Prescription optimization is a crucial aspect in the study of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） compounds. In recent years， the introduction of mathematical methods， data mining techniques， and artificial neural networks has provided new tools for elucidating the compatibility rules of TCM compounds. The study of TCM compounds involves numerous variables， including the proportions of different herbs， the specific extraction parts of each ingredient， and the interactions among multiple components. These factors together create a complex nonlinear dose-effect relationship. In this context， it is essential to identify methods that suit the characteristics of TCM compounds and can leverage their advantages for effective application in new drug development. This paper provided a comprehensive review of the cutting-edge optimization experimental design methods applied in recent studies of TCM compound compatibilities. The key technical issues， such as the optimization of source material selection， dosage optimization of compatible herbs， and multi-objective optimization indicators， were discussed. Furthermore， the evaluation methods for component effects were summarized during the optimization process， so as to provide scientific and practical foundations for innovative research in TCM and the development of new drugs based on TCM compounds.

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs), describe a group of nanoparticles released by plants. These particles are characterized by a lipid bilayer structure containing various proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and unique metabolites. Although the study on PDEVs is relatively new, having only been around for ten years, they have shown promising development prospects in both basic research and clinical transformation areas. Evidence suggests that PDEVs have excellent application prospects in regulating inflammation and treating tumors. Their distinctive, vesicle-mimicking architecture and stellar biocompatibility render them prime candidates for ferrying various anti-cancer agents, including RNA, proteins, and conventional chemotherapy drugs. Increasingly, studies have shown that PDEVs can be engineered as an innovative platform for combination cancer immunotherapy. Consequently, this paper provides an extensive summary of current developments in engineering methods and strategies for PDEVs in cancer treatment and combined cancer immune therapeutics. The essential characteristics of PDEVs, including the biogenesis process and components, as well as their anti-tumor activity and mechanism, are summarized. Finally, the in vivo safety of PDEVs as delivery vectors and the challenges of scale-up production and clinical transformation are discussed.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)is a common malignant tumor with insidious early symptoms and a poor prognosis.In traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),ESCC is classified as"ye ge."Drawing on clinical experience,we believe that kidney deficiency leads to the deficiency of vital qi and immune dysfunction,providing the foundation for cancerous growth by depleting qi and damaging essence,toxic stasis and stagnation,forming a local hypoxic and acidic microenvironment that promotes tumor invasion,metastasis,and recurrence.Considering the effect of modern comprehensive treatments,the occurrence and development of ESCC are summarized as kidney deficiency being the root cause and toxic stasis being the driving force.The pathogenesis and treatment of ESCC in the preoperative,postoperative,and non-surgical treatment stages are discussed.The pathogenesis of the disease is summarized as follows:preoperatively,toxicity and stasis intertwine,depleting the kidney;postoperatively,the kidney loses its vitality,allowing various pathogenic factors to persist;during non-operative treatment,vital qi and pathogens contend,resulting in entrenched toxicity.During the preoperative neoadjuvant phase,therapy should resolve stasis,eliminate toxins,enhance kidney function,tonify essence,and support the body.During the postoperative adjuvant phase,therapy should strengthen the root and consolidate the foundation while detoxifying and expelling stasis.The non-surgical treatment stage uses"balanced interruption,"targeting tumor progression and metastasis by harmonizing yin and yang,thus preventing recurrence.This article will provide insights into the integrative Chinese-Western management of ESCC.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)is a common malignant tumor with insidious early symptoms and a poor prognosis.In traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),ESCC is classified as"ye ge."Drawing on clinical experience,we believe that kidney deficiency leads to the deficiency of vital qi and immune dysfunction,providing the foundation for cancerous growth by depleting qi and damaging essence,toxic stasis and stagnation,forming a local hypoxic and acidic microenvironment that promotes tumor invasion,metastasis,and recurrence.Considering the effect of modern comprehensive treatments,the occurrence and development of ESCC are summarized as kidney deficiency being the root cause and toxic stasis being the driving force.The pathogenesis and treatment of ESCC in the preoperative,postoperative,and non-surgical treatment stages are discussed.The pathogenesis of the disease is summarized as follows:preoperatively,toxicity and stasis intertwine,depleting the kidney;postoperatively,the kidney loses its vitality,allowing various pathogenic factors to persist;during non-operative treatment,vital qi and pathogens contend,resulting in entrenched toxicity.During the preoperative neoadjuvant phase,therapy should resolve stasis,eliminate toxins,enhance kidney function,tonify essence,and support the body.During the postoperative adjuvant phase,therapy should strengthen the root and consolidate the foundation while detoxifying and expelling stasis.The non-surgical treatment stage uses"balanced interruption,"targeting tumor progression and metastasis by harmonizing yin and yang,thus preventing recurrence.This article will provide insights into the integrative Chinese-Western management of ESCC.

