Liver fibrosis is a chronic liver injury resulting from factors like viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, fatty liver disease, and cholestatic liver disease. Liver transplantation is currently the gold standard for treating severe liver diseases. However, it is limited by a shortage of donor organs and the necessity for lifelong immunosuppressive therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into various liver cells and enhance liver function when transplanted into patients due to their differentiation and proliferation capabilities. Therefore, it can be used as an alternative therapy for treating liver diseases, especially for liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver transplant complications. However, due to the potential tumorigenic effects of MSCs, researchers are exploring a new approach to treating liver fibrosis using extracellular vesicles (exosomes) secreted by stem cells. Many studies show that exosomes released by stem cells can promote liver injury repair through various pathways, contributing to the treatment of liver fibrosis. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms by which stem cell exosomes affect liver fibrosis through different pathways and their potential therapeutic targets. Additionally, we discuss the advantages of exosome therapy over stem cell therapy and the possible future directions of exosome research, including the prospects for clinical applications and the challenges to be overcome.

Liver fibrosis is a chronic liver injury resulting from factors like viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, fatty liver disease, and cholestatic liver disease. Liver transplantation is currently the gold standard for treating severe liver diseases. However, it is limited by a shortage of donor organs and the necessity for lifelong immunosuppressive therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into various liver cells and enhance liver function when transplanted into patients due to their differentiation and proliferation capabilities. Therefore, it can be used as an alternative therapy for treating liver diseases, especially for liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver transplant complications. However, due to the potential tumorigenic effects of MSCs, researchers are exploring a new approach to treating liver fibrosis using extracellular vesicles (exosomes) secreted by stem cells. Many studies show that exosomes released by stem cells can promote liver injury repair through various pathways, contributing to the treatment of liver fibrosis. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms by which stem cell exosomes affect liver fibrosis through different pathways and their potential therapeutic targets. Additionally, we discuss the advantages of exosome therapy over stem cell therapy and the possible future directions of exosome research, including the prospects for clinical applications and the challenges to be overcome.

Liver fibrosis is a chronic liver injury resulting from factors like viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, fatty liver disease, and cholestatic liver disease. Liver transplantation is currently the gold standard for treating severe liver diseases. However, it is limited by a shortage of donor organs and the necessity for lifelong immunosuppressive therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into various liver cells and enhance liver function when transplanted into patients due to their differentiation and proliferation capabilities. Therefore, it can be used as an alternative therapy for treating liver diseases, especially for liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver transplant complications. However, due to the potential tumorigenic effects of MSCs, researchers are exploring a new approach to treating liver fibrosis using extracellular vesicles (exosomes) secreted by stem cells. Many studies show that exosomes released by stem cells can promote liver injury repair through various pathways, contributing to the treatment of liver fibrosis. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms by which stem cell exosomes affect liver fibrosis through different pathways and their potential therapeutic targets. Additionally, we discuss the advantages of exosome therapy over stem cell therapy and the possible future directions of exosome research, including the prospects for clinical applications and the challenges to be overcome.

Renal interstitial fibrosis （RIF） is a common pathological change process from the development of various chronic nephropathies to the end stage， and it is an important histological manifestation of renal function decline. At present， no effective anti-fibrosis drugs have been found in clinical practice. In recent years， with the continuous development of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） pharmacology， molecular biology， system biology， and network pharmacology， the research on regulating RIF with TCM monomer， single TCM， TCM compound， Chinese patent medicine， and TCM injection is deepening. Among them， Jianpi Yishen recipe， Shendi Bushen capsules， Jianzhong Bushen Xiaozheng decoction， Liuwei Dihuangtang， and Lycium barbarum polysaccharides can regulate transforming growth factor-β/small mother against decapentaplegic （TGF-β₁/Smads）， Wnt/β-catenin， and neurogenic locus notch homolog protein （Notch） signaling pathways. Wulingsan， Zhenwutang， pachymic acid ZA， pachymic acid ZC， and pachymic acid ZD， which mainly induce diuresis， can regulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Hirudin， curcumin， and Fuzheng Huayu recipe， which mainly promote blood circulation， can inhibit inflammation-related pathways such as p-nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB）， Toll-like receptor 4/p-nuclear transcription factor-κB （TLR4/NF-κB）， and Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （JAK/STAT）， so as to achieve anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation effects and alleviate the progression of RIF. Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction， Shenkang injection， and Shenshuai recipe， which are mainly used for invigorating Qi， removing blood stasis， and removing turbidity， can inhibit transdifferentiation of pericytes-myofibroblasts through vascular endothelial growth factor receptor （VEGFR） signaling pathway. At present， there are many studies on the regulation of the RIF signaling pathway by TCM， but there is a lack of a systematic summary. In this study， by combing the signaling pathway of TCM in the treatment of RIF， the effective target of TCM treatment is screened， and its possible mechanism is found， which provides new ideas for clinical treatment and new drug research and development.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of a high uric acid environment on cataract formation by rat lens ex-vivo culture model.Methods The lenses harvested from adult Sprague Dawley rats were cultured in a high uric acid environment in vitro.The lenses were divided into the blank control group(15 eyes)and the uric acid treatment group(15 eyes).The lenses in the uric acid treatment group were treated with M-199 medium with 800 μmol·L-1 uric acid and lenses in the blank control group were cultured with M-199 medium without uric acid for 7 days.The turbidity of the lenses of rats in the two groups was observed by optical microscope.The deposition of urate in the lenses of rats in the two groups was detected by the Gomori hexamine silver method.The senescence of lens cells in the two groups was measured by SA-[3-gal staining.Lens cell apoptosis in the two groups was detected by the TUNEL method.Results The opacifica-tion in lenses of the uric acid treatment group occurred on the 5th day and the opacification grade significantly increased on the 7th day,with opacification grades being significantly different from those in the blank control group(both P＜0.05).In the blank control group,the lens epithelial cells were arranged neatly with no urate deposition,a few blue-stained lens epi-thelial cells and no obvious positive cells.In the uric acid treatment group,the arrangement of the lens epithelial was disor-dered in the equatorial part of the lens and under the anterior capsule,with black-brown urate crystals around the lens,more blue-stained lens epithelial cells and a small number of positive cells.In the high uric acid environment,urate crystals deposited under the capsular membrane of the lens,the surrounding lens epithelial cells were senescent,and a small num-ber of lens epithelial cells died.Conclusion A high uric acid environment can steadily and effectively induce cataract formation in the rat lens ex-vivo culture model.The mechanism may be related to senescence and apoptosis of lens epitheli-al cells induced by uric acid.

Aim To develop and validate a dynamic nomogram to predict the risk of no-reflow phenomenon(NRP)after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STE-MI)by constructing HALP based on haemoglobin(Hb),albumin(Alb),lymphocytes(LYM),and platelets(PLT).Methods A retrospective analysis of 449 STEMI patients admitted to Nanyang Central Hospital from January 2022 to Janu-ary 2024 was divided into 145 cases in the NRP group and 304 cases in the normal reflow group according to whether the patients developed NRP after surgery.HALP was calculated based on Hb,Alb,LYM and PLT observations.Independ-ent influences on NRP risk were determined by multivariate Logistic regression analysis.Dynamic nomogram of NRP risk after PCI in STEMI patients were developed using the R language correlation software package.Results The incidence of NRP was 32.3％(145/449)among 449 patients with NRP.The HALP of patients in the NRP group was lower than that of patients in the normal reflow group(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of HALP for diagno-sis of NRP was 0.880(0.847-0.909),and the Kappa coefficient of its optimal cutoff value ≤3.04 versus patients with accurate diagnosis of NRP was 0.612.The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age,diabetes mellitus,and high sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)were independent risk factors for NRP after PCI in STEMI pa-tients(P＜0.05),and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and HALP were independent protective factors(P＜0.05).A dynamic nomogram(https://xz0311.shinyapps.io/DynNamicNRP/)based on HALP combined with age,di-abetes,LVEF,and hs-CRP was effective in predicting the risk of post-PCI NRP in STEM1 patients.Conclusion HALP is more effective than traditional risk factors in predicting NRP risk in STEMI patients after PCI,and the dynamic nomogram developed based on HALP will help develop personalized treatment strategies for patients with high NRP risk.

