ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effect of Xiaozhi Hugan capsules in treating patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis （NASH） combined with phlegm-dampness and blood stasis syndrome and its effects on serum interleukin-6 （IL-6） and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 （MCP-1）. MethodsA total of 124 patients with NASH combined with phlegm-dampness and blood stasis syndrome who were admitted to the Department of Spleen， Stomach， and Hepatobiliary Diseases， the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from July 2020 to December 2022 were selected. According to the random number table method， patients were randomly divided into an observation group （62 cases） and a control group （62 cases）. The treatment duration was 6 months. The observation group received Xiaozhi Hugan capsules orally， while the control group received polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules. The efficacy indicators included alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， controlled attenuation parameter （CAP）， liver stiffness measurement （LSM）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores （discomfort/dull pain/distending pain in liver region， fatigue， etc.）， body mass index （BMI）， waist-to-height ratio （WHtR）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） ［including fasting blood glucose （FBG） and fasting insulin level （INS）］， free fatty acids （FFA）， IL-6， and MCP-1. Adverse drug reactions were recorded. ResultsAfter treatment， the total effective rate in the observation group was 92.3% （48/52）， while that in the control group was 75.5% （39/49）. The total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group （χ²=5.339， P<0.05）. After treatment， the TCM syndrome scores in both groups were significantly reduced （P<0.05）， and the post-treatment scores in the observation group were better than those in the control group （P<0.05）. After treatment， the levels of ALT， AST， TC， FFA， fasting insulin （FINS）， HOMA-IR， MCP-1， IL-6， CAP， LSM， BMI， and WHtR were decreased （P<0.05） significantly in both groups， and the observation group showed superior improvement in the above indicators compared to the control group （P<0.05）. The observation group exhibited significant reductions in TG and FBG （P<0.05） and an increase in HDL-C （P<0.05）， while no significant changes were observed in the control group. The observation group was superior to the control group after treatment （P<0.05）. No severe adverse reactions occurred in either group during the treatment. ConclusionXiaozhi Hugan capsules have significant clinical efficacy in treating patients with NASH combined with phlegm-dampness and blood stasis syndrome. It reduces hepatic steatosis， lowers liver stiffness， inhibits the expression of serum inflammatory factors， and alleviates liver inflammation. No obvious adverse reactions occur， suggesting it is suitable for clinical application.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effect of Xiaozhi Hugan capsules in treating patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis （NASH） combined with phlegm-dampness and blood stasis syndrome and its effects on serum interleukin-6 （IL-6） and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 （MCP-1）. MethodsA total of 124 patients with NASH combined with phlegm-dampness and blood stasis syndrome who were admitted to the Department of Spleen， Stomach， and Hepatobiliary Diseases， the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from July 2020 to December 2022 were selected. According to the random number table method， patients were randomly divided into an observation group （62 cases） and a control group （62 cases）. The treatment duration was 6 months. The observation group received Xiaozhi Hugan capsules orally， while the control group received polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules. The efficacy indicators included alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， controlled attenuation parameter （CAP）， liver stiffness measurement （LSM）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores （discomfort/dull pain/distending pain in liver region， fatigue， etc.）， body mass index （BMI）， waist-to-height ratio （WHtR）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） ［including fasting blood glucose （FBG） and fasting insulin level （INS）］， free fatty acids （FFA）， IL-6， and MCP-1. Adverse drug reactions were recorded. ResultsAfter treatment， the total effective rate in the observation group was 92.3% （48/52）， while that in the control group was 75.5% （39/49）. The total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group （χ²=5.339， P<0.05）. After treatment， the TCM syndrome scores in both groups were significantly reduced （P<0.05）， and the post-treatment scores in the observation group were better than those in the control group （P<0.05）. After treatment， the levels of ALT， AST， TC， FFA， fasting insulin （FINS）， HOMA-IR， MCP-1， IL-6， CAP， LSM， BMI， and WHtR were decreased （P<0.05） significantly in both groups， and the observation group showed superior improvement in the above indicators compared to the control group （P<0.05）. The observation group exhibited significant reductions in TG and FBG （P<0.05） and an increase in HDL-C （P<0.05）， while no significant changes were observed in the control group. The observation group was superior to the control group after treatment （P<0.05）. No severe adverse reactions occurred in either group during the treatment. ConclusionXiaozhi Hugan capsules have significant clinical efficacy in treating patients with NASH combined with phlegm-dampness and blood stasis syndrome. It reduces hepatic steatosis， lowers liver stiffness， inhibits the expression of serum inflammatory factors， and alleviates liver inflammation. No obvious adverse reactions occur， suggesting it is suitable for clinical application.