly elevated（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Yuejuwan group showed a significant increase in the sucrose preference rate and center movement time in the open field test（P<0.01）， the immobility times in the tail suspension test and forced swimming test were significantly reduced（P<0.01）， and the serum levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， AST and ALT were significantly decreased（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Lipidomic analysis revealed that Yuejuwan had a significant effect on lipid metabolism in serum， prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of depressed mice， and The differential lipid metabolites were mainly enriched in the metabolic pathways of glycerophospholipid metabolism， sphingolipid signaling， and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein biosynthesis， among which the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway was the most significant. Western blot results showed that compared with the blank group， the relative expression levels of p-mTOR/mTOR and p-S6K/S6K in the gastric tissues of mice in the model group were significantly increased（P<0.01）. In comparison with the model group， the relative expression levels of p-mTOR/mTOR and p-S6K/S6K in the gastric tissues of mice in the Yuejuwan group were significantly decreased（P<0.01）. ConclusionThe intervention of Yuejuwan on lipid metabolism is one of the potential pathways for its antidepressant effect， which may be related to the regulation of mTOR/S6K signaling pathway upstream of lipid metabolism in the gastric tissues.

Conjunctival lymphangiectasia is a low-incidence ocular surface disease that is currently rarely reported in the relevant literature. It may be related to cosmetic eyelid surgery, tumor, radiation or chemotherapy and other factors and often causes a foreign body sensation, lacrimation, eye pain, visual fatigue and other discomfort. These symptoms of constant eye irritation affect the patient's quality of life. At present, anterior segment optical coherence tomography can be used for clinical diagnosis, and the novel monoclonal antibody D2-40, as a marker of lymphatic endothelial cell dilatation, has high specificity in pathological diagnosis. Previous studies have not fully defined the pathogenesis of the disease, and treatment methods vary. Conventional treatment has resulted in varying degrees of damage to the conjunctiva in patients. In recent years, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs have been reported to be effective in treating the disease with few complications. This article reviews the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of this rare disease in order to gain a better understanding of conjunctival lymphangiectasia and provide more support for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of the Wulao Qisun prescription on pathological new bone formation in ankylosing spondylitis （AS）. MethodsSynovial fibroblasts were isolated from the hip joints of AS patients and observed under a microscope to assess cell morphology. The cells were identified using immunofluorescence staining. The isolated AS fibroblasts were divided into blank group， low drug-containing serum group， medium drug-containing serum group， high drug-containing serum group， and positive drug group. After drug intervention， cell proliferation was measured using the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay to observe fibroblast growth and determine the optimal intervention time. Alkaline phosphatase （ALP） activity was measured using the alkaline phosphatase assay. Protein expression of osteocalcin （OCN）， osteopontin （OPN）， and runt-related transcription factor 2 （Runx2） was detected by Western blot. The mRNA expression levels of Wnt5a， β-catenin， and Dickkopf-1 （DKK-1） were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultsCompared with the blank group， each drug-containing serum group of Wulao Qisun prescription and the positive drug group inhibited the proliferation of AS fibroblasts and reduced ALP expression （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the low drug-containing serum group of Wulao Qisun prescription downregulated β-catenin mRNA expression （P<0.05）. The medium and high drug-containing serum groups and the positive drug group significantly downregulated Wnt5a and β-catenin mRNA expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with the positive drug group showing the most pronounced effect （P<0.01）. The high drug-containing serum group and the positive drug group significantly upregulated DKK-1 mRNA expression （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the low drug-containing serum group of Wulao Qisun prescription inhibited the expression of OPN and Runx2 proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the medium and high drug-containing serum groups and the positive drug group inhibited the expression of OCN， OPN， and Runx2 proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThe Wulao Qisun prescription can inhibit the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of AS fibroblasts， thereby delaying the formation of pathological new bone in AS. The possible mechanism involves the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin-related gene expression， further inhibiting the transcription of downstream target genes.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed databases up to August 7, 2024. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for data extraction and quality assessment. The quality of included studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and the risk of bias and applicability of included prediction model studies were assessed by the prediction model risk of bias assessment tool (PROBAST). Results A total of 10 studies were included, among which 5 studies only identified specific exhaled VOCs in CF patients, and another 5 developed 7 CF risk prediction models based on the identification of VOCs in CF. The included studies reported a total of 75 exhaled VOCs, most of which belonged to the categories of acylcarnitines, aldehydes, acids, and esters. Most models (n=6, 85.7%) only included exhaled VOCs as predictive factors, and only one model included factors other than VOCs, including forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF75) and modified Medical Research Council scale for the assessment of dyspnea (mMRC). The accuracy of the models ranged from 77% to 100%, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranged from 0.771 to 0.988. None of the included studies provided information on the calibration of the models. The results of the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) showed that the overall bias risk of all predictive model studies was high, and the overall applicability was unclear. Conclusion The exhaled VOCs reported in the included studies showed significant heterogeneity, and more research is needed to explore specific compounds for CF. In addition, risk prediction models based on exhaled VOCs have certain value in the diagnosis of CF, but the overall bias risk is relatively high and needs further optimization from aspects such as model construction and validation.

Objective To systematically evaluate the risk prediction models for anastomotic leakage (AL) in patients with esophageal cancer after surgery. Methods A computer-based search of PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database, VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed and CNKI was conducted to collect studies on postoperative AL risk prediction model for esophageal cancer from their inception to October 1st, 2023. PROBAST tool was employed to evaluate the bias risk and applicability of the model, and Stata 15 software was utilized for meta-analysis. Results A total of 19 literatures were included covering 25 AL risk prediction models and 7373 patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.670-0.960. Among them, 23 prediction models had a good prediction performance (AUC>0.7); 13 models were tested for calibration of the model; 1 model was externally validated, and 10 models were internally validated. Meta-analysis showed that hypoproteinemia (OR=9.362), postoperative pulmonary complications (OR=7.427), poor incision healing (OR=5.330), anastomosis type (OR=2.965), preoperative history of thoracoabdominal surgery (OR=3.181), preoperative diabetes mellitus (OR=2.445), preoperative cardiovascular disease (OR=3.260), preoperative neoadjuvant therapy (OR=2.977), preoperative respiratory disease (OR=4.744), surgery method (OR=4.312), American Society of Anesthesiologists score (OR=2.424) were predictors for AL after esophageal cancer surgery. Conclusion At present, the prediction model of AL risk in patients with esophageal cancer after surgery is in the development stage, and the overall research quality needs to be improved.