Chronic liver diseases are a group of diseases in which the liver is subjected to a variety of injuries over a long period of time， resulting in irreversible pathological changes that last longer than 6 months. Emodin （EMO） is a natural anthraquinone derivative derived from Rheum officinale， and its pharmacological effect has been extensively studied， exhibiting a variety of biological properties and involving multiple signaling molecules and pathways. Western medicine or surgical treatment is currently the main treatment regimen for chronic liver diseases， and the advance in treatment is limited by various reasons such as side effects and high costs. Due to its natural origin and efficacy， EMO has unique advantages in the treatment of chronic liver diseases and has now become a research hotspot. This article summarizes the therapeutic effect of EMO on chronic liver diseases and its mechanism， in order to provide a certain scientific basis for the traditional Chinese medicine treatment of chronic liver diseases and the development of drugs in clinical practice.

Bacillus coagulans can utilize the hydrolyzed carbon source of agricultural waste to produce lactic acid via a homofermentative pathway. However, a significant carbon source metabolic repression effect was observed when the strain metabolized mixed sugars (glucose and xylose), reducing the productivity of lactic acid. In this study, we obtained the fermentation conditions for the simultaneous utilization of the mixed sugars by B. coagulans by changing the ratio of glucose to xylose in the medium. Through transcriptome sequencing, several key genes responsible for xylose utilization were identified. The critical role of xylose isomerase (XylA, EC 5.3.1.5) in the synchronous utilization of glucose/xylose in B. coagulans was investigated via qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction). Subsequently, the heterologous expression and characterization of the XylA-encoding gene (XylA) were conducted. It was determined that the gene encoded a protein composed of 440 amino acid residues. The secondary structure of the encoded protein was predominantly composed of α-helixes and random coils, while the higher structure of the protein was identified as a homotetramer. Then, XylA was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the recombinant protein Bc-XlyA was obtained with a molecular weight of approximately 50 kDa. The optimal pH and temperature of Bc-XylA were 8.0 and 60 ℃, respectively, and Mn²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Co²⁺ had positive effects on the activity of Bc-XlyA. The present study provides scientific data on the molecular modification of B. coagulans, offering theoretical support for the efficient utilization of xylose in the strain.
Xylose/metabolism* ; Cloning, Molecular ; Bacillus coagulans/enzymology* ; Aldose-Ketose Isomerases/metabolism* ; Fermentation ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Glucose/metabolism*

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis （NASH） is a chronic liver disease with the main pathological features of hepatic steatosis， inflammatory cell infiltration， and interstitial fibroplasia， and it is an important risk factor for liver fibrosis， liver cirrhosis， and hepatocellular carcinoma. NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome is the core of innate immunity， and the abnormal activation of NLRP3 inflammasome is closely associated with the development and progression of NASH， which involves multiple links such as inflammatory response and oxidative stress. A large number of studies have shown that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and TCM compound prescriptions can improve oxidative stress， regulate lipid metabolism， and alleviate liver inflammation by regulating NLRP3 inflammasome. TCM treatment applied in clinical practice has achieved a good therapeutic effect， while inflammasome is one of the key pathways or targets for TCM in improving NASH. This article reviews the mechanism of action of NLRP3 inflammasome in NASH and the research advances in TCM intervention of NLRP3 inflammasome， in order to provide ideas for the clinical TCM treatment of NASH， as well as reference targets and research directions for the research and development of new TCM drugs.

ObjectiveThis study explores the efficacy and pharmacological mechanism of Wujiwan in rats with inflammatory bowel disease （IBD） from the perspectives of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ （PPARγ） signaling pathway and T-cell immunity， providing reference for the treatment of IBD with traditional Chinese medicine. MethodThe study involved administering 2，4，6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid （TNBS） enemas to 35 rats to induce acute IBD. After 24 hours， the animals were divided into the following groups： normal group， model group， Wujiwan treatment group， and positive drug control group. Each group received gastric gavage for 8 consecutive days before the rats were dissected to compare the disease activity index （DAI） of the rat colon tissue， the colon mucosal damage index （CMDI）， and the spleen index. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to measure the levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the serum. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of T-bet （T-box expressed in T cells） and Gata3 （Gata-binding protein-3） in the colon tissue. Western blot analysis was conducted to detect the protein expression levels of PPARγ， T-bet， and nuclear factor-κB p65 （NF-κB p65） in the rat colon. ResultThe rat model of IBD was successfully established. Compared with the model group， the Wujiwan treatment group showed reduced DAI， CMDI， and spleen index， decreased content of TNF-α in the serum（P<0.01）， significantly increased content of IL-10（P<0.01）， and elevated mRNA content of T-bet and Gata3（P<0.05） in the colon tissue. The expression of PPARγ protein was augmented（P<0.05）， and the expression of T-bet and NF-κB p65 protein was decreased（P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionWujiwan activates or upregulates PPARγ expression in IBD rats to inhibit the generation of pro-inflammatory factors， participates in the inflammatory immune process， and alleviates inflammatory reactions. Its mechanism may involve regulating the NF-κB pathway through PPARγ， enhancing Th2 cell transcription expression， and reducing Th1 cell transcription.

