Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability among adults in China， and its common complications include digestive system abnormalities， cognitive impairment， depression， stroke-associated pneumonia， and hemiplegia. The combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine has great potential in treating post-stroke complications. Xinglou Chengqitang （XLCQT） is a representative prescription of alleviating the disease in the upper part by treating the lower part. It has definite therapeutic effect and high safety. Clinically， XLCQT is often used to treat stroke and its complications. However， the quantity and quality of clinical trials of XLCQT in treating post-stroke complications need to be improved. Additionally， since the basic research is weak， the material basis and multi-target mechanism for the efficacy of this prescription are unknown. This article reviews XLCQT in terms of the pharmacodynamic basis， medicinal properties， safety evaluation， and progress in clinical research and mechanisms in treating post-stroke complications. This article summarizes 22 key active ingredients of XLCQT in treating acute stroke complicated with syndrome of phlegm heat and fu-organ excess. Among these key active ingredients， resveratrol， kaempferol， luteolin， chrysoeriol， apigenin， （+）-catechin， and adenosine have good pharmacokinetic properties and high bioavailability. The mechanisms of XLCQT in treating post-stroke complications are complex， including inflammatory response， brain-gut axis， hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis， intestinal flora， neurotrophic factors， autophagy， oxidative stress， and free radical damage. This review helps to deeply understand the pharmacodynamic basis and mechanisms of XLCQT in treating post-stroke complications and provides a theoretical basis for the clinical application of XLCQT against post-stroke complications and the development of drugs.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate and evaluate the staged efficacy and safety of the representative empirical prescription of the “Zhu Ke Jiao” theory， Qijia Rougan prescription， combined with entecavir in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B. MethodsA multicenter randomized controlled clinical study was conducted， and 101 patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B-related hepatic fibrosis （CHB-HF） who met the diagnosis and inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to an observation group （Qijia Rougan prescription + entecavir） and a control group （entecavir）. The treatment duration was 24 weeks. Liver stiffness measurement （LSM）， fibrosis-4 index （FIB-4）， portal vein diameter， hepatitis B serology， biochemical indicators， hepatic fibrosis markers in serum ［hyaluronic acid （HA）， laminin （LN）， procollagen Ⅲ peptide （PⅢP）， and type Ⅳ collagen （Ⅳ-C）］， and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores were used as efficacy evaluation indicators. Efficacy assessments and explorations of different staged subgroups of Qijia Rougan prescription were conducted according to LSM values based on the Metavir pathological staging standard. ResultsA total of 98 cases were included for statistical analysis， with 49 cases in the observation group and 49 in the control group. The general data of the patients in both groups were comparable. Compared with the same group before treatment， the observation group showed a significant reduction in LSM and FIB-4 （P<0.01）， as well as notable improvements in LN， Ⅳ-C， and various TCM syndrome scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）. When compared to the control group after treatment， the observation group demonstrated significant improvements in LSM， FIB-4， and various TCM syndrome score indicators （P<0.05， P<0.01）， indicating that the observation group performed better than the control group. Subgroup analysis of the regression of hepatic fibrosis stages showed that compared to the same group before treatment， the observation group had better improvement in regression of stages F2 and F3 （P<0.05）. When compared to the control group after treatment， the observation group exhibited superior improvement in regression of stage F3 （P<0.05）. No adverse events occurred in either group during the treatment period. ConclusionCompared with entecavir alone， the combination of Qijia Rougan prescription and entecavir significantly improves the degree of hepatic fibrosis and clinical TCM symptoms in patients. The optimal intervention period is primarily during stage F3， which is a potential “interception” point of the “Zhu Ke Jiao” theory.

Parkinson's disease （PD） is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by motor dysfunction. The main pathological features include the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra， abnormal aggregation of alpha-Synuclein （α-Syn）， and the formation of Lewy bodies. However， the exact mechanisms remain unclear. In recent years， the PD incidence has gradually increased， while current treatment methods are limited to symptom alleviation， incapable of halting disease progression， and prone to adverse effects， thus making it urgent to search for medicines effective for PD. Modern research indicates that the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 （Keap1）/nuclear factor E₂ related factor 2 （Nrf2）/antioxidant response element （ARE） signaling pathway is closely related to oxidative stress， neuroinflammation， apoptosis， ferroptosis， and mitochondrial dysfunction， playing a crucial role in the pathophysiological development of PD. A large number of studies have further confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） can regulate diseases through a holistic view of Syndrome differentiation and microscopic molecular pathways. With unique advantages， such as multiple targets， multiple pathways， and fewer adverse reactions， TCM provides a new strategy for PD treatment. This article elucidates the mechanism of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway in the occurrence and development of PD， while summarizing the latest research on PD intervention by TCM monomers， active ingredients， and compounds， as well as acupuncture via the precise targeted regulation of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway， aiming to provide a reference for clinical medicine development to prevent and treat PD.

