Functional constipation （FC） is a common functional disorder of the intestines， mainly characterized by reduced bowel movement frequency， difficulty in defecation， a sensation of incomplete evacuation， and hard stools， which severely affect patients’ quality of life. Research indicates that the pathogenesis of FC is closely related to gut microbiota dysbiosis and abnormal bile acid secretion. Bile acids， as endogenous natural laxatives， promote bowel movements by enhancing colonic secretion and regulating intestinal motility； meanwhile， gut microbiota influence colonic transit function by regulating the enteric nervous system， immune system， and their metabolic products. Based on an overview of the relationship between gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism， this article systematically reviews the current research status on the mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in treating FC by regulating the balance of the gut microbiota-bile acid axis. It is found that single Chinese medicinal herbs （such as Atractylodes macrocephala）， isolated compounds （such as Platycodon grandiflorum polysaccharides）， herbal formulas （such as Shanger huang pill）， acupuncture， and moxibustion can up-regulate the abundance of beneficial bacteria， reshape the microbial structure， correct bile acid metabolism， and activate the Takeda G-protein receptor 5/farnesoid X receptor pathway to treat FC.

Ductular reaction （DR） refers to the adaptive pathological changes that occur after hepatobiliary injury， and it is essentially a repair response involving the proliferation， fibrosis， and inflammation of biliary epithelial cell （BEC）. With the understanding of the biological function of BEC， the potential value of DR in disease prognosis and treatment has gradually become a research hotspot. This article systematically reviews the molecular mechanism of DR， its potential as a therapeutic target， and future development directions， as well as novel therapies suggested by targeting these molecular mechanisms， in order to provide a new direction for overcoming current bottlenecks in the treatment of bile duct diseases.

low transit constipation （STC） is a common functional intestinal disorder caused by impaired colonic transit function， characterized by reduced bowel movement frequency， hard stools， and difficulty in defecation. The mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， which mainly includes extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）， c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）， and p38 subtypes， plays a critical regulatory role in the occurrence and development of STC. This paper systematically reviews the multiple pathogenic mechanisms of the MAPK signaling pathway in STC and the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） intervention.At the mechanistic level， the MAPK signaling pathway promotes the progression of STC through the following links：（1） Activation of p38 upregulates the expression of aquaporin 3 （AQP3）/AQP4 in the colon， leading to excessive reabsorption of water in the intestinal lumen； （2） It forms a positive feedback loop with nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） to maintain low-grade intestinal inflammation， releases inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and inhibits smooth muscle contraction； （3） Overactivation of p38 downregulates the expression of occludin and mucin 2 while upregulates the expression of claudin-2， thereby disrupting the mucosal barrier； （4） The JNK/p38 signaling pathway activates the caspase cascade to induce apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells， neurons， and interstitial cells of Cajal； （5） Abnormal ERK signaling and excessive activation of p38/JNK inhibit intestinal smooth muscle contraction and reduce 5-hydroxytryptamine secretion， ultimately resulting in impaired colonic transit function.At the intervention level， TCM compound formulas and single herbs have been proven to improve STC by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway. Their effects are syndrome type-dependent：yin-nourishing formulas （Zengye Chengqi Tang， Tongbian Tang） mainly regulate the ERK/AQP axis； yang-warming formulas （Jichuan Jian） target both ERK/JNK and anti-apoptosis； heat-clearing formulas （Sanren Tang） focus on p38/NF-κB anti-inflammation. A single drug can simultaneously cover multiple aspects including water metabolism， inflammation， barrier function， apoptosis， and intestinal motility.Current relevant studies still have limitations such as mechanisms mostly remaining at the correlational level and a lack of disease-syndrome integrated research models. Future studies should combine specific inhibitors or gene knockout to identify core targets， establish disease-syndrome integrated STC models， and use network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques to deeply analyze the fine mechanism of “component-target-phenotype”， so as to provide high-quality evidence for the precise regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway by TCM in the intervention of STC.

