ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of Atractylodes chinensis volatile oil microemulsion in relieving depression， thus establishing a theoretical foundation and a new approach for developing it as a novel adjunctive antidepressant. MethodsSixty SD male rats were assigned into four groups： control， model （chronic unpredictable mild stress）， positive drug （flupentixol hydrochloride， 1.8 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， high-dose （16.2， 32.4， 64.8 mg·kg^-1） A. chinensis volatile oil microemulsion. The sucrose preference test， open field test， tail suspension test， and forced swimming test were conducted to measure the sucrose preference rate， total exercise distance， average speed， resting time， tail suspension time， and swimming immobility time before and after treatment. The morphology of the rat brain tissue was visualized by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， norepinephrine （NE）， and cortisol （CORT） in the hippocampal tissue were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Real-time PCR was used to detect mRNA level differences of cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， protein kinase A （PKA）， cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein （CREB）， brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， and tyrosine kinase B （TrkB） in the hippocampus. Western blot was employed to assess protein level variations of cAMP， PKA， CREB， BDNF， and TrkB in the same tissue samples. ResultsCompared with that in the blank group， the body mass of rats in low-， medium-， high-dose A. chinensis volatile oil emulsion groups decreased （P<0.05）， indicating that the modeling was successful. Compared with the model group， medium-， high-dose A. chinensis volatile oil emulsion shortened the tail suspension time， swimming immobility time， and resting time （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while increasing the sucrose preference rate， total exercise distance， and average speed （P<0.01）. No significant changes were observed in the low-dose A. chinensis volatile oil emulsion group. ELISA results indicated that CORT concentrations in the hippocampal tissue of medium and high-dose A. chinensis volatile oil emulsion groups decreased （P<0.01）. In the high-dose group， 5-HT and NE concentrations increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while they had no significant changes in the low-dose group. Real-time PCR results revealed that the mRNA levels of cAMP， PKA， and CREB in the hippocampus of the medium-dose Beicangzhu volatile oil emulsion group increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and those of cAMP， PKA， CREB， BDNF， and TrkB were upregulated in the high-dose Beicangshu volatile oil microemulsion group （P<0.01）. Western blot and immunofluorescence results demonstrated that the protein levels of cAMP， PKA， and TrkB in the hippocampal tissue of the low-dose A. chinensis volatile oil microemulsion group were up-regulated （P<0.05）. The medium-dose Beicangzhu volatile oil emulsion group exhibited increases in protein levels of cAMP， PKA， BDNF， and TrkB （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the high-dose group showed elevationsin protein levels of cAMP， PKA， CREB， BDNF， and TrkB （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBeicangzhu volatile oil emulsion demonstrates certain antidepressant efficacy by inhibiting CORT expression， upregulating the expression of 5-HT， NE， cAMP， PKA， CREB， BDNF， and TrkB， activating the CREB/BDNF signaling pathway to improve the cerebral protection.

ObjectiveThis study systematically analyzed the arginine metabolic dysregulation in the rat model of heart failure （HF）， providing a modern scientific basis for elucidating the pathogenesis of HF and offering new insights for the prevention and treatment of HF with traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. MethodsA thoracotomy was performed to ligate the left anterior descending coronary artery of rats， which induced acute myocardial ischemia and thus led to the development of post-myocardial infarction heart failure. The rats were divided into a sham surgery group and a model group， with eight rats in each group. Serum targeted metabolomics analysis was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry （UPLC-TQ-S）， and the spatial distribution of metabolites in cardiac tissue was observed using airflow-assisted desorption electrospray ionizationmass spectrometry imaging （AFADESI-MSI）. Targets associated with HF and arginine metabolism were screened from databases including GeneCards and the Gene Expression Omnibus （GEO）， a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed， and enrichment analysis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway and Gene Ontology （GO） was performed. Finally， molecular docking was conducted to verify the binding between core metabolic components and key targets， and potential TCMs were predicted based on the core pathways and targets. ResultsCompared with the sham surgery group， the levels of arginine and citrulline in the serum of model rats were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while those of proline， ornithine， creatine， creatinine and glutamate were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Cardiac mass spectrometry imaging showed a decreased abundance of arginine in the local myocardial tissue. Bioinformatics analysis identified 24 core functional targets， such as the angiotensin-converting enzyme （ACE）， neuronal nitric oxide synthase （NOS1）， 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2A （HTR2A）， and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， and enrichment analysis indicated that these targets were significantly involved in the calcium signaling pathway， neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions， and phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway. Molecular docking confirmed strong binding activities between arginine， citrulline and HTR2A， as well as between creatine， creatinine and EGFR. Based on pathway-target prediction， potential TCM interventions， such as ginseng and magnolia， were identified. ConclusionThis study revealed characteristic arginine metabolic disorder in HF， and the core targets of HF were closely associated with the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway. It provides a modern biological interpretation of the pathogenesis of HF in TCM from the perspectives of metabolites and signaling pathways， and offers valuable insights for targeted therapy of HF and the development of TCM.