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of menopausal time and menopausal age with the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）， and to provide a basis for the early prevention and treatment of NAFLD in clinical practice. MethodsRelated data were collected from 373 postmenopausal women who attended the outpatient service of Department of Spleen， Stomach， Liver and Gallbladder Diseases， The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine， from January 2017 to December 2021， including general information， menopausal age， menopausal time， and presence or absence of NAFLD. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data； the independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups， and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups. A Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the association intensity and 95% confidence interval （95%CI） of menopausal time and menopausal age for the risk of NAFLD， and the restricted cubic spline （RCS） method was used to investigate the dose-response relationship between menopausal time/age and the risk of NAFLD. ResultsCompared with the women with normal menopause or late menopause， the women with early menopause had a higher prevalence rate of NAFLD and a higher degree of steatosis and fibrosis （all P<0.05）. After adjustment for the confounding factors such as age and age of menarche， the risk of NAFLD in women with a menopausal time of >3 years was 4.80 （95%CI： 1.93‍ ‍—‍‍ ‍11.95， P=0.001） times that in women with a menopausal time of ≤3 years， and the risk of NAFLD in women with early or late menopause was 8.14 times （95%CI： ‍1.77 ‍— ‍37.58， P=0.007） and 0.09 times （95%CI： 0.03 ‍— ‍0.32， P<0.001）， respectively， that in those with a normal menopausal age. There is a dose-response relationship between menopausal time/age and the risk of NAFLD. Menopausal time is positively correlated with the association intensity of NAFLD， while menopausal age is negatively correlated with the association intensity of NAFLD. ConclusionThe longer the menopause time and the earlier the menopause age， the ligher the risk of NAFLD.

As a common infectious disease in China， chronic hepatitis B is hepatocyte injury and inflammatory necrosis due to immune response caused by hepatitis B virus （HBV）. Helicobacter pylori （Hp） is a Gram-negative helicobacter that colonizes and persists in the human gastric mucosa. In recent years， an increasing number of studies have confirmed the close association between Hp infection and HBV-related liver diseases. This article reviews the articles on Hp infection and HBV-related liver diseases in recent years and discusses the association between Hp infection and HBV-related liver diseases， which shows the association between Hp infection and HBV-related liver diseases. The susceptibility to Hp in chronic hepatitis B patients increases with the progression of hepatitis B， and at the same time， Hp infection may increase the incidence rate of esophageal variceal rupture and hemorrhage and the risk of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis. Therefore， the screening and treatment of Hp infection in patients with HBV-related liver diseases should be taken seriously in clinical practice.

Objective To explore the effect on the expression of ERα/PGC1α/PPARα pathway,the therapeutic effect of Danhe Liuwei Dihuang Decoction on ovariectomized NAFLD rats was observed.Methods 60 female non-pregnant SPF SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group(Sham),model group(Model),estrogen group(E2),traditional Chinese medicine high,medium and low dose group(DHR-H/M/L).Sham group was given normal diet after sham operation,and the other groups were given high-fat,high-fructose and high-cholesterol diet(HF/HF/HC)after bilateral ovariectomy to prepare postmenopausal NAFLD model.The Sham group and the Model group were given normal saline by gavage,and the other groups were given corresponding doses of drugs by gavage.The intervention time was 12 weeks,and the experimental period was 14 weeks.The general condition and body weight of rats in each group were recorded.HE staining of uterus was used to observe the morphology of uterus,HE staining of liver and oil red O staining were used to observe steatosis.Serum liver function(ALT,AST)and lipid metabolism indexes(TG,TC)were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer.The levels of serum E2 and free fatty acid(FFA)and the expression of FFA and TG in liver tissue were detected by ELISA.The mRNA and protein expressions of ERα,PGC1α and PPARα in liver tissues were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot.Results Compared with the Model group,by Danhe Liuwei Dihuang Decoction,the body weight and liver weight of ovariectomized NAFLD rats significantly decreased,liver fat deposition significantly decreased,E2 level increased,ALT,AST,TG,TC,FFA and liver tissue homogenate FFA,TG content significantly decreased,liver ERα,PGC1α,PPARα mRNA and protein expression up-regulated(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion Danhe Liuwei Dihuang Decoction can improve liver steatosis in postmenopausal NAFLD model rats.The mechanism may be related to up-regulating the expression of ERα/PGC1α/PPARα signaling pathway to promote liver FFA oxidation and reduce liver TG deposition.