Background: and Purpose Vertebrobasilar fusiform aneurysms (VBFAs) carry substantial morbidity and mortality, but optimal management for unruptured VBFAs remains unclear. We compared the safety and efficacy of conservative management (CM), stent-assisted coiling (SAC), and flow diverters (FDs) in patients with unruptured VBFAs, focusing on long-term prognosis. Methods: This study included data from a nationwide Chinese cohort of patients with vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) balanced confounders across groups. The primary outcome was poor prognosis (modified Rankin Scale score >2). Secondary outcomes included aneurysm rupture, ischemic stroke, compression symptoms, and VBFA-related deaths. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: Among 1,115 patients with unruptured VBFAs, 838 (median age, 54 years; 655 men) were included. After IPTW, baseline characteristics were balanced. Median follow-up was 54 months. FD was associated with a lower risk of poor prognosis than CM (OR, 0.48 [95% CI, 0.30 to 0.77]; p=0.002), with no difference between CM and SAC. FD also reduced aneurysm rupture (OR, 0.20 [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.60]; p=0.004) and compression symptoms (OR, 0.30 [95% CI, 0.13 to 0.68]; p=0.004) versus CM. Time-to-event analyses further revealed significant differences in vertebral artery lesions and Type I–II VBFAs, whereas no significant differences were observed in basilar or vertebrobasilar junction lesions or in Type III–IV VBFAs. Conclusions Compared with CM, FD was associated with improved long-term outcomes in unruptured VBFAs, particularly in vertebral artery lesions and Type I–II VBFAs, although residual confounding cannot be excluded.

Objective To explore the association between the ratio of red blood cell distribution width to albumin level(RAR)and the risk of non-valvular atrial fibrillation(NVAF)in patients with hyperuricemia.Methods A total of 8 277 patients with hyperuricemia who underwent physi-cal examinations at the Physical Examination Center of Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from January 2021 to June 2024 were enrolled.From them,185 patients with AF were assigned into a case group,and 740 patients without AF were into a control group in a ratio of 1∶4 with propen-sity score matching(PSM).Logistic regression analysis,restricted cubic spline analysis,and sub-group analysis were employed to investigate the association between RAR and the risk of NVAF in hyperuricemic patients.Results The case group had significantly larger ratio of smoking,high-er levels of red blood cell distribution width,total bilirubin,hematocrit,and RAR index,but lower albumin,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and triglyceride(TG)levels,and smaller ra-tio of fatty liver than the control group(P＜0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the patients at Q2,Q3,and Q4 quartiles of RAR index have higher risk for AF than those at Q1 quartile(OR=2.843,OR=4.263,OR=7.801,P＜0.01).The effect of RAR index was significant when below the breakpoint of 2.85(OR=1.492,95％CI:1.151-1.993,P=0.004).Subgroup analysis indicated significant interactions between RAR index and age as well as smok-ing(P interaction＜0.05).The area under curve value of RAR index in predicting NVAF occurrence in male hyperuricemic patients was 0.679(95％CI:0.632-0.725).Conclusion In patients with hyperuricemia,a higher RAR index is associated with an increased risk of NVAF.RAR index has guiding significance for diagnosing male hyperuricemic patients complicated with AF.

