ObjectiveTo investigate the differences in clinical features and outcomes between patients with hepatic Wilson's disease （WD） presenting with the syndrome of combined phlegm and stasis and the syndrome of dampness-heat internal accumulation. MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted by consecutively recruiting patients with hepatic WD from the Encephalopathy Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine between January 2022 and August 2025. According to traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome differentiation， the patients were assigned into a combined phlegm and stasis group and a dampness-heat internal accumulation group. All the patients received standard treatment. Baseline data， laboratory indicators， complications， Model for End-Stage Liver Disease （MELD） score， Child-Turcotte-Pugh （CTP） score， and Chronic Liver Failure-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment （CLIF-SOFA） score were recorded. The clinical features and outcomes of the two groups of patients were compared by t-test， U-test and multivariate logistic regression. ResultsA total of 141 patients with hepatic WD were included. The combined phlegm and stasis group comprised 68 patients with an average age of （28.22±10.47） years， including 43 males and 25 females. The dampness-heat internal accumulation group comprised 73 patients with an average age of （30.22±8.79） years， including 44 males and 29 females. Univariate analysis showed no statistically significant differences in age or gender between the two groups. The combined phlegm and stasis group had lower platelet （PLT）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， creatine （CRE）， total cholesterol （TC）， and triglycerides （TG） levels （P<0.05 or P<0.01） and higher total bilirubin （TBIL） and prothrombin time （PT） （P<0.05） than the dampness-heat internal accumulation group. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy， infection， spontaneous bacterial peritonitis， ascites， or gastrointestinal bleeding between the two groups. The incidence of splenomegaly and the MELD score were higher in the combined phlegm and stasis group （P<0.05）. The CTP and CLIF-SOFA scores were also higher in the combined phlegm and stasis group， while these differences were not statistically significant. Eleven patients in the combined phlegm and stasis group and 9 patients in the dampness-heat internal accumulation group developed liver failure. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PT （OR=1.794， 95%CI 1.249-2.576）， TBIL （OR=1.111， 95%CI 1.026-1.203）， ALT （OR=1.053， 95%CI 1.004-1.105）， and TCM syndrome （OR=5.420， 95%CI 1.384-21.227） were independent risk factors for the development of liver failure in hepatic WD. ConclusionCompared with the hepatic WD patients with the syndrome of dampness-heat internal accumulation， those with the syndrome of combined phlegm and stasis exhibit severe liver function impairment and disease conditions. Furthermore， TCM syndrome serves as an independent predictive factor for the occurrence of liver failure in patients with hepatic WD.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to evaluate the intervention effect of Gandou Fumu Decoction （GDFMD） in treating hepatolenticular degeneration with liver fibrosis of liver-kidney deficiency and phlegm-blood stasis syndrome， thereby providing evidence-based medical evidence for the treatment of Wilson's disease （WD）-related liver fibrosis with traditional Chinese medicine through clinical efficacy analysis. MethodsA total of 70 patients with WD-related liver fibrosis of liver-kidney deficiency and phlegm-blood stasis syndrome meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled from Anhui Provincial Hospital of TCM from October 1， 2023， to October 1， 2024. Participants were divided into a control group and an observation group， with 35 cases in each group. The control group received conventional copper chelation therapy with sodium dimercaptopropanesulfonate （DMPS）. On this basis， the observation group was additionally administered GDFMD orally. Each treatment course lasted eight days， for a total of four treatment courses. Efficacy evaluations were performed before treatment and after the second and fourth treatment courses， respectively. The clinical efficacy and safety of GDFMD in the treatment of WD-related liver fibrosis were assessed by comparing the changes in liver stiffness measurement （LSM）， liver serological markers ［alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， type Ⅳ collagen （C-Ⅳ）， laminin （LN）， N-terminal propeptide of type Ⅲ procollagen （PⅢNP）， and hyaluronic acid （HA）］， fibrosis index based on 4 factors （FIB-4）， AST to platelet ratio index （APRI）， unified Wilson's disease rating scale part Ⅱ （UWDRS-Ⅱ）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， 24-hour urinary copper， and safety indicators between the two groups before and after treatment. ResultsCompared with those before treatment， LSM levels decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of LSM levels in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the improvement of LSM levels in the observation group was more obvious after four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， the levels of HA， LN， PⅢNP， and C-Ⅳ decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of the C-Ⅳ levels in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the levels of HA， LN， and PⅢNP were more obvious （P<0.05）. After four treatment courses in the observation group， the levels of HA， LN， PⅢNP， and C-Ⅳ were improved more significantly （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， ALT and AST levels decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of ALT and AST levels in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the improvement of ALT and AST levels in the observation group was more obvious after four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， APRI score and FIB-4 index level decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those in control group after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of APRI score and FIB-4 index level in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the APRI score in the observation group was more obvious after four treatment courses （P<0.05）， with no statistically