Objective To explore the effect on the expression of ERα/PGC1α/PPARα pathway,the therapeutic effect of Danhe Liuwei Dihuang Decoction on ovariectomized NAFLD rats was observed.Methods 60 female non-pregnant SPF SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group(Sham),model group(Model),estrogen group(E2),traditional Chinese medicine high,medium and low dose group(DHR-H/M/L).Sham group was given normal diet after sham operation,and the other groups were given high-fat,high-fructose and high-cholesterol diet(HF/HF/HC)after bilateral ovariectomy to prepare postmenopausal NAFLD model.The Sham group and the Model group were given normal saline by gavage,and the other groups were given corresponding doses of drugs by gavage.The intervention time was 12 weeks,and the experimental period was 14 weeks.The general condition and body weight of rats in each group were recorded.HE staining of uterus was used to observe the morphology of uterus,HE staining of liver and oil red O staining were used to observe steatosis.Serum liver function(ALT,AST)and lipid metabolism indexes(TG,TC)were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer.The levels of serum E2 and free fatty acid(FFA)and the expression of FFA and TG in liver tissue were detected by ELISA.The mRNA and protein expressions of ERα,PGC1α and PPARα in liver tissues were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot.Results Compared with the Model group,by Danhe Liuwei Dihuang Decoction,the body weight and liver weight of ovariectomized NAFLD rats significantly decreased,liver fat deposition significantly decreased,E2 level increased,ALT,AST,TG,TC,FFA and liver tissue homogenate FFA,TG content significantly decreased,liver ERα,PGC1α,PPARα mRNA and protein expression up-regulated(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion Danhe Liuwei Dihuang Decoction can improve liver steatosis in postmenopausal NAFLD model rats.The mechanism may be related to up-regulating the expression of ERα/PGC1α/PPARα signaling pathway to promote liver FFA oxidation and reduce liver TG deposition.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the distribution and regulation of G-quadruplex(G4)in enzymes related to glycolysis.METHODS The sequences of the transcription start site(TSS)region upstream of 1500 bp to the 5'-Untranslated region in 200 enzymes and their subtypes in glycolysis were selected for bioinformatics analysis.Related enzymes in glycolysis containing putative G-quadru-plex-forming sequences(PQSs)were identified.Circular Dichroism and Native polyacrylamide gel elec-trophoresis were used to verify the formation of G4.The ExonucleaseⅠhydrolysis assay was used to validate the stability of the formed G4 under 0,0.5,2,8,16,and 32 min.A reporter gene plasmid was constructed by inserting specific fragments of the related enzymes before the luciferase expression sequence.The dual-luciferase reporter assay system validate the expression level of luciferase to assess the impact of G4 on promoter activity.Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to validate the transcriptional regulatory role of G4 by detecting the mRNA levels of luciferase.RESULTS ①Bioin-formatics analysis showed that out of the 200 glycolysis-related enzymes,12 contained PQSs.Based on the analysis of the length and structure of PQSs,aldolase A(ALDOA)and phosphoglycerate mutase 2(PGAM2)proved to be able to form stable G4.② ALDOA and PGAM2 had the maximum positive absorption peak at 260 nm and maximum negative absorption peak at 240 nm.Both of them could form a G4 at the same time.③After digestion with ExonucleaseⅠ,ALDOA and PGAM2 showed no significant hydrolysis and demonstrated the stability of G4 structures.However,both of them could be gradually hydrolyzed after mutations in their PQSs.④ After PQS mutation of ALDOA and PGAM2,the mRNA levels and expression of downstream luciferase of ALDOA were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),while PGAM2 was significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).CONCLUSION The gene sequences of glycolysis-related enzymes and their subtypes contain a large number of PQSs.ALDOA and PGAM2 can form stable G4 and perform transcriptional regulatory functions.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of modified Weijingtang on the pyroptosis of RAW264.7 macrophages via the cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-1 （Caspase-1）/gasdermin D （GSDMD） pathway. MethodLipopolysaccharide （LPS） was used to induce pyroptosis of RAW264.7 cells. The blank group was treated with the blank serum， and the intervention groups were treated with the sera containing different doses of modified Weijingtang. After 24 h， the viability of cells in different groups was examined by the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）. The pyroptosis and morphology of cells in each group were observed by a scanning electron microscope and a phase-contrast microscope， respectively. The mRNA and protein levels of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1， and GSDMD in each group