Since the introduction of monoamine oxidase and monoamine neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of major depression in the 1950s, their strengths and limitations have been fully and accurately determined. Therefore, the development of novel drugs for the treatment of depression has become a priority for researchers who aim to address treatment resistance and improve patient outcomes. Panax ginseng C. A. Mey (P. ginseng, Ren Shen) is a Chinese medicine used to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders. Numerous studies have shown that ginsenosides, the primary active constituents of P. ginseng, exert a wide range of effects on the central nervous system. Recent studies have demonstrated that ginsenosides possess significant antidepressant properties in animal models. Ginsenosides, such as Rb1 and Rg1, are steroidal molecules, and steroid derivatives have been successfully used in anesthesia, epilepsy, and more recently, postpartum depression treatment. Based on these findings, ginsenosides are promising candidates for the treatment of depression. This raises the following question: What are the prospects of using ginsenosides to treat depression? To gain a clearer understanding, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of recent research on the antidepressant potential of ginsenosides, along with insights and suggestions for future development in this field.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Baoshen prescription in the treatment of stage Ⅳ diabetic nephropathy （DN） in the patients with syndromes of Qi-Yin deficiency and kidney collateral stasis and obstruction， and to explore the mechanism of this prescription delaying the disease progression. MethodsA randomized， controlled， double-blind， multicenter clinical trial was conducted， in which 94 stage Ⅳ DN patients with syndromes of Qi-Yin deficiency and kidney collateral stasis and obstruction were randomly assigned into Baoshen prescription and control groups （47 cases）. The treatment lasted for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy indicators were mainly renal function indexes， including urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio （UACR）， 24-hour urine total protein （24 h-UTP）， serum creatinine （SCr）， and estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR）. The secondary efficacy indicators were metabolic memory of hyperglycemia， podocyte epithelial-to-mesenchymal transdifferentiation-related indexes， and TCM syndrome score. ResultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment， the Baoshen prescription group showed lowered levels of advanced glycation end products （lgAGEs）， connective tissue growth factor （CTGF）， type Ⅳ collagen （Col-Ⅳ）， receptor of AGEs （RAGE）， urinary fibroblast-specific protein-1 （FSP-1）， UACR， 24 h-UTP， and glycated hemoglobin （HbAlc） （P<0.05）， and an upward trend of miR-21 mRNA. The control group showed elevated levels of SCr and UREA and lowered levels of urinary FSP-1， eGFR， and HbAlc （P<0.05）. After treatment， the Baoshen prescription group had lower levels of lgAGEs， CTGF， urinary FSP-1， SCr， UACR， and 24 h-UTP and higher levels of Col-Ⅳ and eGFR than the control group （P<0.05）. In addition， the Baoshen prescription group showed statistically significant differences in SCr， eGFR， UACR， and 24 h-UTP before and after treatment （P<0.05）. ConclusionBaoshen prescription can effectively improve the renal function， reduce the urinary protein level， and alleviate clinical symptoms in stage Ⅳ DN patients with syndromes of Qi-Yin deficiency and kidney collateral stasis and obstruction. The mechanism may be related to the metabolic memory of hyperglycemia and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transdifferentiation of podocytes.

