Zhigancao Tang， derived from the Treatise on Cold Damage，is a classic and renowned formula for treating "intermittent and irregular pulse， and palpitations of the heart". It has an exquisite formulation. By replenishing Qi， nourishing Yin， activating Yang， and restoring the pulse， it achieves the dual supplementation of Yin and Yang， and the simultaneous treatment of Qi and blood. With the practical expansion by practitioners over successive dynasties， the application scope of this formula has been continuously expanding， extending from traditional cardiovascular diseases to diseases of multiple systems， fully reflecting the theoretical characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） of "treating different diseases with the same method". Modern research shows that Zhigancao Tang not only has a remarkable curative effect on cardiovascular diseases but is also widely applied to diseases of the respiratory， nervous， digestive， endocrine， oncologic， gynecologic， and otorhinolaryngologic systems， demonstrating its interdisciplinary clinical application value. At the same time， research on the mechanism of action of Zhigancao Tang is also continuously deepening. The mechanisms by which it treats diseases involve multiple aspects， including anti-arrhythmic effects， myocardial protection， anti-fibrosis， antioxidative stress and anti‑inflammatory effects， regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism， enhancing hematopoietic function， and improving hemorheology. These mechanisms work synergistically to jointly regulate the physiological functions of the body and play a role in treating diseases. However， there are still some deficiencies in current research. For example， the sample size of some clinical trials is small， most of the mechanism studies are based on animal models or in vitro experiments， there is insufficient high-quality evidence from clinical trials， the composition of the compound formula is complex， and the pharmacodynamic material basis and the rules of compatibility still need to be deeply analyzed. By consulting relevant literature， this article systematically summarizes the modern clinical application and action mechanism of Zhigancao Tang， aiming to provide new ideas for its subsequent in-depth research and clinical application， promote the integrated development of classic TCM formulas and modern medicine， and further explore its great potential in clinical treatment.

OBJECTIVE To comprehensively evaluate the efficacy， safety and cost-effectiveness of insulin icodec in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）， providing evidence-based guidance for new drug selection in hospital and clinical medication decision-making. METHODS PubMed， Cochrane Library， Embase， CNKI， Wanfang， VIP and foreign health technology assessment （HTA） websites were searched by using rapid health technology assessment from inception to 15 July 2025 for systematic reviews/meta-analyses， pharmacoeconomic studies， and HTA reports on insulin icodec in the treatment of T2DM. After data extraction and quality assessment， the findings of the included studies were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS Ten systematic reviews/meta-analyses and three pharmacoeconomic studies were included. Among them， 4 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were of high quality； the overall quality of the 3 pharmacoeconomic studies was relatively good. Regarding efficacy， insulin icodec was superior to once-daily basal insulin in reducing glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c） and in achieving the target of HbA1c＜7% （P＜0.05）. No significant differences were observed between icodec insulin and comparators in lowering fasting plasma glucose （P＞0.05）. For safety， insulin icodec did not increase the incidence of any adverse events （AEs）， serious AEs， clinically significant hypoglycemia （random glucose＜3 mmol/L）， injection-site reactions， or allergic reactions， compared with once-daily basal insulin overall （P＞ 0.05）； however， insulin icodec was associated with a significant increase in body weight （P＜0.05）. Domestic economic evaluations indicated that insulin icodec was more cost-effective than insulin glargine and insulin degludec when its annual costs were in the range of 784.90-1 145.96 and 597.66-736.34 US dollars， respectively. CONCLUSIONS Insulin icodec demonstrates favorable efficacy and safety profiles in the treatment of T2DM； however， attention should be paid to the risk of weight gain. Under China’s healthcare system， insulin icodec demonstrates greater economic value only when the patient’s weekly required basal insulin dose falls within a specific range，and clinical practice requires individualization.