ObjectiveTo observe ovarian microvascular damage in rats with cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome and to explore the mechanism by which Liangfang Wenjing decoction improves this condition in rats. MethodsFifty SPF female SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group， a model group， low-dose （8.1 g·kg^-1） and high-dose groups （16.2 g·kg^-1） of Liangfang Wenjing decoction， and a 4-phenylbutyric acid （0.1 g·kg^-1） group， with 10 rats in each group. The ice-water bath method was employed to establish the rat model of cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome. Concurrent with modeling， Liangfang Wenjing decoction was administered continuously for 21 days， once daily. The rats' syndrome manifestations and estrous cycles were recorded. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum reproductive hormone levels and levels of endothelin-1 （ET-1）， nitric oxide （NO）， thrombomodulin （TM）， and von Willebrand factor （vWF） in ovarian tissue. Prothrombin time （PT）， activated partial thromboplastin time （APTT）， thrombin time （TT）， and fibrinogen （FIB） were measured. The ovarian microcirculatory blood perfusion was detected by laser speckle contrast imaging. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe the ovarian histopathology， flow cytometry to detect ovarian apoptosis rate， and transmission electron microscopy to observe the ultrastructure of ovarian microvascular endothelial cells. Western blot was employed to detect the protein expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase （eNOS）， phosphorylated eNOS （p-eNOS）， Caspase-3， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， glucose-regulated protein 78 （GRP78）， C/EBP homologous protein （CHOP）， inositol-requiring enzyme1α （IRE1α）， p-IRE1α， apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 （ASK1）， p-ASK1， c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）， and p-JNK. Immunofluorescence was used to detect ovarian Bax and Bcl-2 expression in microvascular endothelial cells. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed signs of cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome， prolonged estrus cycles， and reproductive hormone disorders. Histopathological results revealed a decrease in follicle counts at all stages and disorganized granulosa cell arrangement. Ovarian microcirculatory perfusion was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. PT， APTT， and TT were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while FIB levels were increased （P<0.05）. In ovarian tissue， NO content was decreased， while ET-1， vWF， and TM levels were increased significantly （P<0.01）. The apoptosis rate of ovarian cells was markedly increased （P<0.01）. Furthermore， p-eNOS/eNOS and Bcl-2 were decreased （P<0.05）， whereas Bax， cleaved-Caspase-3/Caspase-3， GRP78， CHOP， p-IRE1α/IRE1α， p-ASK1/ASK1， and p-JNK/JNK expression showed significant increases （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Liangfang Wenjing decoction intervention alleviated the symptoms of cold coagulation and blood stasis， gradually restored the estrus cycle， and improved ovarian histopathology and endothelial cell ultrastructure. Microcirculatory blood perfusion was significantly elevated （P<0.05）. NO content in ovarian tissue was elevated， while ET-1， vWF， and TM levels were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The p-eNOS/eNOS ratio and Bcl-2 expression were significantly elevated （P<0.05）， while the expression of Bax， cleaved-Caspase-3/Caspase-3， GRP78， CHOP， p-IRE1α/IRE1α， p-ASK1/ASK1， and p-JNK/JNK was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionLiangfang Wenjing decoction may regulate the IRE1α/ASK1/JNK signaling pathway to inhibit endoplasmic reticulum stress， attenuate apoptosis， and improve microvascular endothelial injury in ovaries of rats with cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome.