Cardiovascular diseases， a group of major non-infectious diseases， are characterized by high morbidity and mortality， significantly influencing patients' quality of life. Hence， it is imperative to discover a secure and efficacious treatment approach. As a form of programmed cell death， autophagy has been demonstrated to be associated with the pathogeneses of hypertension， diabetic cardiomyopathy， myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury， heart failure， atherosclerosis， and other cardiovascular disorders. It serves as one of the potential targets for the clinical intervention in cardiovascular diseases by traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Autophagy exerts dual regulatory effects on the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases， and its specific effect predominantly depends on the extent of autophagy and the pathological stage of diseases. Recent studies have confirmed that TCM can prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases by directly regulating autophagy or interacting with oxidative stress， inflammation， and apoptosis under the regulation of autophagy， exhibiting the unique advantages of multiple targets， multiple components， and mild adverse reactions. This article reviews the experimental research progress in the role of autophagy and the intervention by active components and compound prescriptions of TCM and Chinese patent medicines in common cardiovascular diseases （such as diabetic cardiomyopathy， myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury， heart failure， and atherosclerosis） in recent years and summarizes the research shortcomings， providing a theoretical basis and strategies for the clinical treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases， a group of major non-infectious diseases， are characterized by high morbidity and mortality， significantly influencing patients' quality of life. Hence， it is imperative to discover a secure and efficacious treatment approach. As a form of programmed cell death， autophagy has been demonstrated to be associated with the pathogeneses of hypertension， diabetic cardiomyopathy， myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury， heart failure， atherosclerosis， and other cardiovascular disorders. It serves as one of the potential targets for the clinical intervention in cardiovascular diseases by traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Autophagy exerts dual regulatory effects on the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases， and its specific effect predominantly depends on the extent of autophagy and the pathological stage of diseases. Recent studies have confirmed that TCM can prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases by directly regulating autophagy or interacting with oxidative stress， inflammation， and apoptosis under the regulation of autophagy， exhibiting the unique advantages of multiple targets， multiple components， and mild adverse reactions. This article reviews the experimental research progress in the role of autophagy and the intervention by active components and compound prescriptions of TCM and Chinese patent medicines in common cardiovascular diseases （such as diabetic cardiomyopathy， myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury， heart failure， and atherosclerosis） in recent years and summarizes the research shortcomings， providing a theoretical basis and strategies for the clinical treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Sarcopenia is a systemic disease characterized by accelerated loss of skeletal muscle mass and function,leading to an increased incidence of adverse outcomes such as falls and fractures.Sarcopenia is classified into primary and secondary types,with primary sarcopenia being closely related to aging and posing a serious threat to a healthy life among the elderly.Sarcopenia has an insidious onset and is often overlooked in terms of its clinical treatment.Its pathogenesis is complex,involving functional changes and pathological alterations in multiple systems,and presenting major research challenges.Cell models can effectively be used to simulate the pathological changes of diseases under controllable conditions,thus facilitating the investigation of the etiology and factors influencing sarcopenia,and providing an important approach for in-depth studies of its mechanism;however,there is currently no standardized cell model in the field of sarcopenia research.Commonly used cell models currently include models involving protein metabolism interventions,oxidative stress,and inflammatory response interventions.This review considers the commonly used skeletal muscle cell types and modeling method of sarcopenia,to provide a solid foundation and important method ological reference for further simulation of the pathological process of sarcopenia in subsequent experimental studies.

Vascular cognitive impairment(VCI)is a syndrome of cognitive decline attributed to vascular risk factors and cerebrovascular diseases.A range of pathophysiological processes induced by vascular injury,including inflammation,oxidative stress,cell death,disruption of the blood-brain barrier,and synaptic damage are intricately linked to the development of VCI.Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2),encoded by the NFE2L2 gene,is a potent transcription factor that plays a critical role in antioxidant defense.Extensive research has demonstrated that Nrf2 mitigates oxidative stress and inflammation by upregulating the expression of antioxidant response elements,thereby reducing the production of reactive oxygen species.Nrf2 also modulates programmed cell death,enhances blood-brain barrier integrity,and promotes synaptic plasticity,ultimately delaying the progression of VCI.This review examines the role of Nrf2 in VCI and highlights recent research on traditional Chinese medicines targeting Nrf2 for the prevention and treatment of VCI,thus providing novel insights and approaches for managing this condition.

Objective·To develop a nomogram prediction model and an online risk calculator,and to predict the continence of patients after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy(RARP).Methods·A total of 604 prostate cancer patients who underwent RARP and had preoperative prostate magnetic resonance imaging at the Shanghai General Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from September 2022 to December 2024 were analyzed and included.All patients were randomly resampled and divided into a training set(n=420)and a validation set(n=184)at a ratio of 7∶3.The patients'continence was followed up every month from the first month after the operation.The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)model was applied to screen the features.A Logistic multivariate regression analysis was used to establish a prediction model integrating the features selected from the LASSO analysis.The receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to predict the recovery of continence in patients after RARP,and the areas under the curve were compared by the DeLong test to evaluate the discrimination of the model.Calibration curves and decision curve analysis(DCA)were used to evaluate the calibration and clinical utility the model.Results·According to the postoperative continence follow-up data of the patients,the continence rate of the patients at 3 months after the operation was 58.28%(352/604).The length of the membranous urethra,the thickness of the right levator ani muscle,and blood loss were identified as independent predictors of early postoperative(3-month)incontinence by Logistic multivariate regression analysis of the training set.The area under the ROC curve was calculated as 0.976(0.954,0.998)for the training set and 0.977(0.945,1.000)for the validation set,demonstrating good discrimination of this model.No significant difference between the ROC curves of the training set and the validation set was confirmed by the DeLong test(P=0.949).A good goodness of fit of this model was demonstrated by the Hosmer-Lemeshow test(P=0.179).The clinical utility of the nomogram prediction model was indicated by the DCA plot.This nomogram prediction model was incorporated into an online calculator(https://yitingd.shinyapps.io/DynNomapp).Conclusion·This study developed and validated a nomogram prediction model that can effectively predict the early continence of patients after RARP.The length of the membranous urethra,the thickness of the right levator ani muscle,and the intraoperative blood loss are significant independent predictors of early postoperative incontinence.