ObjectiveThis study systematically analyzed the arginine metabolic dysregulation in the rat model of heart failure （HF）， providing a modern scientific basis for elucidating the pathogenesis of HF and offering new insights for the prevention and treatment of HF with traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. MethodsA thoracotomy was performed to ligate the left anterior descending coronary artery of rats， which induced acute myocardial ischemia and thus led to the development of post-myocardial infarction heart failure. The rats were divided into a sham surgery group and a model group， with eight rats in each group. Serum targeted metabolomics analysis was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry （UPLC-TQ-S）， and the spatial distribution of metabolites in cardiac tissue was observed using airflow-assisted desorption electrospray ionizationmass spectrometry imaging （AFADESI-MSI）. Targets associated with HF and arginine metabolism were screened from databases including GeneCards and the Gene Expression Omnibus （GEO）， a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed， and enrichment analysis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway and Gene Ontology （GO） was performed. Finally， molecular docking was conducted to verify the binding between core metabolic components and key targets， and potential TCMs were predicted based on the core pathways and targets. ResultsCompared with the sham surgery group， the levels of arginine and citrulline in the serum of model rats were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while those of proline， ornithine， creatine， creatinine and glutamate were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Cardiac mass spectrometry imaging showed a decreased abundance of arginine in the local myocardial tissue. Bioinformatics analysis identified 24 core functional targets， such as the angiotensin-converting enzyme （ACE）， neuronal nitric oxide synthase （NOS1）， 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2A （HTR2A）， and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， and enrichment analysis indicated that these targets were significantly involved in the calcium signaling pathway， neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions， and phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway. Molecular docking confirmed strong binding activities between arginine， citrulline and HTR2A， as well as between creatine， creatinine and EGFR. Based on pathway-target prediction， potential TCM interventions， such as ginseng and magnolia， were identified. ConclusionThis study revealed characteristic arginine metabolic disorder in HF， and the core targets of HF were closely associated with the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway. It provides a modern biological interpretation of the pathogenesis of HF in TCM from the perspectives of metabolites and signaling pathways， and offers valuable insights for targeted therapy of HF and the development of TCM.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to systematically reveal the effect difference and mechanisms of Zishenwan against chronic prostatitis （CP） before and after salt-processing of Anemarrhenae rhizoma and Phellodendri chinensis cortex based on an integrated strategy of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS）， network pharmacology， and serum metabolomics. MethodsZishenwan samples before and after salt-processing of Anemarrhenae rhizoma and Phellodendri chinensis cortex were extracted by alcohol-water dual extraction. The chemical components of each sample were detected by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS， and differential components were screened by multivariate statistical analysis. Network pharmacology analysis was performed based on the identified chemical components of Zishenwan to construct a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network of "component， target， and pathway"， and the core components， targets， and pathways of Zishenwan against CP were screened. Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a blank group， a model group， a Qianliekang group （1.54 g·kg^-1）， low- and high-dose raw Zishenwan groups （1.8， 5.4 g·kg^-1）， and low- and high-dose salt-processed Zishenwan groups （1.8， 5.4 g·kg^-1）. The CP rat model was established by intraprostatic injection of carrageenan. After one week of recovery， the rats were administered the corresponding drugs for 21 days， while those in the blank group and model group received the same volume of normal saline. After the experiment， serum and tissue samples were collected to evaluate pharmacodynamic indicators including organ indices， histopathology， and inflammatory factors in serum. Subsequently， untargeted serum metabolomics technology was used to analyze metabolite changes and perform pathway enrichment analysis. The network pharmacology was used to construct a network of "differential metabolite， reaction， enzyme， and gene". ResultsA total of 76 components were identified in raw and salt-processed Zishenwan， and 34 differential components were screened by multivariate statistical analysis. Among them， the contents of 14 components， including berberine， berberrubine， and phellodendrine， increased after salt-processing， while the contents of 20 components， such as neomangiferin， decreased. The 28 active components and 185 potential targets were screened out by network pharmacology. The core components included berberine， phellodendrine， magnoflorine， and jatrorrhizine， and the core targets included signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， protein kinase B1 （Akt1）， and transcription factor AP-1 （JUN）. These targets were significantly enriched in pro-inflammatory signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） and mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）. Compared with the model group， all Zishenwan administration groups showed decreased prostate index， reduced levels of interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-18， and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） in serum （P<0.05， P<0.01）， as well as varying degrees of alleviation in histopathological damage. At the same dose， compared with the raw Zishenwan groups， the salt-processed Zishenwan groups showed lower prostate index， pathological scores， and IL-1β， IL-18， and Bcl-2 levels in serum， but the differences were not statistically significant. Metabolomics reveals that 38 differential metabolites were reversed after salt-processed Zishenwan administration. Both raw and salt-processed Zishenwan regulated pathways such as β-alanine metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. In addition to the common regulated pathways， the salt-processed group specifically regulated pantothenate and coenzyme A biosynthesis， pyrimidine metabolism， and arginine and proline metabolism. The intersecting pathways between network pharmacology and metabolomics were tryptophan metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism， with overlapping targets including monoamine oxidase A （MAOA） and arginase 1 （ARG1）. ConclusionThe increased contents of components such as berberine and phellodendrine in salt-processed Zishenwan may enhance its therapeutic effect on CP by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways， along with multi-target regulation of tryptophan， arginine， and pantothenate metabolism pathways to comprehensively regulate inflammatory and immune responses.

Objective To assess the clinical value of a novel surgical technique—Tubeless subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with percutaneous suspension technique via balance-shaped sternal elevation device in the resection of anterior mediastinal masses. Methods Patients who underwent tubeless subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery via balance-shaped sternal elevation device in anterior mediastinal masses process at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from March to April 2025 were included, and their clinical data were analyzed. Results A total of 4 patients were included, with 2 males and 2 females, aged 58-75 years. The diameter of the tumor was 2.5-3.0 cm. The operation time was 60.0-150.0 min, intraoperative blood loss was 5-10 mL, pain score on the 3rd day after surgery was 0 points, and postoperative hospital stay was 2-3 days. All patients achieved complete resection of the masses and thymus without perioperative complications. Conclusion The tubeless subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with percutaneous suspension technique via balance-shaped sternal elevation device technique optimizes surgical visualization and instrument maneuverability while avoiding complications related to conventional anesthesia and tubing, thereby markedly enhancing the minimally invasive profile of anterior mediastinal masses resections. In addition to maintaining procedural safety, this approach effectively reduces postoperative pain and accelerates patient recovery, highlighting its potential for widespread clinical adoption.

