Objective To introduce the causes of accidents and the diagnosis and treatment of two patients with radiation-induced skin injury admitted to our hospital in 2023, and to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of subsequent radiation-induced skin injury. Methods The clinical treatment process of two patients with acute skin injury caused by external radiation exposure were summarized and analyzed. Results The exposure history of the two patients was reconstructed, the flaw detection scenario was simulated, the biological dose and hand skin exposure dose were estimated, and the infrared thermal imaging device was used for dynamic monitoring. A comprehensive analysis was conducted based on clinical manifestations and other data. The diagnosis of “Xie” was excessive exposure combined with acute radiation-induced skin injury on both hands (Grade IV for the right hand palm, index finger, and middle finger and Grade II for the left hand little finger). The diagnosis of “Hao” was acute radiation-induced skin injury on both hands (Grade I). The two patients received different clinical treatment measures: “Xie” was treated with both local and systemic therapies, while “Hao” was mainly treated with systemic therapy. Conclusion After systematic and effective treatment, the radiation-induced skin injuries healed in both patients.

Hepatolenticular degeneration， also known as Wilson disease （WD）， is a hereditary disease caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene， leading to copper metabolism disorders. Gene mutations result in impaired synthesis of copper-binding protein， and abnormal excretion of copper through bile leads to pathological deposition of copper in various organs， ultimately causing multi-organ damage. The insidious onset and low specificity of symptoms make it difficult to diagnose this disease. On the basis of existing studies and the theory of latent toxin， this paper proposes that latent toxin in kidney collaterals is the main pathogenesis of renal injury in WD. It is pointed out that health Qi deficiency and latent pathogen are the premises for the occurrence of this disease， and the transformation of latent pathogen into toxin is the ley pathological process. Toxin damaging kidney collaterals is the ultimate result. According to the pathogenesis， this paper proposes the treatment principle of reinforcing healthy Qi and resolving toxin and treatment based on syndrome differentiation. This review provides new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of renal injury in WD with traditional Chinese medicine.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to use the digital muscle function assessment system Myoton PRO to assess the correlation between muscle tension，clinical characteristics， and traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） syndromes in patients with hepatolenticular degeneration ［also known as Wilson disease（WD）］. MethodsA total of 104 patients with WD accompanied by abnormal muscle tension（increased or decreased，hereinafter the same） who were hospitalized in the Brain Disease Centre of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from April 2021 to November 2023 were selected，all of whom were subjected to TCM syndrome diagnosis and Myoton PRO for the measurement of F value of muscle tension，Goldstein， and UWDRS-N scales. The age of onset of the disease and disease duration were analyzed，and the differences and correlations of the above indexes in different TCM syndromes of WD were analyzed ResultsAmong the 104 patients with WD ，the phlegm and stasis syndrome was the most common（60 patients），followed by the damp-heat syndrome（33 patients），and the least common was the liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome（11 patients）. The F value of the phlegm and stasis syndrome group was higher than that of the liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome group and the damp-heat syndrome group（P<0.01）. The F value of the damp-heat syndrome group was higher than that of the liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome group（P<0.05），and the F value of the lower limbs of each group was higher than that of the upper limbs（P<0.01）. Goldstein and UWDRS-N scores of the patients in the phlegm and stasis syndrome group were higher than those in the damp-heat syndrome group and the liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome group（P<0.05）. There was no significant difference between the Goldstein and UWDRS-N scores of patients in the liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome group and the damp-heat syndrome group. Correlation analysis revealed that the age of onset and duration of the disease were positively correlated with the F values of the lower limbs（r=0.20，P<0.05，r=0.38，P<0.01）and had no significant correlation with those of the upper limbs. The F value levels of muscle tension of all limbs in the three groups of patients were positively correlated with the Goldstein and UWDRS-N scores（muscle tension of the upper limbs in the phlegm and stasis syndrome group，r=0.36，P<0.01，r=0.42，P<0.01. muscle tension of the lower limbs in the phlegm and stasis syndrome group，r=0.70，P<0.01，r=0.60，P<0.01. muscle tension of the upper limbs in the damp-heat syndrome group，r=0.64，P<0.01，r=0.53，P<0.01. muscle tension of the lower limbs in the damp-heat syndrome group，r=0.59，P<0.01，r=0.70，P<0.01. muscle tension of the upper limbs in the liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome group，r=0.70，P<0.01，r=0.74，P<0.01. muscle tension of the lower limbs in the liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome group，r=0.85，P<0.01，r=0.62，P<0.01）. Conlusion： The digital muscle function assessment system Myoton PRO can objectively evaluate the muscle tension level of patients with WD accompanied by abnormal muscle tension. This level has significant differences among different TCM syndromes and can evaluate the patient's condition to some extent.