Ionizing radiation (IR) is a genotoxic agent that can play an important role in the occurrence and development of various diseases by inducing epigenetic changes. Studies have shown that the basic mechanisms of IR-induced epigenetic changes include abnormal DNA methylation, increased oxidative stress levels, changes in histone modifications, and regulation by microRNAs. These can lead to health hazards such as malignant tumors, genetic effects, nervous system damage, circulatory system diseases, and radiation-induced cataracts. This article collected relevant literatures regarding epigenetic changes induced by IR from 2005 to 2024, and reviewed the basic mechanisms of IR-induced epigenetic changes and the associated disease risks, providing the reference for radiation protection in occupational exposure and radiotherapy.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of dietary intervention on blood pressure and renal function in patients with hypertensive nephropathy, so as to provide dietary and nutritional guidances for this population. Methods: Hypertensive nephropathy patients who were treated at Zhucheng People's Hospital from March 2023 to February 2024 were selected as the study subjects and randomly divided into the intervention group and the control group. The control group received routine antihypertensive treatment and health lifestyle guidance. On the basis of the treatment and guidance received by the control group, the intervention group implemented dietary intervention in accordance with the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Nutritional Therapy of Chronic Kidney Disease in China (2021 edition) for a period of 3 months. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured before and after the intervention, and serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), uric acid (UA), cystatin and β2-microglobulin were detected. Differences of indicators before and after intervention between the two groups were compared using generalized estimation equation. Results: A total of 83 patients with hypertensive nephropathy were followed up, including 43 cases in the intervention group and 40 cases in the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, body mass index, duration of hypertension, family history of hypertension, hypertension grade, physical activity index, or smoking status between the two groups (all P>0.05). The differences in SBP, DBP, Scr, BUN, and UA between the two groups, as well as the differences before and after the intervention, were statistically significant, and there was an interaction between the groups and the intervention time (all P<0.05). After intervention, the levels of SBP, DBP, Scr, BUN, and UA in the intervention group were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). The differences in cystatin and β2-microglobulin between the two groups and before and after the intervention were not statistically significant, and there was no interaction between the groups and the intervention time (all P>0.05). Conclusion Dietary intervention has a certain effect on reducing blood pressure and improving renal function indicators in patients with hypertensive nephropathy.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture at "Sishencong" (EX-HN1) and "Fengchi" (GB20) on hippocampal neuronal ferritinophagy mediated by the nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4)/ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) signaling pathway in vascular dementia (VD) rats, and to explore the potential mechanisms of electroacupuncture for VD. METHODS: A total of 60 male rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into a blank group (12 rats), a sham surgery group (12 rats) and a modeling group (36 rats). In the modeling group, the modified 4-vessel occlusion method was used to establish the VD model. The 24 successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group and an electroacupuncture group, with 12 rats in each group. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture was applied at left and right "Sishencong" (EX-HN1), and bilateral "Fengchi" (GB20), with continuous wave, in frequency of 2 Hz and current intensity of 1 mA, 30 min a time, once daily for 21 consecutive days. The learning and memory abilities were assessed using the Morris water maze test before modeling, after modeling and after intervention, as well as the novel object recognition test after intervention. After intervention, the neuronal morphology in the hippocampus was observed by Nissl staining; the iron deposition was observed by Prussian blue staining; the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by dihydroethidium (DHE) fluorescence staining; the levels of iron, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the hippocampal tissue were measured by the colorimetric assay, TBA method, and WST-1 method, respectively; the positive expression of NCOA4, FTH1 and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) was detected by immunohistochemistry; the protein expression of NCOA4, FTH1, GPX4, and the ratio of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3B) Ⅱ/Ⅰ in the hippocampus were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the sham surgery group, in the model group, the escape latency was prolonged, and the number of platform crossings reduced (P<0.01), the recognition index (RI) was decreased (P<0.01); the hippocampal neurons displayed a blurred laminar structure, disorganized cellular arrangement, and the number of Nissl bodies was decreased (P<0.01); the percentage of iron deposition area in the hippocampus was increased (P<0.01); in the hippocampus, the levels of ROS, iron, MDA, and the protein expression of NCOA4, as well as the LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio were increased (P<0.01), the SOD level, and the protein expression of FTH1 and GPX4 were decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the electroacupuncture group, the escape latency was shortened and the number of platform crossings was increased (P<0.01), the RI was increased (P<0.01); the hippocampal neurons exhibited more regular morphology, better-organized cellular structure, and the number of Nissl bodies was increased (P<0.05); the percentage of iron deposition area in the hippocampus reduced (P<0.01); in the hippocampus, the levels of ROS, iron, MDA, and the protein expression of NCOA4, as well as the LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), the SOD level, and the protein expression of FTH1 and GPX4 were increased (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture at "Sishencong" (EX-HN1) and "Fengchi" (GB20) can improve learning and memory abilities in VD rats, and its mechanism may be associated with the regulation of the hippocampal NCOA4/FTH1 signaling pathway, inhibition of ferritinophagy, and alleviation of oxidative stress damage.