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a long history of application in China and has consistently played a vital role in treating diseases and saving lives. TCM prescriptions （compounds） constitute the primary form of clinical TCM treatment and significantly differ from western medicine （chemicals） due to the diverse composition and chemical constituents of TCM （compounds）. Nevertheless， the potential multi-component， multi-target， and multi-pathway action characteristics of TCM prescriptions also demonstrate their possible （complementary） therapeutic advantages when compared with single-component chemical drugs. Therefore， driven by the development of modern science and technology and the demands of the modernization and internationalization of TCM， modern theories regarding the complexity of TCM prescription effects have been continuously proposed： Different from the abstract language of traditional prescription theory， the modern TCM prescription theory is more inclined to illustrate the connotation of prescription compatibility concretely and vividly from an experimental and scientific perspective. In this paper， new theories on the complexity of TCM prescriptions proposed in recent years are summarized to provide research references and ideas for the greater role of TCM prescriptions and a better scientific understanding.

Objective To clarify the influencing factors of defensive medicine and provide ideas for preventing and re-solving defensive medicine.Methods Literature related to defensive medicine was searched,personnel related to de-fensive medicine were interviewed,and literature and interview data were coded with the method of grounded theo-ry,and related concepts and categories were summarized.Results After three levels of coding,52 initial concepts,23 initial categories,7 sub-categories and 3 main categories were sorted out,and the correlation among influencing factors was analyzed to build a three-dimensional model of"doctor-patient relationship-institutional system-social environment"influencing factors and their mechanism of action.Conclusion The influencing factors of defensive medi-cine mainly include doctor-patient relationship,institutional system and social environment.The three factors have an impact on defensive medicine through different mechanisms of action,which provides qualitative evidence for comprehensive analysis of factors in related studies of defensive medicine.

Objective To clarify the influencing factors of defensive medicine and provide ideas for preventing and re-solving defensive medicine.Methods Literature related to defensive medicine was searched,personnel related to de-fensive medicine were interviewed,and literature and interview data were coded with the method of grounded theo-ry,and related concepts and categories were summarized.Results After three levels of coding,52 initial concepts,23 initial categories,7 sub-categories and 3 main categories were sorted out,and the correlation among influencing factors was analyzed to build a three-dimensional model of"doctor-patient relationship-institutional system-social environment"influencing factors and their mechanism of action.Conclusion The influencing factors of defensive medi-cine mainly include doctor-patient relationship,institutional system and social environment.The three factors have an impact on defensive medicine through different mechanisms of action,which provides qualitative evidence for comprehensive analysis of factors in related studies of defensive medicine.

Objective To clarify the influencing factors of defensive medicine and provide ideas for preventing and re-solving defensive medicine.Methods Literature related to defensive medicine was searched,personnel related to de-fensive medicine were interviewed,and literature and interview data were coded with the method of grounded theo-ry,and related concepts and categories were summarized.Results After three levels of coding,52 initial concepts,23 initial categories,7 sub-categories and 3 main categories were sorted out,and the correlation among influencing factors was analyzed to build a three-dimensional model of"doctor-patient relationship-institutional system-social environment"influencing factors and their mechanism of action.Conclusion The influencing factors of defensive medi-cine mainly include doctor-patient relationship,institutional system and social environment.The three factors have an impact on defensive medicine through different mechanisms of action,which provides qualitative evidence for comprehensive analysis of factors in related studies of defensive medicine.

Objective To clarify the influencing factors of defensive medicine and provide ideas for preventing and re-solving defensive medicine.Methods Literature related to defensive medicine was searched,personnel related to de-fensive medicine were interviewed,and literature and interview data were coded with the method of grounded theo-ry,and related concepts and categories were summarized.Results After three levels of coding,52 initial concepts,23 initial categories,7 sub-categories and 3 main categories were sorted out,and the correlation among influencing factors was analyzed to build a three-dimensional model of"doctor-patient relationship-institutional system-social environment"influencing factors and their mechanism of action.Conclusion The influencing factors of defensive medi-cine mainly include doctor-patient relationship,institutional system and social environment.The three factors have an impact on defensive medicine through different mechanisms of action,which provides qualitative evidence for comprehensive analysis of factors in related studies of defensive medicine.

Objective To clarify the influencing factors of defensive medicine and provide ideas for preventing and re-solving defensive medicine.Methods Literature related to defensive medicine was searched,personnel related to de-fensive medicine were interviewed,and literature and interview data were coded with the method of grounded theo-ry,and related concepts and categories were summarized.Results After three levels of coding,52 initial concepts,23 initial categories,7 sub-categories and 3 main categories were sorted out,and the correlation among influencing factors was analyzed to build a three-dimensional model of"doctor-patient relationship-institutional system-social environment"influencing factors and their mechanism of action.Conclusion The influencing factors of defensive medi-cine mainly include doctor-patient relationship,institutional system and social environment.The three factors have an impact on defensive medicine through different mechanisms of action,which provides qualitative evidence for comprehensive analysis of factors in related studies of defensive medicine.