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Gandouling decoction combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation （NMES） in the treatment of dysphagia in Wilson disease （WD） with combined phlegm and stasis. MethodsA total of 80 WD patients with dysphagia due to combined phlegm and stasis treated in the Department of Encephalopathy， the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine were randomized into a control group and an observation group， with 40 patients in each group. In addition， 40 healthy volunteers were recruited as the normal group. The control group was treated with basic copper drainage combined with NMES. The observation group was treated with Gandouling Decoction on the basis of the therapy in the control group. Each course of treatment lasted for 8 days， and the patients were treated for a total of 4 courses. All subjects underwent video fluoroscopic swallowing study （VFSS） before and after treatment. During the examination， contrast agents with 4 different characters were used for the swallowing action， and the passing time was recorded. The TCM syndrome score， water swallow test score， standard swallowing assessment （SSA） score， and 24-h urinary copper level before and after treatment were analyzed. ResultsWhen performing VFSS， the passing time of contrast agents of different characters in the oral stage was longer in the WD group than in the normal group （P<0.01）， while it had no significant difference in the pharyngeal stage. After treatment， the passing time in the oral stage shortened in the control and observation groups （P<0.01）， and the observation group outperformed the control group （P<0.01）. After treatment， both the control and observation groups showed declines in TCM syndrome score and SSA score （P<0.01） and an increase in water swallow test score （P<0.01）， and the changes were more obvious in the observation group than in the control group （P<0.01）. In addition， the treatment in the control and observation groups elevated the 24-h urinary copper level （P<0.01）， and the elevation in the observation group was more obvious than that in the control group （P<0.01）. Neither group showed obvious adverse reaction. ConclusionGandouling decoction combined with NMES can significantly ameliorate dysphagia in WD patients with the syndrome of combined phlegm and stasis regarding the TCM syndrome score， water swallow test score， and SSA score， demonstrating definite clinical efficacy and high safety.

ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics and distribution of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes in the patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）. MethodsAn electronic questionnaire was developed to collect the general data and four examination information of ESCC patients treated in 10 areas with high incidence of esophageal cancer in China from June 2020 to March 2021. Multiple analyses including frequency analysis， factor analysis， and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to analyze the potential syndrome elements， disease location， and common syndromes of ESCC. ResultsA total of 2 027 patients with ESCC were included. Statistical analysis was performed on 113 symptoms， physical signs， 33 tongue manifestation variables， and 23 pulse manifestation variables of the patients’ four examination information. Factor analysis was performed on 55 variables with frequency>10%， extracting 19 common factors. According to clinical experience and expert opinions， the main lesions of patients with ESCC were in the spleen and stomach， and the main syndrome elements were Qi stagnation， blood stasis， phlegm， dampness， and Qi deficiency， with the syndrome element combination of phlegm obstruction + Qi stagnation + blood stasis being the most common. The syndromes can be classified into four categories of liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction， kidney-spleen dysfunction + combined phlegm and stasis， spleen-kidney Yang deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis， and liver-kidney Yin deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis. The main syndrome of ESCC was liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction in the early stage， liver-spleen dysfunction + combined phlegm and stasis in the middle stage， and spleen-kidney Yang deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis in the late stage. ConclusionESCC mainly has main pathological features of internal deficiency and external excess and combined deficiency and excess， with the key syndrome elements being phlegm obstruction， Qi stagnation， and blood stasis. The main disease locations are in the spleen and stomach， involving the liver， kidney， chest and diaphragm， heart， and lung. The main syndrome is liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction. In clinical practice， it is necessary to grasp the pathogenesis dynamics of the disease and use prescriptions according to patients’ syndromes.

ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation with cognitive function based on a new Kayser-Fleischer ring （K-F ring） grading method in Wilson’s disease （WD）. MethodsA total of 136 WD patients who were hospitalized in Encephalopathy Center， The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine， from April 2022 to October 2023 were enrolled. All subjects underwent slit lamp examination， and the grade of K-F ring was determined according to the shape and extent of copper deposition in the cornea， whether it formed a ring or not， and whether there was a sunflower-like cloudy change in the lens. The patients were instructed to complete UWDRS， MoCA， and MMSE scale assessments， and these indicators were compared between patients with different K-F ring grades. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test （homogeneity of variance） or the Dunnett’s T3 test （heterogeneity of variance） was used for further multiple comparisons； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation of K-F ring grade with UWDRS， MoCA， and MMSE scores. ResultsAmong the 136 patients with WD， there were 40 patients with grade 4 K-F ring， accounting for the highest proportion of 29.4%， and 14 patients with grade 0 K-F ring， accounting for the lowest proportion of 10.3%， and there were 22 patients with grade 1 K-F ring （16.2%）， 19 with grade 2 K-F ring （14%）， 25 with grade 3 K-F ring （18.4%）， and 16 with grade 5 K-F ring （11.7%）. According to the different grades of K-F ring， there was a significant increase in UWDRS score （F=22.61， P<0.001） and significant reductions in MoCA and MMSE scores （F=16.40 and 13.80， both P<0.001）. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that K-F ring grade was positively correlated with UWDRS score （r=0.67， P<0.01） and was negatively correlated with MoCA and MMSE scores in WD patients （r=-0.59 and -0.57， both P<0.01）. ConclusionThe new K-F ring grading method can determine disease severity in WD patients to a certain degree and partially reflect cognitive function and activities of daily living in such patients.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common cancers， and due to the lack of obvious specific symptoms in its early stage， patients are often in the advanced stage at the time of diagnosis and tend to have a poor prognosis. Timely diagnosis and effective treatment in the early stage can help to prolong the survival time of patients. Liquid biopsy is a noninvasive technique that can obtain the information of tumor by detecting and analyzing related biomarkers， including circulating tumor cells， circulating tumor DNA， and extracellular vesicles， thereby contributing to early diagnosis， molecular pathological typing， and prognosis prediction. This article reviews the research advances in the application of liquid biopsy in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

ObjectiveTo clarify the neuroprotective effect of black Panacis Quinquefolii Radix（PQR） and explore its active ingredients， with the aim of establishing an activity-oriented quality evaluation method. MethodsTransgenic Tg（HuC∶EGFP） zebrafish was used to establish a neuronal injury model by aluminum chloride immersion. Different doses（10， 20 mg·L^-1） of PQR and black PQR ethanol extracts were administered. The neuroprotective effects of PQR and black PQR were compared by analyzing the fluorescent area and intensity of zebrafish neurons. Based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography（UPLC）， a fingerprint profile of black PQR was established， followed by principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA）. Differential components were screened using the criteria of variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1 and P<0.05. The neuroprotective activity of 14 batches of black PQR was assessed， and Spearman correlation analysis was used to identify saponins related to neuroprotective activity， which were then validated. Based on the above results， active marker components were determined， and an UPLC method was established for their quantitation with clear content limits. ResultsPharmacological efficacy results showed that both PQR and black PQR at different doses could significantly improved neuronal damage in zebrafish. At a dose of 20 mg·L^-1， black PQR demonstrated superior efficacy（P<0.05）. The fingerprint similarities of 14 batches of black PQR were>0.94， with 26 common peaks identified. Through comparison with the reference standards， 8 components were confirmed， including peak 1（ginsenoside Rg₁）， peak 2（ginsenoside Re）， peak 5（ginsenoside Rb₁）， peak 9（ginsenoside Rd）， peak 16［ginsenoside 20（S）-Rg₃］， peak 17［ginsenoside 20（R）-Rg₃］， peak 18（ginsenoside Rk₁）， and peak 19（ginsenoside Rg₅）. The results of PCA and OPLS-DA indicated that there were differences in saponins among black PQR samples from different origins， and 12 differential components were screened. All 14 batches of black PQR exhibited good protective effects on zebrafish neurons， with Shaanxi-produced black PQR showing superior protective effects compared to the other three production regions. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that a total of 11 components， including ginsenosides 20（S）-Rg₃， 20（R）-Rg₃， Rk₁ and Rg₅， showed a significant positive correlation with the neuroprotective effect in zebrafish（P<0.05）. The activity validation results indicated that ginsenosides 20（S）-Rg₃， 20（R）-Rg₃， Rk₁ and Rg₅ were the primary components responsible for the neuroprotective effects of black PQR. Quantitative analysis showed that the content of ginsenoside 20（S）-Rg₃ in 14 batches of black PQR ranged from 0.17% to 0.52%， and the repair rate of neuronal damage ranged from 42.77% to 97.83%. ConclusionBased on the fingerprint and neuronal protective activity， the spectrum-effect related quality control model of black PQR was established， with ginsenoside 20（S）-Rg₃ as the quality control index， and the neuronal damage repair rate≥60% as the evaluation standard， the minimum limit of ginsenoside 20（S）-Rg₃ in black PQR should be≥0.20%.