Disrupted bone morphogenetic protein type 2 receptor (BMPR2) signaling in endothelial cells drives pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, targeted recovery of this signaling pathway by lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) has not been explored as a therapy. Here, we employed Design of Experiments to optimize the delivery efficiency of LNPs targeting pulmonary endothelial cells developed by our laboratory, resulting in a remarkable 35-fold increase in a simplified three-component formulation without helper lipids. Administration of BMPR2 mRNA LNPs effectively reversed established PAH in two experimental rat models (monocrotaline or SU5416-hypoxia) by reversing pulmonary vascular remodeling. Specifically, BMPR2 mRNA LNPs replenished the expression of BMPR2 protein and subsequently activated downstream pathways, as confirmed by elevated levels of p-SMAD1/5/9 and ID1 proteins. The relief of pulmonary arterial occlusion was demonstrated by thinned pulmonary arterial media and decreased proportion of full muscularized vessels. Alleviation of right ventricular hypertrophy was indicated by declined Fulton index, the cross-sectional area of right ventricular cardiomyocytes as well as collagen deposition. Effective recovery of right ventricular function was evidenced by increased pulmonary artery flow acceleration time/pulmonary artery flow ejection time ratio. These findings underscore the potential of restoring BMPR2 signaling through pulmonary endothelial cell-specific LNPs for treating PAH.

Objective:To investigate the effect of Xuebijing injection against blood-brain barrier(BBB)damage in the mice with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor(NMDAR)encephalitis,and to elucidate its regulatory effect on the imbalance of helper T cells 17(Th17)/regulatory T cells(Treg).Methods:The active immunization models of anti-NMDAR encephalitis in the mice were established using glutamate receptor N1 subunit(GluN1)356-385 antigen peptide,and the serum anti-NMDAR immunoglobulin G(IgG)antibody levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The healthy mice without modeling were served as control group,and the mice with successful modeling were randomly divided into model group,low dose of Xuebijing injection(XBJ-L)group,and high dose of Xuebijing injection(XBJ-H)group,with 10 mice in each group.After modeling,the mice in XBJ-L and XBJ-H groups were intraperitoneally injected with 5 and 10 mL·kg-1 Xuebijing injection,respectively.The Longa score was used to assess the neurological impairment of the mice in various groups;evans blue(EB)staining was used to determine the BBB permeability;immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expressions of zonula occludens 1(ZO-1)and Occludin in cerebral cortex of the mice in various groups;Western blotting method was used to determine the expression levels of ZO-1,Occludin,Claudin-5,and neuron-specific nuclear protein(NeuN)in cerebral cortex of the mice in various groups;ELISA method was used to determine the levels of Th17-and Treg-related cytokines including interleukin(IL)-17,IL-22,and IL-10 in serum of the mice;flow cytometry was used to determine the percentages of Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood of the mice in various groups,and the Th17/Treg ratio was calculated.Results:The serum of the mice induced with the GluN1 356-385 antigen peptide was positive for NMDAR IgG antibodies,indicating that the models were successfully established.Compared with control group,the neurological impairment score of the mice in model group was significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the EB level in brain tissue was significantly increased(P＜0.05);the fluorescence staining intensities of ZO-1 and Occludin in the cerebral cortex were decreased,and the expression levels of ZO-1,Occludin,Claudin-5,and NeuN proteins in the cerebral cortex were significantly decreased(P＜0.05);the serum levels of IL-17 and IL-22 were significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the IL-10 level was significantly decreased(P＜0.05);the percentage of Th17 cells in peripheral blood was significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the percentage of Treg cells was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),and the Th17/Treg ratio was significantly increased(P＜0.05).Compared with model group,the neurological impairment scores of the mice in XBJ-L and XBJ-H groups were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the EB levels in brain tissue were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the fluorescence staining intensities of ZO-1 and Occludin in cerebral cortex were increased,and the expression levels of ZO-1,Occludin,Claudin-5,and NeuN proteins were significantly increased(P＜0.05);the levels of IL-17 and IL-22 in serum were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),and the level of IL-10 was significantly increased(P＜0.05);the percentages of Th17 cells in peripheral blood were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the percentages of Treg cells were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the Th17/Treg ratios were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with