significant improvement in the FIB-4 index difference. Compared with those before treatment， the levels of TCM syndrome scores decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with that of the control group after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of the level of TCM syndrome scores in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the improvement of the level of TCM syndrome scores in the observation group was more obvious after four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， the UWDRS-Ⅱ scores in both groups after two treatment courses were not improved obviously， and the UWDRS-Ⅱ scores in both groups decreased after four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those of the control group after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of the UWDRS-Ⅱ scores in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the improvement of the UWDRS-Ⅱ scores in the observation group after four treatment courses was more obvious （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， the 24-h urine copper levels were significantly higher in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those in the control group after treatment， the 24-h urine copper levels in the observation group were significantly higher after two and four treatment courses （P<0.01）. After two treatment courses， the 24-h urine copper level in the observation group showed a gradual decreasing trend， although it was higher than that before treatment. After four treatment courses， the control group had an improvement rate of 91.43%， an effective rate of 34.29%， and an apparent rate of 2.86%. The observation group had an improvement rate of 94.29%， an effective rate of 71.43%， and an apparent rate of 8.57%. The efficacy of the observation group was better than that of the control group （P<0.05）. Conclusion① The efficacy of GDFMD combined with DMPS therapy in patients with WD-related liver fibrosis of liver-kidney deficiency and phlegm-blood stasis syndrome is significantly better than that of single DMPS therapy， and the advantages of the combined therapy are more obvious with the prolongation of the treatment cycle. ② GDFMD combined with the DMPS therapy program in the long-term application exhibits no obvious adverse reactions with good safety， which is worthy of clinical popularization and application.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to evaluate the intervention effect of Gandou Fumu Decoction （GDFMD） in treating hepatolenticular degeneration with liver fibrosis of liver-kidney deficiency and phlegm-blood stasis syndrome， thereby providing evidence-based medical evidence for the treatment of Wilson's disease （WD）-related liver fibrosis with traditional Chinese medicine through clinical efficacy analysis. MethodsA total of 70 patients with WD-related liver fibrosis of liver-kidney deficiency and phlegm-blood stasis syndrome meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled from Anhui Provincial Hospital of TCM from October 1， 2023， to October 1， 2024. Participants were divided into a control group and an observation group， with 35 cases in each group. The control group received conventional copper chelation therapy with sodium dimercaptopropanesulfonate （DMPS）. On this basis， the observation group was additionally administered GDFMD orally. Each treatment course lasted eight days， for a total of four treatment courses. Efficacy evaluations were performed before treatment and after the second and fourth treatment courses， respectively. The clinical efficacy and safety of GDFMD in the treatment of WD-related liver fibrosis were assessed by comparing the changes in liver stiffness measurement （LSM）， liver serological markers ［alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， type Ⅳ collagen （C-Ⅳ）， laminin （LN）， N-terminal propeptide of type Ⅲ procollagen （PⅢNP）， and hyaluronic acid （HA）］， fibrosis index based on 4 factors （FIB-4）， AST to platelet ratio index （APRI）， unified Wilson's disease rating scale part Ⅱ （UWDRS-Ⅱ）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， 24-hour urinary copper， and safety indicators between the two groups before and after treatment. ResultsCompared with those before treatment， LSM levels decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of LSM levels in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the improvement of LSM levels in the observation group was more obvious after four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， the levels of HA， LN， PⅢNP， and C-Ⅳ decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of the C-Ⅳ levels in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the levels of HA， LN， and PⅢNP were more obvious （P<0.05）. After four treatment courses in the observation group， the levels of HA， LN， PⅢNP， and C-Ⅳ were improved more significantly （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， ALT and AST levels decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of ALT and AST levels in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the improvement of ALT and AST levels in the observation group was more obvious after four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， APRI score and FIB-4 index level decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those in control group after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of APRI score and FIB-4 index level in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the APRI score in the observation group was more obvious after four treatment courses （P<0.05）， with no statistically significant improvement in the FIB-4 index difference. Compared with those before treatment， the levels of TCM syndrome scores decreased in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with that of the control group after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of the level of TCM syndrome scores in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the improvement of the level of TCM syndrome scores in the observation group was more obvious after four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， the UWDRS-Ⅱ scores in both groups after two treatment courses were not improved obviously， and the UWDRS-Ⅱ scores in both groups decreased after four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those of