Objective:To explore the preliminary results of using the UreteroPyeloVisClear Catheter (VCC) in the treatment of ureteral stones.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 18 patients with ureteral stones who underwent treatment with VCC at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from November 2023 to March 2024. The cohort consisted of 15 men and 3 women, with a mean age of 53 years (range: 27-75 years). The preoperative CT measurements showed that the mean maximum stone diameter was 9 mm (range: 3-18 mm), and the mean maximum CT value of the stones was 870 HU (range: 260-1 480 HU). The distribution of stones was as follows: 3 cases in the upper ureter, 8 in the middle ureter, and 7 in the lower ureter. Gravity-assisted perfusion was used, and all patients underwent VCC combined with Holmium laser lithotripsy, with flexible ureteroscopy used if necessary. A ureteral stent was routinely placed for 2 weeks postoperatively. Perioperative conditions and complications were analyzed.Results:All 18 patients successfully underwent VCC lithotripsy, with one patient experiencing stone migration during the procedure. The average operation time was 53 minutes (range: 20-100 minutes), and the average lithotripsy time was 25.5 minutes (range: 6–60 minutes). There were no significant changes in serum creatinine or hemoglobin levels on the first postoperative day. The average hospital stay was 2 days (range: 1–3 days). One patient experienced a fever (maximum temperature of 38.5℃), which resolved with antibiotic treatment. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores on postoperative day 1 were 0 for 15 patients, 2 for 1 patient, 3 for 1 patient, and 4 for 1 patient. No complications of Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅱ or higher were observed. At 1-month follow-up, the stone-free rate (SFR) was 100%(18/18), and no hydronephrosis was observed in the affected kidney.Conclusions:The results of this study indicates that VCC is a safe and effective method for treating ureteral stones, with a low incidence of postoperative complications and a high stone clearance rate.

CD8+T cell-based immune-therapeutics,including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapies(tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes(TILs),T cell receptor-engineered T cells(TCR-T),chimeric antigen receptor T cells(CAR-T)),have achieved significant successes and prolonged patient survival to varying extents and even achieved cure in some cases.However,immunotherapy resistance and tumor insusceptibility frequently occur,leading to treatment failure.Recent evidences have highlighted the ponderance of tumor cells metabolic reprogramming in establishing an immunosuppressive milieu through the secretion of harmful metabolites,immune-inhibitory cytokines,and alteration of gene expression,which suppress the activity of immune cells,particularly CD8+T cells to evade immune surveillance.Therefore,targeting tumor cell metabolic adaptations to reshape the immune microenvi-ronment holds promise as an immunomodulatory strategy to facilitate immunotherapy.Here,we summarize recent advances in the crosstalk between immunotherapy and tumor reprogramming,focusing on the regulatory mechanisms underlying tumor cell glucose metabolism,amino acid meta-bolism,and lipid metabolism in influencing CD8+T cells to provide promising metabolic targets or combinational strategies for immunotherapy.

Age-related macular degeneration(AMD)is a disease that affects the vision of elderly individuals worldwide.Although current therapeutics have shown effectiveness against AMD,some patients may remain unresponsive and continue to experience disease progression.Therefore,in-depth knowledge of the mechanism underlying AMD pathogenesis is urgently required to identify potential drug targets for AMD treatment.Recently,studies have suggested that dysfunction of mitochondria can lead to the ag-gregation of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(cGAS)/stimulator of interferon genes(STING)innate immunity pathways,ultimately resulting in sterile inflammation and cell death in various cells,such as cardiomyocytes and macrophages.Therefore,combining strategies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory mediators may hold great potential in facilitating AMD management.Notably,emerging evidence indicates that natural products targeting mitochondrial quality control(MQC)and the cGAS/STING innate immunity pathways exhibit promise in treating AMD.Here,we summarize phytochemicals that could directly or indirectly influence the MQC and the cGAS/STING innate immunity pathways,as well as their interconnected mediators,which have the potential to mitigate oxidative stress and suppress excessive inflammatory responses,thereby hoping to offer new insights into therapeutic interventions for AMD treatment.