XBJ-L group,the neurological function injury score of the mice in XBJ-H group was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the EB level in brain tissue was significantly decreased(P＜0.05);the fluorescence staining intensities of ZO-1 and Occludin in the cerebral cortex were increased,and the expression levels of ZO-1,Occludin,Claudin-5,and NeuN proteins were significantly increased(P＜0.05);the serum levels of IL-17 and IL-22 were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),and the level of IL-10 was significantly increased(P＜0.05);the percentage of Th17 cells in peripheral blood was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the percentage of Treg cells was significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the Th17/Treg ratio was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Xuebijing injection can improve BBB injury,regulate Th17/Treg balance,and thereby alleviate the neurological functional damage in anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

Objectives:To investigate association of the non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (NHHR) with the stroke severity and short-term outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), and to evaluate the predictive value of NHHR for outcome.Methods:Patients with the first-ever AIS admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from June 2018 to June 2024 whose etiological types were large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), small vessel occlusion (SVO) and cardiac embolism (CE) were included retrospectively. According to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission, the patients were divided into mild stroke group (≤8) and moderate to severe stroke group (>8). According to the modified Rankin Scale score at discharge, they were divided into good outcome group (≤2) and poor outcome group (>2). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was use to determine the independent correlation between NHHR and stroke severity and short-term outcome in patients with AIS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of NHHR for short-term poor outcome in overall patients with AIS and different etiological subtypes. Results:A total of 2 865 patients with AIS were enrolled, including 1 925 males (67.2%), aged (61.00 ± 10.17) years. 2 483 patients (86.67%) had mild stroke and 382 (13.33%) had moderate to severe stroke; 2 161 (75.43%) had good short-term outcome, while 704 (24.57%) had poor short-term outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NHHR was significantly and independently associated with moderate to severe stroke (odds ratio [ OR] 2.251, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.895-2.675; P<0.001) and poor short-term outcome ( OR 3.454, 95% CI 2.936-4.063; P<0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that NHHR had a high predictive value for short-term poor outcome in patients with AIS (the area under the curve [AUC] 0.764, 95% CI 0.745-0.784), and it also demonstrated high predictive value in patients with various etiological types such as LAA (AUC=0.755, 95% CI 0.730-0.781), SVO (AUC=0.801, 95% CI 0.777-0.824) and CE (AUC=0.797, 95% CI 0.774-0.820). Conclusion:NHHR is significantly correlated with the severity of stroke and poor short-term outcome in patients with AIS, and has a high predictive value for poor short-term outcome.

Objective To analyze the verification results of national laboratories involved in urinary sodium and potassium monitoring. Methods A total of 416 blinded verification samples from 32 monitoring laboratories, which participated in the national 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium detection verification comparison program in 2023 and 2024, were included as the study subjects. These samples were reanalyzed by both the monitoring laboratories and a reference laboratory using the ion-selective electrode method. Results The overall qualification rates for the 32 laboratories were 84.3% (182/216) in 2023 and 82.0% (164/200) in 2024, with 62.5% (20/32) achieving qualified results for two consecutive years. In 2023, centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) laboratories had higher qualification rates than the third-party laboratories for both 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium (95.2% vs 78.8%, 95.2% vs 75.8%, both P<0.05). This difference was not significant in 2024 (87.8% vs 78.0%, 90.2% vs 76.3%, both P>0.05). There was no significant difference in median absolute relative deviation of urinary sodium results from monitoring laboratories between 2023 and 2024 (2.7% vs 2.1%, P>0.05), whereas the median absolute relative deviation of urinary potassium results in 2024 was lower than that in 2023 (3.4% vs 8.4%, P<0.01). Conclusion The detection accuracy of national laboratories for urinary sodium and potassium monitoring shows an overall improving trend, with the accuracy of potassium measurement showing particular enhancement. There is no significant difference in the detection qualification rates between laboratories of the CDC and the third-party laboratories, suggesting that a sustained verification feedback mechanism is key to driving quality improvement.