the control group after treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of the UWDRS-Ⅱ scores in the observation group after two treatment courses， and the improvement of the UWDRS-Ⅱ scores in the observation group after four treatment courses was more obvious （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， the 24-h urine copper levels were significantly higher in both groups after two and four treatment courses （P<0.05）. Compared with those in the control group after treatment， the 24-h urine copper levels in the observation group were significantly higher after two and four treatment courses （P<0.01）. After two treatment courses， the 24-h urine copper level in the observation group showed a gradual decreasing trend， although it was higher than that before treatment. After four treatment courses， the control group had an improvement rate of 91.43%， an effective rate of 34.29%， and an apparent rate of 2.86%. The observation group had an improvement rate of 94.29%， an effective rate of 71.43%， and an apparent rate of 8.57%. The efficacy of the observation group was better than that of the control group （P<0.05）. Conclusion① The efficacy of GDFMD combined with DMPS therapy in patients with WD-related liver fibrosis of liver-kidney deficiency and phlegm-blood stasis syndrome is significantly better than that of single DMPS therapy， and the advantages of the combined therapy are more obvious with the prolongation of the treatment cycle. ② GDFMD combined with the DMPS therapy program in the long-term application exhibits no obvious adverse reactions with good safety， which is worthy of clinical popularization and application.

Wilson disease （WD） is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism， and decoppering therapy and symptomatic treatment are the main Western medicine therapies for WD. This article systematically reviews the understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of WD in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and points out that abnormal natural endowment is the core etiology and pathogenesis of WD， with internal accumulation of copper toxicity as the manifestation， liver/spleen/kidney dysfunction as the root cause， and intermingled “toxin， stasis， phlegm， and deficiency” as the key pathogenesis. Literature research and clinical observation are conducted to summarize the common TCM syndromes of WD， including stagnation of liver Qi， internal retention of damp-heat， phlegm-stasis-heat accumulation syndrome， liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome， spleen-kidney Yang deficiency， and syndrome of deficiency damage and phlegm stasis. This article proposes the corresponding therapies and representative prescriptions for each syndrome and discusses the advantages of treatment by stage and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy. This article aims to provide a systematic reference for the syndrome differentiation-based treatment of WD in clinical practice of TCM， thereby giving full play to the advantages of TCM in the treatment of this disease.

ObjectiveTo analyze the influencing factors of hepatic fibrosis in patients with Wilson's disease （WD） and to develop and validate a predictive model for hepatic fibrosis in WD that integrates traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes and modern biomarkers， thus providing a basis for early identification of high-risk populations and medical intervention. MethodsThe clinical data of 220 WD patients diagnosed in the Department of Encephalopathy， The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine between January 2010 and December 2024 were retrospectively collected. Through a random number table， patients were assigned into a training set （154 patients） and a validation set （66 patients） in a 7∶3 ratio. Univariate COX regression， LASSO regression analysis， and multivariate COX regression analysis were performed to identify independent influencing factors for hepatic fibrosis in WD patients， and a clinical prediction model was established based on these factors. The discrimination， calibration， and clinical utility of the model were evaluated based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve （AUC）， calibration curves， and decision curve analysis （DCA）， respectively. ResultsA total of 220 patients were included. The syndrome of combined phlegm and stasis， triglycerides （TG）， laminin （LN）， and male gender were identified as independent risk factors for hepatic fibrosis in WD patients， while TCM intervention and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） were protective factors. The C-index indicated excellent discriminative ability （training set： 3-year AUC=0.908， 5-year AUC=0.869， 7-year AUC=0.829； validation set： 3-year AUC= 0.898， 5-year AUC=0.780， 7-year AUC=0.743）. Calibration curves showed good consistency. DCA demonstrated the clinical net benefit probabilities across different risk thresholds at various time points. ConclusionThe predictive model established in this study has high accuracy and can be conveniently used for the early identification and risk prediction of hepatic fibrosis in patients with WD.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Zhinao capsules in the treatment of mild and moderate sleep disorders in Alzheimer's disease patients with the syndrome of spleen-kidney deficiency and combined phlegm and stasis. MethodsA randomized， double-blind， placebo， controlled clinical trial design was adopted， and 60 Alzheimer's disease patients aged 50-85 years with mild and moderate sleep disorders due to spleen-kidney deficiency and combined phlegm and stasis were included. According to the randomized numble table method， the patients were assigned into a treatment group and a control group （30 in each group， with 29 patients in the treatment group and 28 patients in the control group finally completing the trial）. The treatment group was treated with donepezil hydrochloride tablets combined with Zhinao capsules， and the control group was treated with donepezil hydrochloride tablets combined with the simulant of Zhinao capsules for 12 weeks. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI）， smart bracelet sleep monitoring， epworth sleeping scale （ESS）， Mini-Mental State Examination （MMSE）， Activities of Daily Living （ADL）， and traditional Chinese medicine symptoms were scored. Furthermore， the brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） and gamma-aminobutyric acid （GABA） levels were measured. ResultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment， the total response rate of clinical efficacy assessment in the treatment group reached 89.7%， which was significantly higher than that （21.4%） in the control group （Z=-5.14， P<0.01）. After treatment， the TCM symptom scores declined in both groups （P<0.01）， and the scores in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group （P<0.01）. After treatment， the treatment group showed decreased total score and seven component scores of the PSQI scale （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the scores in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After treatment， the treatment group showed increases in the duration of deep sleep， light sleep， rapid eye movement sleep， and total sleep at night and decreases in the time to fall asleep， the number of awakenings from sleep at night， and the time for sporadic daytime naps （P<0.01）. The control group did not show significant changes in the duration of light sleep， time to fall asleep， and number of awakenings from sleep at night. Moreover， the treatment group outperformed the control group in terms of the indicators above （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After treatment， the treatment group showed decreased scores of ESS， ADL and its subscales physical self-maintenance scale （PSMS）， and Instrumental Activities of daily living scale （IADLs） and increased score of MMSE and levels of BDNF and GABA （P<0.05， P<0.01）. There was no significant difference in PSMS between the two groups， and the treatment group was significantly better than the control group in terms of the rest of the above indicators （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Patients in neither groups complained of uncomfortable symptoms. ConclusionZhinao capsules have significant clinical efficacy in treating patients with mild and moderate sleep disorders in Alzheimer's disease patients with the syndrome of spleen-kidney deficiency and combined phlegm and stasis. Zhinao capsules can significantly reduce PSQI， ESS， and ADL scores， increase the MMSE score and the expression of BDNF and GABA， effectively optimize the structure of sleep， improve the intelligence， and enhance the ability of daily life， without causing uncomfortable symptoms. The mechanism may be related to the increase in the expression of sleep/wake-related neurotransmitters.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Zhinao capsules in the treatment of mild and moderate sleep disorders in Alzheimer's disease patients with the syndrome of spleen-kidney deficiency and combined phlegm and stasis. MethodsA randomized， double-blind， placebo， controlled clinical trial design was adopted， and 60 Alzheimer's disease patients aged 50-85 years with mild and moderate sleep disorders due to spleen-kidney deficiency and combined phlegm and stasis were included. According to the randomized numble table method， the patients were assigned into a treatment group and a control group （30 in each group， with 29 patients in the treatment group and 28 patients in the control group finally completing the trial）. The treatment group was treated with donepezil hydrochloride tablets combined with Zhinao capsules， and the control group was treated with donepezil hydrochloride tablets combined with the simulant of Zhinao capsules for 12 weeks. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI）， smart bracelet sleep monitoring， epworth sleeping scale （ESS）， Mini-Mental State Examination （MMSE）， Activities of Daily Living （ADL）， and traditional Chinese medicine symptoms were scored. Furthermore， the brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） and gamma-aminobutyric acid （GABA） levels were measured. ResultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment， the total response rate of clinical efficacy assessment in the treatment group reached 89.7%， which was significantly higher than that （21.4%） in the control group （Z=-5.14， P<0.01）. After treatment， the TCM symptom scores declined in both groups （P<0.01）， and the scores in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group （P<0.01）. After treatment， the treatment group showed decreased total score and seven component scores of the PSQI scale （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the scores in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After treatment， the treatment group showed increases in the duration of deep sleep， light sleep， rapid eye movement sleep， and total sleep at night and decreases in the time to fall asleep， the number of awakenings from sleep at night， and the time for sporadic daytime naps （P<0.01）. The control group did not show significant changes in the duration of light sleep， time to fall asleep， and number of awakenings from sleep at night. Moreover， the treatment group outperformed the control group in terms of the indicators above （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After treatment， the treatment group showed decreased scores of ESS， ADL and its subscales physical self-maintenance scale （PSMS）， and Instrumental Activities of daily living scale （IADLs） and increased score of MMSE and levels of BDNF and GABA （P<0.05， P<0.01）. There was no significant difference in PSMS between the two groups， and the treatment group was significantly better than the control group in terms of the rest of the above indicators （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Patients in neither groups complained of uncomfortable symptoms. ConclusionZhinao capsules have significant clinical efficacy in treating patients with mild and moderate sleep disorders in Alzheimer's disease patients with the syndrome of spleen-kidney deficiency and combined phlegm and stasis. Zhinao capsules can significantly reduce PSQI， ESS， and ADL scores， increase the MMSE score and the expression of BDNF and GABA， effectively optimize the structure of sleep， improve the intelligence， and enhance the ability of daily life， without causing uncomfortable symptoms. The mechanism may be related to the increase in the expression of sleep/wake-related neurotransmitters.