With the continuous development of society, a large number of new chemicals are continuously emerging, which presents a challenge to current risk assessment and safety management of chemicals. Traditional toxicology research methods have certain limitations in quickly, efficiently, and accurately assessing the toxicity of many chemicals, and cannot meet the actual needs. In response to this challenge, computational toxicology that use mathematical and computer models to achieve the prediction of chemical toxicity has emerged. In the meantime, as researchers increasingly pay attention to understanding the interaction mechanisms between exogenous chemical substances and the body from the system level, and multiomics technologies develop rapidly such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, huge amounts of data have been generated, providing rich information resources for studying the interactions between chemical substances and biological molecules. System toxicology and network toxicology have also developed accordingly. Of these, network toxicology can integrate these multiomics data to construct biomolecular networks, and then quickly predict the key toxicological targets and pathways of chemicals at the molecular level. This paper outlined the concept and development of network toxicology, summarized the main methods and supporting tools of network toxicology research, expounded the application status of network toxicology in studying potential toxicity of exogenous chemicals such as agricultural chemicals, environmental pollutants, industrial chemicals, and foodborne chemicals, and analyzed the development prospects and limitations of network toxicology research. This paper aimed to provide a reference for the application of network toxicology in other fields.

Objective: To evaluate the intervention efficacy of integrated group social skills training on social ability in school age patients with high functioning ASD, so as to provide a reference for improving social skills in children with high functioning ASD. Methods: From January 2021 to December 2023, 62 children aged 7-12 with high functioning ASD who visited the Children s Psychiatry Outpatient Department of the Affiliated Kangning Hospital of Ningbo University were recruited, and were randomly divided into a training ( n =31) and a control group ( n =31) by a random number table method. The training group received a 20 week structured group social training program (mental interpretation courses and social courses), while the control group received only conventional treatment. Chinese version of Griffith Empathy Measure Parent Ratings (GEM-PR) and Social Response Scale (SRS) were used to assess the symptoms of social deficits before and after treatment. Emotional face recognition tasks and eye movement trajectories were used to test the characteristics of social visual attention in children with ASD. Group comparison was conducted using t-test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences in GEM-PR score ( t = -1.20 to -0.81), SRS score ( t =-0.36-1.75), emotional face recognition accuracy and reaction time ( t =-0.58-1.85), and eye movement trajectory ( U/t =-1.63-0.29) between the two group ( P >0.05). After intervention, the total GEM-PR score and empathic cognitive factor score of training group [18.00(10.00，24.00)，9.00(8.00，13.00)] were significantly higher than those of the control group [12.00(-1.00，18.00)，2.00(-2.00，7.00)], and the total SRS score and social cognition, social perception, social communication, social motivation (73.23±14.20, 16.16±2.72, 6.58±2.50, 24.29±5.61, 9.52±3.73) were significantly lower than those of the control group (95.26±15.29, 19.90±2.84, 12.58±2.49,31.94±6.38, 13.74±4.81) ( U/t =-2.38, -4.59; -5.88, -5.29, -9.47, -5.01, -3.87, P <0.05). The overall correct rate of emotional face recognition and the correct rate of angry, fearful and neutral faces recognition in the training group [(81.55±6.62)%，(76.86±12.06)%，(79.61±12.42)%，(94.27±6.26)%] were significantly higher than the control group [(70.55±13.82)%，(62.82±18.77)%，(67.18±18.85)%，(79.60±20.05)%], and the average reaction time [(2 226.70±274.43)ms] was lower than the control group [(2 417.27±324.10)ms] (t=4.00, 3.50, 3.07, 3.89, -2.42, P<0.05). The time to first eye gaze [764.74 (748.64, 793.73) ms] in the training group was significantly lower than that in the control group [810.92 (782.86, 877.42) ms], and the proportion of moderatetohigh intensity attention area in the face [(37.37±1.27)%] was significantly higher than that in the control group [(30.34±1.23)%] (U/t=3.44, 8.89, P<0.05). Conclusion Integrated group social training can significantly improve the social communication and empathy ability of high functioning ASD children, increase active attention and recognition ability of faces, and improve mental development of children with ASD.