ObjectiveTo assess the quality consistency of black Panacis Quinquefolii Radix（bPQR） decoction pieces prepared by atmospheric and pressurized steaming processes based on chromaticity-chemical composition-vasoactive inhibition. The ultimate goal was to screen the pressurized steaming process yielding quality equivalent to atmospheric steaming， and optimize the processing technology of bPQR. MethodsThe bPQR decoction pieces were prepared using both atmospheric and pressurized steaming processes， and the chromaticity values［lightness value（L^*）， red/green chromaticity value（a^*）， yellow/blue chromaticity value（b^*）， total chromaticity value（E^*ab）］ were measured. High performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was employed to establish fingerprint profiles for the decoction pieces， and cluster analysis was conducted on chromaticity values and the common peak areas in fingerprint profiles to elucidate the quality relationships between the decoction pieces processed by different methods. The optimal atmospheric steaming of bPQR decoction pieces was determined through zebrafish angiogenesis inhibition experiments. The contents of ginsenosides Rg₁， Re， Rb₁， 20（S）-Rg₃， Rk₁ and Rg₅ in the decoction pieces were quantified， and Spearman correlation analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between saponin content， chromaticity， and angiogenesis inhibition activity during the steaming process. By integrating the consistency of chromaticity， saponin components and angiogenesis inhibition activity， pressurized steaming conditions with quality equivalent to the atmospheric pressure method were selected. ResultsCompared with the atmospheric steaming method， pressurized steaming resulted in faster color darkening and higher conversion rates of ginsenosides in bPQR decoction pieces. Moreover， the neovascularization inhibitory activity of bPQR decoction pieces continued to increase with the deepening of processing. Based on the effectiveness and safety， the optimal process for preparing bPQR decoction pieces with neovascularization inhibitory activity was determined to be atmospheric steaming for 21 h. All six ginsenosides tested exhibited strong to extremely strong correlations with both the chromaticity values of the decoction pieces and their neovascularization inhibitory activities. Among them， ginsenosides Rg₁， Re and Rb₁ exhibited positive correlations with chromaticity values and negative correlations with zebrafish angiogenesis inhibition activity. Conversely， ginsenosides 20（S）-Rg₃， Rk₁ and Rg₅ showed negative correlations with chromaticity values and positive correlations with zebrafish angiogenesis inhibition activity. By integrating chromaticity values， cluster analysis results， as well as the results of activity， it was determined that the quality of bPQR decoction pieces steamed under pressurized conditions of 110 ℃（0.045 MPa） for 5 h and 115 ℃（0.07 MPa） for 3 h was highly consistent with that obtained by atmospheric steaming for 21 h. ConclusionThe preparation of bPQR decoction pieces by pressurized steaming has the advantages of short preparation time， low energy consumption， and rapid saponin conversion rate， making it a viable alternative to atmospheric steaming for preparing bPQR decoction pieces. Meanwhile， the evaluation method based on chromaticity-chemical composition-activity can provide a more scientific and effective explanation of change rules in the quality during traditional Chinese medicine processing， and offer a new model for optimizing processing technology and enhancing quality control.

Objective To compare the results obtained from an artificial intelligence (AI)-based chromosome image scanning and processing system, the Metafer 4 chromosome scanning and analysis system, and manual analysis of dicentric chromosomes, and to explore the feasibility of applying AI technology for dicentric chromosome detection and biological dose estimation. Methods Healthy human elbow vein blood was collected and subjected to ⁶⁰Co in vitro irradiation. Chromosome samples were prepared using conventional methods. The slides were scanned and automatically analyzed using the AI-based system and the Metafer 4 system. The results were manually analyzed and confirmed. Results The number of cells was comparable between the AI-based system and the Metafer 4 system. However, the scanning speed of the AI-based system was 4.5 seconds per image, which was significantly faster than the 7.3 seconds per image of the Metafer 4 system (t = −6.19, P < 0.05). At a confidence level of 0.7, the AI-based system demonstrated a true positive rate of 96.7% and a false positive rate of 6.5%, which were significantly better than the true positive rate (45.4%-54.5%) and false positive rate (22.2%-29.2%) of the Metafer 4 system (all P < 0.05). In the biological dose estimation, the deviation of the dose-response curve was ≤ ± 10% in the automatic analysis using the Metafer 4 system. Due to the use of the manual dose-response curve, the deviation of the AI-based System was ≤ ± 15%. However, there were no significant differences in the estimated doses when the two systems were compared with the manual analysis (P > 0.05). Conclusion Both the AI-based chromosome image scanning and processing system and the Metafer 4 chromosome scanning and analysis system greatly improved the analysis speed of chromosome aberrations. However, the scanning speed, true positive rate, and false positive rate of the AI-based system were superior to those of the Metafer 4 system. Therefore, the AI-based system is more suitable for rapid and high-throughput biological dose estimation in large-scale radiation accidents.