Objective:To test the practical effect of the research projects outpatient strategy for application of the National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC) in a hospital of Chinese medicine.Methods:We compared the number and success rate of the National Natural Science Foundation of China grant awards before and after the implementation of the research projects outpatient strategy, and further analyzed the promotional effect of the research projects outpatient strategy on general programs and youth scientists funds through univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regression.Results:Since the implementation of the research projects outpatient strategy, both the number of NSFC grant awards and the success rate continuously increased, indicating that the strategy played a positive role in improving the overall success rate of the hospital. However, this effect was primarily reflected in the assistance provided to applications for youth scientists funds. The main favorable factor for winning general programs was the applicant′s preliminary foundation. Applicants who have previously received NSFC funding had a higher success rate.Conclusions:The strategy of research projects outpatient can promote the winning of NSFC youth scientists funds.

【Objective】 To explore the relationship between chronic comorbidity and the physical and mental health of relatives of elderly people during the nursing home confinement, and to analyze the mediating effects of perceived stress and intolerance of uncertainty in this context. 【Methods】 A total of 568 family members of elderly people in nine elderly institutions in Shaanxi Province were selected. The survey included the short version of the Perceived Stress Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and The World Health Organization-5 Well-being Index. The data were analyzed with Stata for correlation and mediation effects. 【Results】 ① The comorbidities of chronic diseases was positively correlated with the perceived stress (r=0.16, P<0.001) and intolerance of uncertainty (r=0.11, P=0.006) of the family members, but negatively correlated with the physical and mental health of the family members (r=-0.13, P=0.002). ② The mediating effect of perceived stress between chronic disease co-morbidity and physical and mental health of family members in older adults was -0.023, accounting for 18.8% of the total effect; the mediating effect of intolerance of uncertainty between chronic disease co-morbidity and physical and mental health of family members in older adults was -0.041, accounting for 33.5% of the total effect. 【Conclusion】 During closed management in a nursing facility, the physical and mental health of family members of older adults with chronic co-morbidities is poorer than that of family members of non-chronic co-morbidities. And it can lead to a decline in physical and mental health of family members through increased perceived stress and intolerance of uncertainty.

Objective:To explore the abnormal brain metabolic pattern and connectivity in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients.Methods:18F-FDG PET images of 75 patients diagnosed as drug resistant unilateral TLE from January 2014 to December 2016 in Huashan Hospital of Fudan University were collected retrospectively, including 41 (22 males, 19 females, age (28.4±8.7) years) left TLE (LTLE) and 34 (13 males, 21 females, age (28.5±8.8) years) right TLE (RTLE). Forty-four healthy controls (24 males, 20 females, age (31.2±6.2) years) were also enrolled. The cerebral glucose metabolism in TLE patients and the controls were analyzed with statistical parametric mapping (SPM) 12. The brain connectivity based on glucose metabolism were analyzed with bilateral hippocampus and amygdala as seeds. Permutation test with 1 000 permutations was used to analyze data. Results:Compared to control group, in both LTLE and RTLE groups, hypometabolism was found in affected hippocampus, amygdala, insula and temporal gyrus and hypermetabolism was observed in health hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, lenticular nucleus and thalamus. In addition, hypometabolism was also found in affected superior/middle frontal gyrus and hypermetabolism was also found in bilateral frontal-orbital gyrus, bilateral cerebellum, affected lenticular nucleus and thalamus in LTLE group. In both TLE groups, affected seeds exhibited increased connectivity with affected superior frontal gyrus, lingual gyrus, fusiform gyrus, superior/middle temporal gyrus and temporal pole (all P<0.05); affected seeds exhibited increased connectivity with health superior frontal gyrus ( P=0.005), lingual gyrus ( P=0.018) and transverse temporal gyrus ( P=0.016) in RTLE group in addition. Besides, affected seeds exhibited decreased connectivity with bilateral default mode network (DMN) (all P<0.05), affected caudate nucleus ( P=0.015) and health thalamus ( P=0.008), in a uniform distribution pattern in LTLE group, and with bilateral cerebral cortex in an irregular distribution pattern in RTLE group (all P<0.05). In LTLE group, health seeds exhibited more increased connections with superior ( P=0.005)/middle frontal gyrus ( P=0.042), health hippocampus ( P=0.038), parahippocampal gyrus ( P=0.019), amygdala ( P=0.038), posterior cingulate gyrus ( P=0.004), and bilateral fusiform gyrusand ( P=0.048) compared with RTLE group; while, in RTLE group, health seeds exhibited more decreased connections with health superior ( P=0.047), inferior frontal gyrus ( P<0.001), orbital frontal gyrus ( P<0.001) and rectus gyrus ( P=0.016) compared with LTLE group. Conclusion:Altered brain glucose metabolism and connectivity pattern are found and will elucidate the underlying metabolic pattern of TLE.