Objective:To explore the preliminary results of using the UreteroPyeloVisClear Catheter (VCC) in the treatment of ureteral stones.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 18 patients with ureteral stones who underwent treatment with VCC at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from November 2023 to March 2024. The cohort consisted of 15 men and 3 women, with a mean age of 53 years (range: 27-75 years). The preoperative CT measurements showed that the mean maximum stone diameter was 9 mm (range: 3-18 mm), and the mean maximum CT value of the stones was 870 HU (range: 260-1 480 HU). The distribution of stones was as follows: 3 cases in the upper ureter, 8 in the middle ureter, and 7 in the lower ureter. Gravity-assisted perfusion was used, and all patients underwent VCC combined with Holmium laser lithotripsy, with flexible ureteroscopy used if necessary. A ureteral stent was routinely placed for 2 weeks postoperatively. Perioperative conditions and complications were analyzed.Results:All 18 patients successfully underwent VCC lithotripsy, with one patient experiencing stone migration during the procedure. The average operation time was 53 minutes (range: 20-100 minutes), and the average lithotripsy time was 25.5 minutes (range: 6–60 minutes). There were no significant changes in serum creatinine or hemoglobin levels on the first postoperative day. The average hospital stay was 2 days (range: 1–3 days). One patient experienced a fever (maximum temperature of 38.5℃), which resolved with antibiotic treatment. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores on postoperative day 1 were 0 for 15 patients, 2 for 1 patient, 3 for 1 patient, and 4 for 1 patient. No complications of Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅱ or higher were observed. At 1-month follow-up, the stone-free rate (SFR) was 100%(18/18), and no hydronephrosis was observed in the affected kidney.Conclusions:The results of this study indicates that VCC is a safe and effective method for treating ureteral stones, with a low incidence of postoperative complications and a high stone clearance rate.

Hepatic fibrosis is the common key pathological link of various chronic liver diseases and can progress to malignant diseases such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma； however， there is still a lack of effective targeted therapeutic drugs at present. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a marked clinical effect in the prevention and treatment of hepatic fibrosis， yet its precise clinical application and global promotion are greatly limited by the complex components of compound prescriptions and unclear mechanism of action. In recent years， multimodal high-throughput omics technology has achieved rapid development， providing strong technical support for elaborating on the scientific connotation of TCM in the treatment of complex diseases due to its advantages of systematic profiling， big-data analytics， and precise target prediction. In particular， integrated transcriptomic， proteomic， and metabolomic strategies comprehensively elucidate key signaling networks， cellular phenotypic transitions， and extracellular matrix metabolic homeostasis modulated by TCM compounds and monomers and assist in the screening and assessment of effective component groups and novel biomarkers. This article systematically reviews the advances in basic research on TCM prevention and treatment of hepatic fibrosis based on multi-omics technologies in the past five years， summarizes the “drug-target-pathway-phenotype” regulatory network， and elaborates on the core mechanisms of TCM in regulating hepatic stellate cell activation and reversing hepatic fibrosis. Future studies should further delve into the interdisciplinary integration and dynamic analytical methodologies of multi-omics technologies， precisely identify the core regulatory target networks modulated by TCM， and systematically unravel the scientific connotation of compatibility rule in compound prescriptions， in order to provide a theoretical basis for developing efficient targeted drugs for hepatic fibrosis and individualized diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease that affects the vision of elderly individuals worldwide. Although current therapeutics have shown effectiveness against AMD, some patients may remain unresponsive and continue to experience disease progression. Therefore, in-depth knowledge of the mechanism underlying AMD pathogenesis is urgently required to identify potential drug targets for AMD treatment. Recently, studies have suggested that dysfunction of mitochondria can lead to the aggregation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)/stimulator of interferon genes (STING) innate immunity pathways, ultimately resulting in sterile inflammation and cell death in various cells, such as cardiomyocytes and macrophages. Therefore, combining strategies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory mediators may hold great potential in facilitating AMD management. Notably, emerging evidence indicates that natural products targeting mitochondrial quality control (MQC) and the cGAS/STING innate immunity pathways exhibit promise in treating AMD. Here, we summarize phytochemicals that could directly or indirectly influence the MQC and the cGAS/STING innate immunity pathways, as well as their interconnected mediators, which have the potential to mitigate oxidative stress and suppress excessive inflammatory responses, thereby hoping to offer new insights into therapeutic interventions for AMD treatment.