were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. The levels of interleukin （IL）-18 and IL-1β in each group were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ResultUnder the electron microscope， RAW264.7 cells presented the best morphology and structure in the blank group and obvious pyroptosis and leakage of cell contents in the model （LPS） group. Compared with the model group， the intervention groups showed reduced pyroptosis to varying degrees， and the high-dose group had the closest cell morphology and structure to the blank group. Under the optical microscope， RAW264.7 cells were spherical in the blank group and irregular with protrusions in the model group. Compared with the model group， the intervention groups showed improved cell morphology， and the cell morphology in the group with the dose of 20% was the closest to that in the blank group. The mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， and GSDMD in the model group were higher than those in the blank group （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， each intervention group showed down-regulated expression of the above indicators （P<0.05）. Compared with the blank group， the model group presented elevated levels of IL-18 and IL-1β （P<0.05）， which were lowered in the intervention （10%， 20%） groups （P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Weijingtang inhibits the pyroptosis of macrophages by down-regulating the Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway and reducing the release of proinflammatory cytokines.

Abiraterone is commonly used as a targeted drug for the treatment of prostate cancer， which commonly causes adverse drug reactions （ADR）， including abnormal liver function， fatigue， nausea and edema， etc. This study reports a 78-year-old man with a history of hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis after prostate cancer resection who was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine. The patient received abiraterone treatment 1 month before admission and developed gastrointestinal symptoms 3 weeks after the treatment and worsened at 4th week with yellowing of the skin， sclera and urine. Unfortunately， the patient died after 5 weeks of abiraterone treatment （1 week after admission）. Based on test and examination results， the patient was diagnosed with acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF）. This paper analyzes the patient’s medical history and the relevant treatment in detail. It is evaluated that ACLF and abiraterone are “probably” related based on Naranjo ADR Probability Scale， suggesting abiraterone may induce severe ADR of liver failure in patients with chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis. These patients should be monitored dynamically for changes in liver function and treated prophylactically with liver-protective drugs if necessary.

Objective To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types and elements in liver cirrhosis patients with dysplastic nodules (DN), and to provide a basis for exploring the connotation and pattern of TCM syndrome types of DN in liver cirrhosis. Methods A total of 138 patients who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from March 2013 to January 2021 and were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and DN were enrolled. General data such as age of onset and sex were collected, as well as the data on etiology, TCM syndrome types, and Child-Pugh class for liver function, and the distribution characteristics of TCM syndrome types and elements were summarized. The chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results The liver and the spleen were the main syndrome elements of disease location in liver cirrhosis patients with DN, accounting for 97.83% and 94.93%, respectively, followed by the kidney (23.91%); Qi deficiency and Qi stagnation were the main syndrome elements reflecting the nature of disease, accounting for 73.91% and 58.70%, respectively, followed by dampness (34.78%). The main TCM syndrome types included stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency, damp-heat internal excess syndrome, blood stasis and toxin accumulation syndrome, and water-dampness retention syndrome, among which stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency was more common and accounted for 58.70% ( P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in TCM syndrome types between the patients with different sexes, ages, and etiologies (all P > 0.05). There was a significant difference in Child-Pugh class between the liver cirrhosis DN patients with different TCM syndrome types ( χ 2 =34.320, P < 0.05), and Child-Pugh class A was more common in the patients with stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency (59.8%), while Child-Pugh class C was more common in the patients with damp-heat internal excess syndrome (39.1%). Conclusion This article summarizes the distribution characteristics of common TCM syndrome types and elements of DN in liver cirrhosis, which provides a reference for the syndrome differentiation-based TCM treatment of DN in liver cirrhosis.