Objective:To explore the application of home nutrition support in children with intestinal failure.Methods:Children with intestinal failure admitted to Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition and Department of Pediatric Surgery in Xinhua Hospital were retrospectively enrolled since January 2009. The details of home nutrition support, nutritional status and home parenteral nutrition (HPN) associated complications were collected.Results:A total of 10 children received HPN support, 7 of whom were with short bowel syndrome (SBS) and the other 3 with pediatric intestinal pseudo-obstruction. The average length of remnant small bowel in 7 SBS children was (36.7±32.4) cm. The average age at HPN onset was (5.4±4.7) years. The average duration of follow-up was (3.1±2.1) years. The average duration of HPN was (619.5±669.1) days after (391.8±340.1) days of parenteral nutrition support in our hospital. All 10 cases started home enteral nutrition (HEN) with tube feeding (3 cases transited to oral feeding during treatment). The average duration of HEN was (536.1±429.6) days. Daily calorie intake was 104.0%±39.0% of the recommended intake according to the guideline, with 46.5%±21.3% via HPN and 57.5%±29.2% via HEN. During follow-up, 3 cases were found with severe malnutrition, 5 with moderate malnutrition and 2 with mild malnutrition. Four children suffered from catheter-related thrombosis and five children were identified with catheter-related blood stream infection. No intestinal failure associated liver disease was observed.Conclusions:HPN is feasible but needs the support of national medical insurance policy. At present, there are still frequent nutritional deficiencies and complications in HPN. Nutrition support team (NST) should provide guidance for more scientific nutrition screening and nutrition management.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of a multi-dimensional peripheral quick contrast sensitivity function (pqCSF) measurement established based on Bayesian probability estimation algorithm.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted.Nineteen eyes of 12 healthy emmetropic subjects in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University from September 2017 to March 2018 were included, with an average age of (22.92±2.91) years.The average spherical power and cylindrical power were (-0.34±0.52)D and (-0.30±0.42)D, respectively, and the average uncorrected vision acuity was≥1.0.Based on the Bayesian probability algorithm, the peak contrast sensitivity γ max, the peak spatial frequency ? max, the bandwidth β and the low contrast intercept δ were used to quickly describe the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) curve of the full spatial frequency through multi-dimensional pqCSF method.The 16 peripheral visual field positions of all subjects were tested at 6°, 12°, 18° and 24° eccentricity of the superior, inferior, the temporal and nasal visual field by the pqCSF method, but the 18° eccentricity of temporal field, which was near the physiological blind spot, was excluded.The area under Log CSF (AULCSF) of different peripheral visual fields and the Log CSF of 19 spatial frequencies (distributed at equal intervals in logarithmic units) were compared.This study followed the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University (No.2018KYPJ017). Written informed consent was obtained from each subject prior to any examination. Results:With the increase of eccentricity in different visual fields, the AULCSF decreased gradually, and there were significant differences in AULCSF between different eccentricities (all at P<0.05). The AULCSF of the nasal and temporal visual field at 6°, 12° and 24° eccentricity was significantly larger than that of the superior and inferior visual field (all at P<0.05). As the distance from the fovea was increased, the pqCSF, the AULCSF, and the high-frequency cutoff were all decreased, and the standard deviation of AULCSF was increased gradually. Conclusions:The pqCSF method can depict a relatively complete peripheral CSF curve of a wide peripheral visual field, and reflect the function quality of the peripheral vision comprehensively and accurately.

Background and Objectives: p21, an important member of the Cip/Kip family, is involved in inhibitory effects of RUNX1b overexpression during the early stage of human hematopoiesis. Methods: and Results: We established a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line with inducible expression of p21 (p21/hESCs). Overexpression of p21 did not influence either mesoderm induction or emergence of CD34＋ cells, but it significantly decreased the production of CD43＋ cells and changed the expression profile of hematopoiesis-related factors, leading to the negative effects of p21 on hematopoiesis. Conclusions In RUNX1b/hESC co-cultures when RUNX1b was induced from D0, perturbation of the cell cycle caused by upregulation of p21 probably prevented the appearance of CD43＋ cells, but not CD34＋ cells. The mechanisms via which CD34＋ cells are blocked by RUNX1b overexpression remain to be elucidated.