ObjectiveTo analyze the lipid characteristics and related risk factors of children with Wilson disease （WD）. MethodsThe clinical data of 315 children with WD and 248 healthy children who underwent physical examination were retrospectively collected. The differences in lipid levels between the two groups were compared. The WD group was divided into the normal lipid group （85 cases） and the dyslipidemia group （230 cases） according to lipid levels. General data and biochemical indicators were compared between the two groups， and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors for dyslipidemia in children with WD. ResultsThe incidence of dyslipidemia in children with WD was 73.0% （230/315）， comprising 77 cases （33.5%） of hypertriglyceridemia， 11 cases （4.8%） of hypercholesterolemia， 104 cases （45.2%） of combined hyperlipidemia， 9 cases （3.9%） of hyperlipoprotein（a）emia， and 29 cases （12.6%） of hypoalphalipoproteinemia. There were statistically significant differences in age distribution among different types of dyslipidemia （P<0.05）， whereas no significant differences were observed in gender distribution （P>0.05）. Compared with the normal lipid group， the dyslipidemia group showed significantly higher levels of homocysteine， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， platelet count （PLT）， fibrinogen， alanine aminotransferase， aspartate aminotransferase， γ-glutamyl transferase， uric acid， cystatin C （Cys-C）， type IV collagen （C-IV）， and laminin （all P<0.05）. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that C-IV （OR=5.037， 95% CI： 2.562-9.900）， PLT （OR=2.297， 95% CI： 1.580-3.339）， Cys-C （OR=2.008， 95% CI： 1.395-2.890）， and SOD （OR=1.996， 95% CI： 1.342-2.970） were all independent risk factors for dyslipidemia in children with WD. ConclusionChildren with WD have a high incidence of dyslipidemia， which is dominated by combined hyperlipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia. C-IV， PLT， Cys-C， and SOD are independent risk factors for dyslipidemia in children with WD.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism through which Gantou Fumu decoction （GDFMT）-containing serum inhibits the activation of hepatic stellate cells. MethodsSerum pharmacology techniques were employed to prepare GDFMT-containing serum samples. Rat hepatic stellate cells （HSCT6） were randomly allocated into three groups： Control， penicillamine （90 mg·kg^-1）， and GDFMT （6.8 g·kg^-1）. Cell viability was assessed by the cell counting kti-8 （CCK-8） assay， intracellular ROS levels were determined by flow cytometry using the DCFH‑DA fluorescent probe and while extracellular collagen Ⅰ （ColⅠ） levels were quantified via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Intracellular α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） expression was visualized through immunofluorescence staining. Real-time polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were performed to evaluate alterations in the expression of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， glutamate cysteine ligase， catalytic （GCLC）， glutamate-cysteine ligase， modifier subunit （GCLM）， Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 （Keap1）， NAD（P）H：Quinone oxidoreductase 1 （NQO1）， and heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1）. Genetic knockdown of Nrf2 was achieved through small interfering （siRNA） transfection to validate pathway specificity. ResultsCCK-8 data indicated that under the selected experimental conditions， culturing HSCT6 cells with 10% （volume fraction） GDFMT-containing serum for 48 h demonstrated equivalent effect in inhibiting HSCT6 cell proliferation compared with culturing HSCT6 cells with 10% （volume fraction） penicillamine-containing serum for 36 h， with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. After treatment of HSCT6 cells with siRNA-mediated Nrf2 gene transfection technique， the inhibitory effect of GDFMT on the activation process of HSCT6 cells was significantly weakened. After HSCT6 cells were cultured with GDFMT-containing serum for 48 h， the flow cytometry with a fluorescence probe showed that the content of reactive oxygen species （ROS） in the cells was significantly reduced. After the expression level of the Nrf2 gene in HSCT6 cells was knocked down by siRNA transfection， the content of ROS increased （P<0.01）， indicating that GDFMT significantly reduced the ROS level in activated HSCT6 cells， and this effect strictly depended on the integrity of the Nrf2 pathway. Quantitative analysis by