Objective:To investigate associations between cardiac biomarkers with stroke severity and short-term outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:Patients with AIS admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from June 2018 to February 2024 whose etiological classification was large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), small vessel occlusion (SVO) or cardioembolism (CE) were included retrospectively. According to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at admission, patients were divided into mild stroke group (≤8) and moderate to severe stroke group (>8). According to the modified Rankin Scale score at discharge, patients were divided into good outcome group (≤2) and poor outcome group (>2). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent correlation between cardiac biomarkers and short-term outcome. The predictive value of cardiac biomarkers for poor outcome in patients with AIS and different stroke etiology subtypes were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results:A total of 2 151 patients with AIS were enrolled, including 1 256 males (58.4%), aged 67.40±11.34 years. 1 079 patents were LAA type (50.2%), 679 were SVO type (31.6%), and 393 were CE type (18.3%); 1 223 were mild stroke (56.86%) and 928 (43.14%) were moderate to severe stroke; 1 357 patients (63.09%) had good short-term outcome, and 794 (36.91%) had poor short-term outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), NT-proBNP/creatine kinase (CK) isoenzyme MB (CK-MB) ratio, and CK-MB/CK ratio were independent risk factors for poor short-term outcome. ROC curve analysis shows that the CK-MB/CK ratio had a higher predictive value for short-term poor outcome in patients with AIS (the area under the curve, 0.859, 95% confidence interval 0.839-0.879). Various cardiac biomarkers had a higher predictive value for short-term outcome of CE type and LAA type, but the predictive value for short-term outcome of SVO type was lower. Conclusions:Cardiac biomarkers are associated with the severity and poor outcome of AIS. NT-proBNP/CK-MB and CK-MB/CK ratios have higher predictive value for short-term poor outcome of AIS, especially in patients with CE type.

BACKGROUND:Acupotomy is an effective method for the clinical treatment of osteoarthritis,with affirmed clinical outcomes,but the specific mechanisms remain unclear OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role of acupotomy in modulating chondrocyte autophagy to promote chondrocyte homeostasis in osteoarthritis. METHODS:Twenty-eight New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into control group,osteoarthritis group,acupotomy group,and hyaluronic acid group,with seven rabbits in each group.The knee osteoarthritis rabbit model was prepared using the Videman method in the latter three groups.After modeling,the control group and osteoarthritis group received no interventions.The acupotomy group received acupotomy treatment 15 minutes per time,once a week,while the hyaluronic acid group received intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid once a week,with a continuous treatment duration of 5 weeks.The day after the final intervention,knee joint macrostructure was observed using DR imaging,chondrocyte ultrastructure was examined through transmission electron microscopy,apoptosis of chondrocytes was assessed using Tunel staining,and western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of proteins related to the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The DR imaging results revealed that the osteoarthritis group exhibited narrowed knee joint spaces and the formation of periarticular osteophytes,while the hyaluronic acid group and acupotomy group showed widened knee joint spaces with a reduction in periarticular osteophytes.Transmission electron microscopy results demonstrated a decreased number of autophagosomes in chondrocytes in the osteoarthritis group,along with nuclear shrinkage,nuclear membrane rupture,incomplete organelle morphology,and a clear tendency towards cell death.In contrast,both the hyaluronic acid group and acupotomy group exhibited a significant increase in autophagosomes,intact nuclear membranes,and a well-preserved cellular state.Tunel staining results indicated a considerable decrease in the number of apoptotic cells in the hyaluronic acid group and acupotomy group compared with the osteoarthritis group.Western blot results revealed that,compared with the control group,the expression levels of Beclin1,Cath D,and LC3II/LC3I were significantly decreased in the osteoarthritis group(P<0.05),while the expression levels of p-Akt/Akt and p-mTOR/mTOR were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with the osteoarthritis group,the expression levels of Beclin1,Cath D,and LC3II/LC3I were significantly increased in both the hyaluronic acid group and acupotomy group(P<0.05),while the expression levels of p-Akt/Akt and p-mTOR/mTOR were significantly decreased(P<0.05).To conclude,acupotomy intervention can modulate the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway to enhance the autophagic level in chondrocytes,thereby maintaining chondrocyte homeostasis.This ultimately leads to a slowdown in cartilage degeneration.