Objective To optimize the platelet enrichment method,and to analyze the concentration changes of key molecules in platelet-rich plasma(PRP)before and after activation,as well as the impact of its activated products on the proliferation of rat endothelial progenitor cells.Methods The tube double-centrifu-gation method was employed to optimize platelet enrichment,and the platelet count in the enriched PRP was measured.ELISA was used to detect the concentration changes of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),endostatin(ES),and P-selectin(CD62P)in PRP before and after activation.The PRP was activated by using liquid nitrogen freeze-thaw method,and the effect of its activated products on the proliferation of rat endothelial progenitor cells was evaluated by using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT)assay.Results The optimal enrichment coefficient of platelets achieved by the double-centrifugation method was 4.63.After low-speed,long-duration double centrifugation,the platelet count was highest in the upper layer of the buffy coat.For PRP with a platelet count of 500× 109/L obtained by machine collection,the VEGF con-centrations before and after activation were(3 418.12±488.80)pg/mL and(4 530.04±308.30)pg/mL,re-spectively,the ES concentrations were(6 168.98±253.22)pg/mL and(6 594.65±82.47)pg/mL,respec-tively,the CD62P concentrations were(6 678.23±324.15)pg/mL and(17 630.53±746.24)pg/mL,respec-tively,statistically significant differences were observed in the above indicators before and after activation(P＜0.01).The activated PRP was diluted in a gradient manner by using a specialized culture medium for en-dothelial progenitor cells.MTT assay results indicated that,in the basal medium,the optimal volume fraction for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation was 0.25％after 48 hours of culture;in the complete medium,the optimal volume fractions for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation were 0.062 5％after 24 hours and 0.125％after 48 hours.Conclusion The concentrations of VEGF,ES,and CD62P in the optimized,enriched PRP exhibited significant changes before and after activation.The optimal volume fraction for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation in the basal medium was 0.25％.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) serves as a treasure trove of ancient knowledge, holding a crucial position in the medical field. However, the exploration of TCM's extensive information has been hindered by challenges related to data standardization, completeness, and accuracy, primarily due to the decentralized distribution of TCM resources. To address these issues, we developed a platform for TCM knowledge discovery (TCMKD, https://cbcb.cdutcm.edu.cn/TCMKD/). Seven types of data, including syndromes, formulas, Chinese patent drugs (CPDs), Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs), ingredients, targets, and diseases, were manually proofread and consolidated within TCMKD. To strengthen the integration of TCM with modern medicine, TCMKD employs analytical methods such as TCM data mining, enrichment analysis, and network localization and separation. These tools help elucidate the molecular-level commonalities between TCM and contemporary scientific insights. In addition to its analytical capabilities, a quick question and answer (Q&A) system is also embedded within TCMKD to query the database efficiently, thereby improving the interactivity of the platform. The platform also provides a TCM text annotation tool, offering a simple and efficient method for TCM text mining. Overall, TCMKD not only has the potential to become a pivotal repository for TCM, delving into the pharmacological foundations of TCM treatments, but its flexible embedded tools and algorithms can also be applied to the study of other traditional medical systems, extending beyond just TCM.

Functional dyspepsia (FD), characterized by persistent or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms without identifiable organic, systemic or metabolic causes, is an increasingly recognized global health issue. The objective of this guideline is to equip clinicians and nursing professionals with evidence-based strategies for the management and treatment of adult patients with FD using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Guideline Development Group consulted existing TCM consensus documents on FD and convened a panel of 35 clinicians to generate initial clinical queries. To address these queries, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, China Biology Medicine (SinoMed) Database, Wanfang Database, Traditional Medicine Research Data Expanded (TMRDE), and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS). The evidence from the literature was critically appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The strength of the recommendations was ascertained through a consensus-building process involving TCM and allopathic medicine experts, methodologists, pharmacologists, nursing specialists, and health economists, leveraging their collective expertise and empirical knowledge. The guideline comprises a total of 43 evidence-informed recommendations that span a range of clinical aspects, including the pathogenesis according to TCM, diagnostic approaches, therapeutic interventions, efficacy assessments, and prognostic considerations. Please cite this article as: Zhang SS, Zhao LQ, Hou XH, Bian ZX, Zheng JH, Tian HH, Yang GH, Hong WS, He YY, Liu L, Shen H, Li YP, Xie S, Shu J, Zeng BF, Li JX, Liu Z, Xiao ZH, Xiao JD, Zheng PY, Huang SG, Chen SL, Fei GJ. International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025). J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):502-518.
Dyspepsia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*