Objective:To explore the in vitro antibacterial effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) combined with 3.5 g/L povidone iodine solution on the biofilm of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methods:Immature (cultured for 24 hours) and mature (cultured for 72 hours) MRSA biofilms were established on the surfaces of glass slides or confocal dishes. They were randomly divided into 4 groups ( n=9) according to different intervention methods. In the control group, glass slides or confocal dishes were placed in 500 mL of physiological saline for 3 minutes; in the PI group, glass slides or confocal dishes were placed in 500 mL of 3.5 g/L povidone iodine solution for 3 minutes; in the LIPUS group, glass slides or confocal dishes were placed in 500 mL of physiological saline and simultaneously intervened with LIPUS for 3 minutes; in the LIPUS & PI group, glass slides or confocal dishes were placed into 500 mL of 3.5 g/L povidone iodine solution and simultaneously intervened with LIPUS for 3 minutes. After intervention, confocal microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to observe and compare the structure, morphology, bacterial survival, and viable cell count of the MRSA biofilms among the 4 groups. Results:On the MRSA biofilms cultured for 24 and 72 hours, CLSM and SEM observed sparse biofilms in the LIPUS group and LIPUS & PI group, and also a large number of dead bacteria in the LIPUS & PI group. On the MRSA biofilms cultured for 24 hours, the bacterial colony counts in the control group, PI group, LIPUS group, and LIPUS & PI group were (1.21±0.45)×10 6 CFU/mL, (3.38±2.81)×10 3 CFU/mL, (1.82±0.37)×10 3 CFU/mL, and (69.67±27.93) CFU/mL, respectively. Except for the comparison between PI group and LIPUS group, which showed no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05), there were statistically significant differences between the other groups when compared pairwise ( P<0.05). On the MRSA biofilms cultured for 72 hours, the bacterial colony counts in the control group, PI group, LIPUS group, and LIPUS & PI group were (3.01±0.70)×10 6 CFU/mL, (1.80±1.52)×10 5 CFU/mL, (2.10±0.52)×10 3 CFU/mL, and (68.67±19.55) CFU/mL, respectively. There were statistically significant differences between the 4 groups when compared pairwise ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Application of LIPUS or 3.5 g/L povidone iodine alone for 3 minutes on the immature or mature MRSA biofilms in vitro only leads to partial antibacterial activity. However, LIPUS can enhance the in vitro antibacterial effect of 3.5 g/L povidone iodine on the MRSA biofilms at different maturity levels.

Objective:To analyze the preoperative and postoperative serum cholinesterase (CHE) levels in patients with stage ⅠA-ⅢA breast cancer who underwent surgical treatment, and to explore the roles of them and peripheral blood inflammatory markers in the prognostic prediction of stage ⅠA-ⅢA breast cancer.Methods:The relevant blood indicators of 152 patients with stage ⅠA-ⅢA breast cancer who underwent surgery and postoperative adjuvant therapy from January 2012 to December 2017 at Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were retrospectively studied. The optimal cut-off values of serum CHE levels and peripheral blood inflammatory markers [systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) ] were calculated using X-tile 3.6.1 software. Patients were categorized into low and high value groups based on the optimal cutoff values. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis were used to assess the correlation between CHE and peripheral blood inflammation indexes and disease-free survival (DFS). Spearman correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon test were used to assess the correlation and changes of CHE and inflammation indexes before and after treatment. In addition to this, a nomogram prediction model was conscturcted based on independent prognostic factors by R software, which was validated by Bootstrap method.Results:The CHE levels of patients before and after treatment was 8 645.0 (7 251.3, 10 229.3) and 9 309.0 (7 801.0, 10 835.3) U/L, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( Z=2.73, P=0.006) .The optimal cut-off values for postoperative CHE (Post-CHE), postoperative SII (Post-SII), and postoperative SIRI (Post-SIRI) associated with patients' DFS, being 7 773 U/L, 741, and 0.9, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that tumor size (≤2 cm vs.