CD8⁺ T cell-based immune-therapeutics, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapies (tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), T cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T), chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T)), have achieved significant successes and prolonged patient survival to varying extents and even achieved cure in some cases. However, immunotherapy resistance and tumor insusceptibility frequently occur, leading to treatment failure. Recent evidences have highlighted the ponderance of tumor cells metabolic reprogramming in establishing an immunosuppressive milieu through the secretion of harmful metabolites, immune-inhibitory cytokines, and alteration of gene expression, which suppress the activity of immune cells, particularly CD8⁺ T cells to evade immune surveillance. Therefore, targeting tumor cell metabolic adaptations to reshape the immune microenvironment holds promise as an immunomodulatory strategy to facilitate immunotherapy. Here, we summarize recent advances in the crosstalk between immunotherapy and tumor reprogramming, focusing on the regulatory mechanisms underlying tumor cell glucose metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism in influencing CD8⁺ T cells to provide promising metabolic targets or combinational strategies for immunotherapy.

Under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with 15 national ministries and commissions, has formulated the Implementation Plan on Establishing a Carbon Footprint Management System, and it is urgent for traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) pharmaceutical enterprises to carry out research on carbon footprint accounting methods of related products. Based on the life cycle assessment(LCA) theory, taking mulberry leaf extract produced by a certain enterprise as an example, this study analyzed the carbon footprint of TCM extracts during the life cycle. The results show that for every 1 kg of product produced, the carbon emissions from the stages of raw material acquisition, transportation, and extract production are-20.569, 1.205, and 173.577 kgCO_2eq(CO_2 equivalent), respectively. The carbon footprint of the product is 154.213 kgCO_2eq·kg~(-1). In addition, the carbon emission is the highest in the production stage, in which the consumption of ethanol solvents makes the greatest contribution to the carbon footprint, accounting for 25.71%, more than one-fourth of the total carbon footprint. The second contribution was from the treatment process of TCM residues, accounting for 19.67%, closely followed by wastewater treatment(17.71%), the consumption of hot steam(17.43%), and drinking water(16.90%). The consumption of electric power and packaging materials has a smaller carbon emission of 2.58%. In particular, the carbon emission caused by the consumption of packaging materials is only 0.04%, which is negligible. The results of the study are expected to provide a reference for TCM enterprises to carry out research on the carbon footprint of products, offer ideas for collaborative innovation in reducing pollution and carbon emissions throughout the entire industry chain of TCM, and develop new quality productivity of modern TCM industry based on green and low-carbon manufacturing.
Morus/chemistry* ; Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Carbon Footprint ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Plant Extracts/analysis* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Aromatic immunity in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is the medical knowledge accumulated in the process of people's struggling with diseases. It plays an important role in plague prevention, disease treatment, health preservation, and rehabilitation, and has profound TCM basic theoretical support and abundant modern scientific evidence. With the in-depth promotion of the Healthy China initiative and the succession of health needs in the post-COVID-19 era, how to practice the health concept of aromatic immunity in TCM and develop its health service resources with high quality has become an important proposition to be discussed urgently. This paper summarizes the cognitive process, puts forward the basic concept, discusses the scientific connotation and clinical application value, and looks forward to the future development trend of aromatic immunity in TCM, aiming to provide guidance for the development of great health products and promote the application of aromatic immunity in TCM in serving people's health.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Humans ; COVID-19/immunology* ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; SARS-CoV-2