We reported the clinical manifestations,radiographic characteristics and prognosis of 1 case with Mycolicibacterium wolinskyi pulmonary disease,and provided a comprehensive literature review on this disease.Using"M.wolinskyi"OR"Mycobacterium wolinskyi"OR"Mycolicibacterium wolinskyi"as search term in PubMed database,CNKI and Wanfang database up to August 26 2023,40 reports were retrieved.32 cases from the literature and 1 case of our institution were used for review.A 59-year-old female presented intermittent hemoptysis since 2015.She was diagnosed with tuberculosis and clinical symptoms continued after anti-tuberculosis treatment.After multiple cultures of mycobacterium sputum and species identification in our hospital,M.wolinskyi was finally identified.She was diagnosed with M.Wolinski pulmonary disease according to clinical symptoms,computed tomography findings as well as bacteriological examinations.Combination therapy with Azithromycin,Moxifloxacin hydrochloride and Amikacin were administered based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing.Mycobacterium sputum culture became negative after 1 month treatment and kept negative,and the patient continued this combination therapy for 12 months after first culture negative.M.wolinskyi disease is exceedingly rare in medical institutions,and clinical symptoms are different depending on different location.Most cases were infected with skin,soft tissue or bone tissue infection after trauma or surgery,and a few cases were bloodstream infection.Most patients could have a good prognosis after proper treatment.M.wolinskyi disease is rare and clinically atypical,which may lead to long-term misdiagnosis.With the increase of aged or immunosuppressed population,the diagnosis and treatment of these rare non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections deserve more attention.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of bronchial artery chemoembolization (BACE) combined with anlotinib (BACE+A) versus BACE alone in patients with stage III-IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:A total of 94 patients with advanced NSCLC treated at six interventional centers between November 2020 and November 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were divided into the BACE+A group ( n=46) and the BACE alone group ( n=48) based on treatment regimen. Baseline and perioperative clinical data were collected and compared between the two groups. Treatment response was evaluated using the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) at 1, 6, and 12 months after the first BACE procedure. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were recorded. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted to compare median OS and PFS between groups. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing OS and PFS. Results:The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the median OS was significantly longer in the BACE+A group (18.8 months, 95% CI 16.3-21.3) than in the BACE group (13.4 months, 95% CI 11.6-15.2) ( P=0.001). The median PFS was also significantly longer in the BACE+A group (9.0 months, 95% CI 7.3-10.7) compared to the BACE group (6.1 months, 95% CI 4.9-7.3) ( P=0.001). At 6 and 12 months post-first BACE, the ORR (43.5%, 40.0%) and DCR (89.1%, 83.3%) were significantly higher in the BACE+A group than in the BACE group (ORR: 20.8%, 14.8%; DCR: 66.7%, 59.3%) (all P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression identified treatment with BACE+A ( HR=0.42, 95% CI 0.27-0.72, P=0.002), tumor stage ( HR=1.80, 95% CI 1.05-3.07, P=0.031), presence of pre-existing complications requiring intervention ( HR=2.72, 95% CI 1.65-4.50, P<0.001), and >2 BACE procedures ( HR=0.32, 95% CI 0.15-0.68, P=0.003) as independent factors influencing OS. Treatment with BACE+A ( HR=0.49, 95% CI 0.32-0.76, P=0.001), tumor stage ( HR=1.72, 95% CI 1.07-2.77, P=0.025), multi-arterial tumor blood supply ( HR=2.76, 95% CI 1.76-4.31, P<0.001), and>2 BACE procedures ( HR=0.40, 95% CI 0.22-0.71, P=0.002) were independent factors influencing PFS. There was no significant difference in BACE-related adverse events between the two groups (all P>0.05). Hypertension, fatigue, hand-foot syndrome, and anorexia were common anlotinib-specific adverse reactions in the combination group, but no grade 4 or higher adverse reactions were observed. Conclusions:BACE combined with anlotinib demonstrates superior efficacy compared to BACE alone in treating advanced NSCLC, significantly prolonging OS and PFS. The safety profile is manageable, with adverse events remaining within tolerable limits.

Objective To investigate the effects of varying pulse intervals in the programmed intermittent epidural bolus(PIEB)mode on labor analgesia in primiparous and multiparous women,and to evaluate the differ-ences in analgesic outcomes between these two groups.Methods A total of 60 primiparous and 60 multiparous women who met the inclusion criteria were recruited and randomly allocated into two groups:a 45-minute pulse interval group(P45 group,n=30)and a 60-minute pulse interval group(P60 group,n=30).Epidural labor anal-gesia was initiated when cervical dilation reached 1～3 cm.The programmed intermittent epidural bolus(PIEB)mode was started 45 minutes after analgesia commencement in the P45 group and 60 minutes after analgesia com-mencement in the P60 group.Each pulse delivered 10 ml of a solution containing 0.08%ropivacaine and 0.5 μg/ml sufentanil.Pain scores were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale(VAS)at five specific time points:baseline(t0),1 hour post-analgesia initiation(t1),2 hours post-analgesia initiation(t2),full cervical dilation(t3),and delivery(t4).Secondary outcomes included Bromage scores,the number of patient-controlled analgesia(PCA)button presses,total drug consumption,and adverse reactions.Results In primiparous women,the VAS score at t1 was significantly lower in the P45 group compared to the P60 group(P<0.05),whereas no significant differences were observed in VAS scores between the two groups at t2—t4.The median PCA press count was also significantly lower in the P45 group than in the P60 group(P<0.05).However,there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of total drug consumption,Bromage scores,or the incidence of adverse events(P>0.05).In multiparous women,no significant differences were found in VAS scores,Bromage scores,or PCA press counts between the P45 and P60 groups at any time point(P>0.05).Conversely,total drug consumption was significantly higher in the P45 group compared to the P60 group(P<0.05).Conclusions For primiparous women,a 45-minute pulse interval in the PIEB mode not only provides superior labor analgesia but also significantly reduces the frequency of PCA presses without escalating the risk or severity of motor block or adverse events.For multiparous women,the pulse interval does not substantially influence the effectiveness of labor analgesia.These findings contribute valuable new evidence for refining clinical labor analgesia protocols.