ELISA showed that the synthesis of ColⅠ in the HSCT6 cell culture system treated with GDFMT-containing serum for 48 h was lower than that in the control group （P<0.01）. After the Nrf2 gene level of HSCT6 cells was knocked down by siRNA transfection， the ColⅠ concentration in the culture supernatant increased （P<0.01）. The results of α-SMA detection by IF method showed that compared with the normal group， GDFMT-containing serum reduced the expression of α-SMA （P<0.01） and the protein level of α-SMA in HSCT6 cells was increased （P<0.01） after siRNA-mediated Nrf2 silencing， suggesting that Nrf2 signaling pathway may be involved in regulating the phenotypic transformation process of the cells. Real-time PCR and Western blot results showed that GDFMT-containing serum reduced the protein level of α-SMA （P<0.01） and enhanced the gene and protein levels of Nrf2 in the nucleus and GCLC， HO-1， Keap1， GCLM， and NQO1 in the cytoplasm of HSCT6 cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After the Nrf2 gene level of HSCT6 cells was knocked down by siRNA transfection， the protein level of α-SMA was increased （P<0.01）， and the levels of GCLC， GCLM， Keap1， NQO1， and HO-1 were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. These results indicated that GDFMT-containing serum successfully triggered the Nrf2 signaling pathway of HSCT6 cells. ConclusionThe anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of 10%GDFMT was equivalent to that of penicillamine. In addition， GDFMT can inhibit HSC activation and reduce oxidative stress damage by activating the Nrf2/antioxidant response element （ARE） pathway， as manifested by the up-regulated expression of Nrf2 and downstream antioxidant genes （GCLC， GCLM， HO-1， Keap1， and NQO1） and reduced secretion of ROS， α-SMA， and ColⅠ.

Objective: To explore the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in children with hepatolenticular degeneration (Wilson disease, WD) based on factor analysis and cluster analysis. Methods: From November 2018 to November 2023, general information (gender, age of admission, age of onset, course of disease, clinical staging, Western medicine clinical symptoms, and family history) and TCM four-examination informations (symptoms and signs) were retrospectively collected from 757 cases of children with WD at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, and factor analysis and cluster analysis were used to investigate TCM syndromes in children with WD. Results: A total of 757 children with WD were included, of which 483 were male and 274 were female; the median age at admission was 12.58 years, the median age at onset was 8.33 years, and the median course of disease was 24.37 months; clinical typing result indicated 506 cases of hepatic type, 133 cases of brain type, 99 cases of mixed-type, and 19 cases of other type; 36.46% of the children had no clinical symptoms (elevated aminotransferases or abnormalities in copper biochemistry); a total of 177 cases had a definite family history, and 10 cases had a suspected family history. Forty-three TCM four-examination information were obtained, with the top 10 in descending order being feeling listless and weak, brown urine, slow action, inappetence, dim complexion, slurred speech, angular salivation, body weight loss, hand and foot tremors, and abdominal fullness. In children with WD, the syndrome element of disease location was primarily characterized by the liver, involving the spleen and kidney, and the syndrome elements of disease nature were characterized by dampness, heat, and yin deficiency. Based on factor analysis and cluster analysis, five TCM syndromes were derived, which were, in order, syndrome of dampness-heat accumulation (265 cases, 35.01%), syndrome of yin deficiency of the liver and kidney (202 cases, 26.68%), syndrome of liver hyperactivity with spleen deficiency (185 cases, 24.44%), syndrome of qi and blood deficiency (79 cases, 10.44%), and syndrome of yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney (26 cases, 3.43%). Conclusion The TCM syndromes of children with WD were primarily syndromes of dampness-heat accumulation, yin deficiency of the liver and kidney, and liver hyperactivity with spleen deficiency. The liver was the main disease location, and the disease nature was characterized by deficiency in origin and excess in superficiality, excess and deficiency mixed. These findings suggest that treating children with WD should be based on the liver while also considering the spleen and kidney.