Precision management of breast cancer is essential for improving patient outcomes.Radiomics enables high-throughput extraction of quantitative imaging features that reflect tumor biological behavior and heterogeneity from medical imaging data.With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence(AI),particularly deep learning,feature extraction capability and model performance in radiomics have been significantly enhanced.Based on multimodal imaging modalities such as MRI,ultrasound and mammography,AI-and radiomics-based models can address key clinical challenges including tumor diagnosis,staging,molecular subtype prediction and therapeutic response assessment,thereby facilitating precision breast cancer care.This review summarizes recent advances in AI-driven radiomics for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and discusses future application prospects and challenges toward clinical translation.

Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(18F-FDG)PET/CT in differentiating primary lung cancer(PLC)from metastatic pulmonary breast cancer in breast cancer patients with solitary pulmonary lesion(SPL).Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis included 58 breast cancer patients with SPL in the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2015 to August 2024.All patients had pathologically confirmed breast cancer with SPL and underwent PET/CT scans,including 36 cases of PLC and 22 cases of metastatic pulmonary breast cancer.Differences in clinical pathological features,high resolution CT morphological,and PET metabolic characteristics were analyzed.Multivariate Logistic regression was utilized to investigate independent predictive factors for SPL diagnosis.Results Statistically significant differences were observed between lesion density,nodule-lung interface,bubble sign,vascular convergence sign and pleural indentation sign(χ2=9.420,7.000,8.487,all P<0.05).PET/CT metabolic analysis revealed a significant difference in maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax)between the two groups(Z=4.613,P<0.001).Multivariate analysis showed that bubble sign,pleural indentation sign and lower SUVmax were independent predictors for PLC.With an SUVmax threshold of 2.5,the area under the receiver operating curve(AUC)was 0.862,with a sensitivity of 90.9%,specificity of 77.8%and an accuracy of 82.8%.Combined analysis of high resolution CT and SUVmax demonstrated the highest diagnostic efficacy,with an area under the curve of 0.937,sensitivity of 90.9%,specificity of 94.4%and accuracy of 93.1%.Conclusion The presence of bubble sign,pleural indentation and SUVmax<2.5 suggests a high likelihood of PLC.Combined high resolution CT imaging features and PET metabolic characteristics significantly improve diagnostic accuracy for SPLs in breast cancer patients.

Objective To elucidate the molecular mechanism of shugan formula in regulating intestinal flora in liver cancer using network pharmacology.Methods The active components and targets of shugan formula were screened using the TCMSP and BATMAN-TCM databases.Targets associated with liver cancer and intestinal flora were extracted from the GeneCards and OMIM databases.The in-tersection targets between the drug and disease were identified using a Venn diagram.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)and Gene Ontology(GO)enrichment analysis were performed on the intersection targets.Molecular docking technology was em-ployed to validate the binding activities of key components,such as quercetin,kaempferol,with core targets,including TP53 and STAT3.The correlation between targets and the prognosis of liver cancer was assessed through survival analysis.Results KEGG enrichment anal-ysis indicated that shugan formula was primarily enriched in pathways such as cancer pathways.GO enrichment analysis suggested its in-volvement in regulating processes like apoptosis.Molecular docking demonstrated stable binding between key components and core targets.Survival analysis revealed that high expression of tumor protein p53gene(TP53)shortened the overall survival of liver cancer patients,whereas high expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)prolonged survival.Conclusion Shugan formula may upregulate STAT3 expression,inhibit TP53 expression,modulate relevant signaling pathways,improve the structure of intestinal flora in liver cancer,and thereby inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of liver cancer cells.