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and outcomes of type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and compare with type 1 AIP.Methods:Clinical data of the patients diagnosed with type 2 AIP by the International Consensus on diagnostic criteria of AIP at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2001 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and type 1 AIP patients diagnosed in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1985 to December 2016 were collected as controls. The clinical symptoms, treatments and follow-ups were analyzed.Results:A total of 25 patients with type 2 AIP were included, of which 16 cases (64.0%) were pathologically confirmed cases (13 cases by endoscopic ultrasound puncture, 2 cases by surgery, and 1 case by interventional puncture), and 9 cases (36.0%) were suspected. The average age of onset was 40 years old. Most patients ( n=23, 92.0%) had abdominal pain along with emaciation to a various degree. Among them, 3 cases primarily presented as acute pancreatitis. Two cases were diagnosed after surgery for pancreatic masses. Eighteen cases were complicated with inflammatory bowel disease, including 16 cases with ulcerative colitis, one case with Crohn's disease, and one case with indeterminate colitis. All patients had typical imaging manifestations, including 13 cases (52.0%) with diffuse pancreatic enlargement, 12 cases (48.0%) with focal or multifocal pancreatic lesions, and 5 cases (20.0%) with simultaneous focal pancreatic masses and diffuse enlargement. All patients had normal serum IgG4 levels, anti-neutropil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) positivity rate was 35.3% (6/17), and anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) positivity rate was 29.2% (7/24). Two surgical patients recovered well after surgery, and the other patients all achieved clinical and imaging relief after hormone therapy, and no recurrence was seen during follow-up. Compared with type 1 AIP, type 2 AIP had younger onset age, main manifestation as abdominal pain without jaundice, rare involvement with extra-pancreatic organs, the lesions mainly located in the intestine and normal IgG4 level with statistically significant differences. The recurrence rate of type 2 AIP was lower than that of type 1 AIP (0 vs 16%). Conclusions:Type 2 AIP has different clinical characteristics from type 1 AIP. Due to the lack of specific serum markers, the diagnosis is more difficult. It responds well to glucocorticoids and has a low recurrence rate.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and application value of indocyanine green(ICG)lymph node tracer in clinical early stage cervical cancer staging surgery.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 31 patients with early clinical stage(ⅠA1-ⅡA1)cervical cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical hysterectomy,pelvic lymph node resection and para-aortic lymph node sampling were selected as the study subjects in Sichuan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from April 1,2022 to July 31,2023.They were divided into the ICG fluorescence tracer group(ICG group,17 cases)and the conventional surgery group(control group,14 ca-ses)based on whether ICG was injected or not.The resected lymph nodes were classified and submitted for ex-amination according to location and whether they presented visualization.The method of contingency coefficient was used to analyze the correlations between lymph node visualization patterns and lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological characteristics,and the perioperative data of the two groups were compared.Results:①The postoperative stage of 8 patients(25.8％)(4 in each group)were improved compared with the preoperative clini-cal stage.The number of resected lymph nodes in the ICG group was less than that in the control group(18±9 nodes/person vs.26±11 nodes/person,P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative FIGO(2018)staging,lymph node metastasis rate,and positive rate of resected lymph nodes between the two groups(P＞0.05).②The visualization rate in the ICG group was 64.71％(11/17).There was no statistically significant difference in the positive rate between the visualized and non-visualized lymph nodes(P＞0.05).There was a significant correlation between lymph node visualization and lymph node metastasis(C=0.707,P＜0.05),and a significant correlation was found between lymph node visual-ization and lymph node metastasis in the same patient(C=0.557,P＜0.05).Conclusions:The rate of lymph node metastasis in clinical early stage cervical cancer is low.ICG fluorescence visualization can trace lymph nodes and predict the risk of metastasis.By only resecting the visualized lymph nodes under the guidance of ICG tracer,the lymph node metastasis status of early-stage cervical cancer can be fully evaluated,which is worthy of further research.