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Dementia, Vascular/genetics* ; Male ; Rats ; Signal Transduction ; Humans ; Memory ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Nuclear Receptor Coactivators/genetics* ; Ferritins/genetics* ; Learning ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Acupuncture Points

BACKGROUND: Delayed platelet engraftment is a common complication after umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT), and there is no standard therapy. Avatrombopag (AVA) is a second-generation thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist (TPO-RA) that has shown efficacy in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, few reports have focused on its efficacy in patients diagnosed with thrombocytopenia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study at the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China to evaluate the efficacy of AVA as a first-line TPO-RA in 65 patients after UCBT; these patients were compared with 118 historical controls. Response rates, platelet counts, megakaryocyte counts in bone marrow, bleeding events, adverse events and survival rates were evaluated in this study. Platelet reconstitution differences were compared between different medication groups. Multivariable analysis was used to explore the independent beneficial factors for platelet implantation. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were given AVA within 30 days post-UCBT, and the treatment was continued for more than 7 days to promote platelet engraftment (AVA group); the other 13 patients were given AVA for secondary failure of platelet recovery (SFPR group). The median time to platelet engraftment was shorter in the AVA group than in the historical control group (32.5 days vs . 38.0 days, Z  = 2.095, P  = 0.036). Among the 52 patients in the AVA group, 46 achieved an overall response (OR) (88.5%), and the cumulative incidence of OR was 91.9%. Patients treated with AVA only had a greater 60-day cumulative incidence of platelet engraftment than patients treated with recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) only or rhTPO combined with AVA (95.2% vs . 84.5% vs . 80.6%, P  <0.001). Patients suffering from SFPR had a slightly better cumulative incidence of OR (100%, P  = 0.104). Patients who initiated AVA treatment within 14 days post-UCBT had a better 60-day cumulative incidence of platelet engraftment than did those who received AVA after 14 days post-UCBT (96.6% vs . 73.9%, P  = 0.003). CONCLUSION Compared with those in the historical control group, our results indicate that AVA could effectively promote platelet engraftment and recovery after UCBT, especially when used in the early period (≤14 days post-UCBT).
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Thrombocytopenia/etiology* ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Thiazoles/adverse effects* ; Platelet Count ; Receptors, Thrombopoietin/agonists* ; Child ; Thiophenes

This study systematically reviewed the randomized controlled trial(RCT) of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) treatment of post-stroke depression(PSD) and analyzed the clinical study characteristics and outcome indicators, aiming to optimize the design and establish the core outcome set in the future clinical trials of the TCM treatment of PSD. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and SinoMed were searched for the relevant RCT published in recent 3 years. The basic characteristics, intervention measures, and outcome indicators of the included RCT were extracted, and the descriptive analysis was carried out. A total of 76 RCTs were eventually included, with the sample size concentrated in 80-100 cases. The most frequent TCM syndromes were liver depression and Qi stagnation(15 times, 31.91%) and phlegm combined with stasis(5 times, 10.63%). The frequency of intervention methods followed a descending trend of TCM decoction(35 times, 46.05%) and TCM decoction + acupuncture(4 times, 5.26%), Chinese patent medicine(3 times, 3.94%), and the intervention mainly lasted for 1 to 3 months(43 times, 60.56%). The adverse reactions of patients were mainly digestive system reaction(150 patients, 39.37%) and nervous system reaction(112 patients, 29.39%). Most of the included studies had unclear risk of bias, involving 84 outcome indicators, which belonged to 8 indicator domains. The RCTs of TCM treatment of PSD showed a variety of problems, such as non-standard TCM syndrome differentiation, inconsistent names of TCM syndrome scores and measurement tools, low quality, unclear risk of bias, neglect of endpoint indicators, unreasonable selection of substitute indicators, lack of differentiation between primary and secondary outcome indicators, non-standard reporting of safety indicators, insufficient attention to economic indicators, and lack of long-term prognosis evaluation. It is suggested that the future research should improve the quality of methodology and build a standardized core outcome set to promote the development of high-quality clinical research in this field.
Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Stroke/psychology* ; Depression/etiology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional