ObjectiveBased on the Janus kinase 2 （JAK2）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） signaling pathway， this study explores the protective effect and mechanism of Taohong Siwutang against retinal vasculitis （RV） from the perspective of angiogenesis. MethodsSPF-grade C57BL/6J mice were used to establish a RV model induced by experimental autoimmune uveitis （EAU）， and the protective effect of Taohong Siwutang on RV was investigated. Fifty mice were randomly assigned to a blank group， model group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Taohong Siwutang groups （3.315、6.63、13.26 g·kg^-1，10 mice in each group）. After modeling， gavage administration was performed for 20 consecutive days. A small-animal retinal imaging system and fluorescein sodium angiography were used to observe pathological changes in the retinal tissue and vessels. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to assess retinal histopathological changes. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate CD31-positive expression. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of JAK2， phosphorylated （p）-JAK2， STAT3， p-STAT3， and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 （VEGFR2） in retinal tissue. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to determine the relative expression level of VEGFR2 mRNA in retinal vessels. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed relative optic disc swelling， multiple areas of inflammatory cell infiltration around retinal veins with partial vascular occlusion， vessel thickening and morphological alterations， uneven retinal thickness， wrinkling and bending of inner and outer layers， vascular dilation， and disordered cellular arrangement. Compared with the model group， the Taohong Siwutang groups showed markedly reduced CD31-positive expression and effectively improved perivascular inflammatory infiltration， vascular tortuous dilation， angiogenesis， vascular occlusion， and hemorrhage. Western blot results showed that compared with the model group， the expression of VEGFR2 and the phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT3 were significantly decreased in the Taohong Siwutang groups （P0.01）. Real-time PCR results indicated that VEGFR2 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in the Taohong Siwutang groups compared with the model group （P0.05）. ConclusionTaohong Siwutang can effectively alleviate angiogenesis in RV and， through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway， reduce angiogenesis and improve retinal pathological injury， thereby exerting a protective effect on retinal vessels.

ObjectiveTo elucidate the chemical composition of the reference sample of Jinshui Liujunjian and its distribution characteristics in blood and tissues of rats. MethodsUltra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS） was used to detect the reference sample solution， plasma， and tissue samples of Jinshui Liujunjian under positive and negative ion modes， respectively. Qualitative Analysis 10.0 software and a self-constructed database were employed for primary mass spectrum matching.Compound identification was further validated by comparing retention times， secondary mass spectral fragments， reference standards， and literature data to deduce fragmentation pathways. ResultsA total of 122 compounds were identified in the reference sample of Jinshui Liujunjian， including 47 flavonoids， 5 amino acids， 13 iridoids， 16 triterpenoid saponins， etc.， of which 42 compounds were confirmed by comparison with reference substances. A total of 21 prototype components were identified in blood components； 50 prototype components were identified in different tissues， among which 13， 10， 7， 21， 11， 6， 14， and 40 prototype components were identified in the heart， liver， spleen， lung， kidney， brain， large intestine， and stomach， respectively. Among them， 7 compounds such as ferulic acid， glycyrrhizic acid， and nobiletin were exposed in the target organs of lung and kidney. ConclusionThis study elucidates the material basis of the reference samples of Jinshui Liujunjian， primarily composed of flavonoids and triterpenoid saponins， along with their in vivo distribution characteristics. These findings provide a scientific basis for establishing quality evaluation indicators and offer references for subsequent pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic investigations.