AIM To study the chemical constituents from the water fraction of rhizoma of Smilax trinervula Miq.and their biological activities.METHODS Polyamide,silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,ODS and semi-preparative HPLC were used for isolation and purification,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.The antitumor activities were determined by MTT mothod,and the inhibitory activities on α-glucosidase were determined by PNPG method.RESULTS Eleven compounds were isolated and identified as tyrosine(1),uridine(2),2-(2',3',4'-trihydroxybutyl)-6-(2",3",4"-trihydroxybutyl)-pyrazine(3),2-(1',2',3',4'-tetrahydroxybutyl)-6-(2",3",4"-trihydroxybutyl)-pyrazine(4),2-(1',2',3',4'-tetrahydroxybutyl)-5-(2",3",4"-trihydroxybutyl)-pyrazine(5),uracil(6),2-(1',2',3',4'-tetrahydroxybutyl)-5-(1",2",3",4"-tetrahydroxybutyl)-pyrazine(7),dioscin(8),shikimic acid(9),pyrazine(10),3,4-dihydroxyphenyethyl alcohol 8-O-β-D-glycopyranoside(11).The IC50 values of compounds 8 to human breast cancer cell MCF-7 was(2.36±0.26)μg/mL,and the IC50 values of compounds 3-5 and 7 to α-glucosidase were(1.54±0.15)-(10.53±0.38)μg/mL.CONCLUSION Compounds 1-7,10 are isolated from Smilax genus for the first time,and compound 9,11 are first isolated from this plant.Compound 8 has anti-tumor activity,and compounds 3-5,7 have α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.

Objective To explore the association between the ratio of red blood cell distribution width to albumin level(RAR)and the risk of non-valvular atrial fibrillation(NVAF)in patients with hyperuricemia.Methods A total of 8 277 patients with hyperuricemia who underwent physi-cal examinations at the Physical Examination Center of Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from January 2021 to June 2024 were enrolled.From them,185 patients with AF were assigned into a case group,and 740 patients without AF were into a control group in a ratio of 1∶4 with propen-sity score matching(PSM).Logistic regression analysis,restricted cubic spline analysis,and sub-group analysis were employed to investigate the association between RAR and the risk of NVAF in hyperuricemic patients.Results The case group had significantly larger ratio of smoking,high-er levels of red blood cell distribution width,total bilirubin,hematocrit,and RAR index,but lower albumin,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and triglyceride(TG)levels,and smaller ra-tio of fatty liver than the control group(P＜0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the patients at Q2,Q3,and Q4 quartiles of RAR index have higher risk for AF than those at Q1 quartile(OR=2.843,OR=4.263,OR=7.801,P＜0.01).The effect of RAR index was significant when below the breakpoint of 2.85(OR=1.492,95％CI:1.151-1.993,P=0.004).Subgroup analysis indicated significant interactions between RAR index and age as well as smok-ing(P interaction＜0.05).The area under curve value of RAR index in predicting NVAF occurrence in male hyperuricemic patients was 0.679(95％CI:0.632-0.725).Conclusion In patients with hyperuricemia,a higher RAR index is associated with an increased risk of NVAF.RAR index has guiding significance for diagnosing male hyperuricemic patients complicated with AF.