>2 cm and ≤5 cm: HR=2.55, 95% CI: 1.30-4.99, P=0.006; ≤2 cm vs. >5 cm: HR=8.95, 95% CI: 4.15-19.32, P<0.001), number of positive lymph nodes ( HR=3.84, 95% CI: 2.24-6.58, P<0.001), clinical stage (stage Ⅰ vs. stage Ⅱ: HR=1.52, 95% CI: 0.68-3.39, P=0.309, stage Ⅰ vs. stage Ⅲ: HR=8.12, 95% CI: 3.76-17.55, P<0.001), Ki-67 expression ( HR=2.19, 95% CI: 1.24-3.84, P=0.007), whether radiotherapy ( HR=2.05, 95% CI: 1.19-3.53, P=0.010), Post-CHE ( HR=6.81, 95% CI: 3.94-11.76, P<0.001), Pre-neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ( HR=1.11, 95% CI: 1.02-1.21, P=0.014), Post-NLR ( HR=5.23, 95% CI: 2.78-9.85, P<0.001), Pre-platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) ( HR=2.08, 95% CI: 1.01-4.26, P=0.046), Post-PLR ( HR=7.11, 95% CI: 3.78-13.37, P<0.001), Pre-lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) ( HR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.20-0.66, P<0.001), Post-LMR ( HR=0.23, 95% CI: 0.13-0.41, P<0.001), Pre-SII ( HR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.05-3.12, P=0.033), Post-SII ( HR=6.12, 95% CI: 3.48-10.76, P<0.001), Pre-SIRI ( HR=2.12, 95% CI: 1.24-3.63, P=0.006), and Post-SIRI ( HR=4.93, 95% CI: 2.87-8.48, P<0.001) were associated with DFS in patients with stage ⅠA-ⅢA breast cancer. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size (≤2 cm vs. >2 cm and ≤5 cm: HR=2.86, 95% CI: 1.41-5.78, P=0.003; ≤2 cm vs. >5 cm: HR=3.72, 95% CI: 1.50-9.26, P=0.005), number of positive lymph nodes ( HR=4.66, 95% CI: 2.28-9.54, P<0.001), Ki-67 expression ( HR=2.13, 95% CI: 1.15-3.94, P=0.016), Post-CHE ( HR=0.18, 95% CI: 0.10-0.33, P<0.001), Post-SII ( HR=2.71, 95% CI: 1.39-5.29, P=0.004), and Post-SIRI ( HR=3.77, 95% CI: 1.93-7.36, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for DFS in patients with stage ⅠA-ⅢA breast cancer. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the median DFS of patients in the Ki-67<30% group was not reached, and the median DFS of patients in the Ki-67≥30% group was 89.0 months, and the 3- and 5-year DFS rates were 84.9% vs. 75.9% and 80.8% vs. 64.3%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=7.65, P=0.006) ; the median DFS of patients in the tumor size≤2 cm group was not reached, the median DFS of the 2 cm5 cm group was 26.3 months, and the 3- and 5-year DFS rates were 95.5% vs. 74.6% vs. 42.1%, 86.3% vs. 68.6% vs. 25.3%, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=40.46, P<0.001) ; the median DFS of patients in the group with the number of positive lymph nodes<4 was not reached, and the median DFS of the group with the number of positive lymph nodes≥4 was 30.7 months, and the 3- and 5-year DFS rates were 87.9% vs. 46.4% and 81.4% vs. 28.6%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2= 47.34, P<0.001) ; the median DFS of patients in the Post-CHE<7 773 U/L group was 47.3 months, and the median DFS of patients in the Post-CHE≥7 773 U/L group was not reached, and the 3- and 5-year DFS rates were 52.8 % vs. 88.6% and 27.8% vs. 81.2%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=62.17, P<0.001) ; the median DFS was not achieved in patients in the Post-SII<741 group, and the median DFS was 30.5 months in the Post-SII≥741 group, with 3- and 5-year DFS rates of 88.1% vs. 38.5% and 80.1% vs. 30.8%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=50.78, P<0.001) ; the median DFS of patients in Post-SIRI<0.9 group was not reached, the median DFS of Post-SIRI≥0.9 group was 33.3 months, and the 3- and 5-year DFS rates were 93.5% vs. 46.7% and 84.9% vs. 39.9%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=40.67, P<0.001). Spearman correlation analysis revealed that Post-CHE was not correlated with Post-SII ( r=-0.111, P=0.175), and Post-CHE was negatively correlated with Post-SIRI ( r=-0.228, P=0.005). Post-treatment CHE was elevated compared to preoperative and the median DFS was not reached in patients with elevated CHE group and 61.8 months in patients with reduced CHE group after treatment, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=25.67, P<0.001). The nomogram based on independent prognostic factors had good predictive performance, with a C-index of 0.893. Conclusion:The serum CHE level exhibited a significant increase following treatment. Postoperative serum CHE combined with SII and SIRI can effectively predict DFS in patients with stage ⅠA-ⅢA breast cancer, and the prognosis of patients with elevated CHE after treatment is better. The nomogram constructed based on independent prognostic factors has good predictive performance for DFS in breast cancer patients.

Objective: To investigate the differences and diversity changes in gut microbiota between children and adolescents with constipation and diarrhea, and healthy individuals, and to explore the correlation between changes in stool consistency and gut microbiota, in order to provide a scientific reference for the research on intestinal microecology among children and adolescents. Methods: From October 2021 to March 2022, a total of 42 children and adolescents with constipation and 37 with diarrhea from a tertiary hospital in Hangzhou City, and 43 healthy individuals from 3 primary and secondary schools were included in this study. Fecal samples of children and adolescents were collected and then stool genomic DNA was extracted for 16S rRNA gene high throughput sequencing, and the sequencing results were analyzed. In the analysis of alpha diversity, the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was used to compare the differences between the three groups, and the FDR multiple testing correction was used for pairwise comparisons. In the analysis of beta diversity, the Adonis test was used to compare the overall differences between the three groups, and the ANOSIM test was used for pairwise comparisons. In the LEfSe analysis, the LDA scores obtained through LDA analysis (linear regression analysis). Results: Alpha diversity analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in the Shannon index (4.01, 3.81, 4.19) and Simpson index (0.05, 0.06, 0.04) between the diarrhea group, constipation group, and healthy group ( H=6.05, 6.35, P <0.1). Further pairwise comparison showed that the Shannon index and Simpson index of the healthy group were higher than those of the constipation group ( P <0.1). Beta diversity analysis showed that the impact of grouping factors on inter group differences was statistically significant ( R 2=0.045, P <0.1). Community composition analysis showed that there were 234 species in total among the three groups, and 36 unique species in the healthy group, 36 species in the diarrhea group, and 48 species in the constipation group. Species difference analysis showed significant differences in species composition at the genus level among the three groups ( H=0.000 05, 0.000 16, 0.000 20, 0.000 21, 0.000 53, 0.001 39, P <0.1), including Lachnospiraceae of Firmicutes phylum, Eubacterium hallii, Veillonellaceae, Qscillospiraceae, Butyricicoccaceae and Staphylococcaceae, respectively. KEGG abundance statistics and COG functional analysis showed that there were no significant differences in gene expression abundance of the same function among the three groups ( P >0.1). Conclusions The different stool consistency of children and adolescents is related to changes in gut microbiota composition. Compared to the healthy group, children with constipation or diarrhea have disrupted gut microbiota balance, with a shift in dominant bacteria and a higher abundance of opportunistic pathogens.

Objective:To explore the mechanism of Huangqi Jiedu Decoction (HQJD) in the treatment of breast cancer with the syndrome of Zheng deficiency and toxic incandescence by network pharmacology and molecular docking technology.Methods:The main active ingredients and targets of HQJD were screened through the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) systematic pharmacology database and analysis platform. The relevant targets of breast cancer with the syndrome of Zheng-deficiency, toxic-incandescence were obtained using OMIM, GeneGards and Drugbank databases, and the relevant targets of HQJD for the treatment of breast cancer with the syndrome of Zheng-deficiency and toxic incandescence were obtained by intersection; The Cytoscape 3.9.1 software was used to build the protein protein interaction (PPI) network and the " drug active component target disease" network on the basis of String 11.0 database, and the core active components and core targets of HQJD in treating breast cancer with the syndrome of Zheng-deficiency and toxic-incandescence were inferred according to the topological parameters. gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were performed on core targets using R language; and molecular docking verification on the main active ingredients and core targets were conducted.Results:230 effective targets of active ingredients of HQJD were screened, and 15 467 active ingredients of breast cancer with syndrome of Zheng-deficiency/toxic-incandescence were obtained; 217 intersection targets; GO function enrichment analysis showed that the treatment of HQJD for breast cancer with the syndrome of Zheng-deficiency and toxic-incandescence mainly involved oxidative stress and cytochemical stress; The enrichment analysis of KEGG pathway showed that HQJD treatment of breast cancer with the syndrome of Zheng-deficiency and toxic-incandescence was mainly related to phosphatidylinositol 3-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt), interleukin-17 (IL-17) and other signal pathways. The molecular docking results showed that the main active ingredients such as β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, luteolin had good binding ability with core targets.Conclusions:HQJD has the characteristics of multi-component, multi target and multi pathway in the treatment of breast cancer with syndrome of Zheng-deficiency and toxic-incandescence, and its main mechanism may be related to PI3K-Akt, IL-17, P53 and other signal pathways.