ObjectiveBased on the Janus kinase 2 （JAK2）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） signaling pathway， this study explores the protective effect and mechanism of Taohong Siwutang against retinal vasculitis （RV） from the perspective of angiogenesis. MethodsSPF-grade C57BL/6J mice were used to establish a RV model induced by experimental autoimmune uveitis （EAU）， and the protective effect of Taohong Siwutang on RV was investigated. Fifty mice were randomly assigned to a blank group， model group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Taohong Siwutang groups （3.315、6.63、13.26 g·kg^-1，10 mice in each group）. After modeling， gavage administration was performed for 20 consecutive days. A small-animal retinal imaging system and fluorescein sodium angiography were used to observe pathological changes in the retinal tissue and vessels. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to assess retinal histopathological changes. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate CD31-positive expression. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of JAK2， phosphorylated （p）-JAK2， STAT3， p-STAT3， and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 （VEGFR2） in retinal tissue. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to determine the relative expression level of VEGFR2 mRNA in retinal vessels. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed relative optic disc swelling， multiple areas of inflammatory cell infiltration around retinal veins with partial vascular occlusion， vessel thickening and morphological alterations， uneven retinal thickness， wrinkling and bending of inner and outer layers， vascular dilation， and disordered cellular arrangement. Compared with the model group， the Taohong Siwutang groups showed markedly reduced CD31-positive expression and effectively improved perivascular inflammatory infiltration， vascular tortuous dilation， angiogenesis， vascular occlusion， and hemorrhage. Western blot results showed that compared with the model group， the expression of VEGFR2 and the phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT3 were significantly decreased in the Taohong Siwutang groups （P0.01）. Real-time PCR results indicated that VEGFR2 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in the Taohong Siwutang groups compared with the model group （P0.05）. ConclusionTaohong Siwutang can effectively alleviate angiogenesis in RV and， through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway， reduce angiogenesis and improve retinal pathological injury， thereby exerting a protective effect on retinal vessels.

ObjectiveTo elucidate the chemical composition of the reference sample of Jinshui Liujunjian and its distribution characteristics in blood and tissues of rats. MethodsUltra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS） was used to detect the reference sample solution， plasma， and tissue samples of Jinshui Liujunjian under positive and negative ion modes， respectively. Qualitative Analysis 10.0 software and a self-constructed database were employed for primary mass spectrum matching.Compound identification was further validated by comparing retention times， secondary mass spectral fragments， reference standards， and literature data to deduce fragmentation pathways. ResultsA total of 122 compounds were identified in the reference sample of Jinshui Liujunjian， including 47 flavonoids， 5 amino acids， 13 iridoids， 16 triterpenoid saponins， etc.， of which 42 compounds were confirmed by comparison with reference substances. A total of 21 prototype components were identified in blood components； 50 prototype components were identified in different tissues， among which 13， 10， 7， 21， 11， 6， 14， and 40 prototype components were identified in the heart， liver， spleen， lung， kidney， brain， large intestine， and stomach， respectively. Among them， 7 compounds such as ferulic acid， glycyrrhizic acid， and nobiletin were exposed in the target organs of lung and kidney. ConclusionThis study elucidates the material basis of the reference samples of Jinshui Liujunjian， primarily composed of flavonoids and triterpenoid saponins， along with their in vivo distribution characteristics. These findings provide a scientific basis for establishing quality evaluation indicators and offer references for subsequent pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic investigations.

Objective: To explore the effects of the school based integrated horticulture curriculum intervention on 24 hour activity behaviors among third grade primary school students, so as to provide reference for promoting children s health. Methods: In September 2023, a convenience sampling method was used to select 90 third grade primary school students from a primary school in Changsha. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group ( n =45) and a control group ( n =45) using a random number table. From February to May 2024, the intervention group received a 12 week integrated curriculum intervention, consisting of two 60 minute sessions per week and covering horticultural practice, home-school collaborative tasks and nutrition knowledge education. The control group continued with routine labor education courses. The triaxial accelerometer and multi sensor sleep monitoring device were used to objectively measure light intensity physical activity (LPA), moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), screen based sedentary behavior (SSB) and sleep (SLP), durations in both groups. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEE) and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: The time, group and interaction effects of MVPA time and SLP time before and after intervention in two groups of primary school students were not statistically significant (Wald χ 2=1.54, 2.97, 0.85 ; 0.75, 1.05, 0.48), and the group effect of LPA time (Wald χ 2=1.24) and the time and group effects (Wald χ 2=3.02, 1.18 ) were not statistically significant (all P >0.05). There were statistically significant time and interaction effects for LPA time, as well as interaction effect for SSB time in two groups of primary school students before and after intervention (Wald χ 2=4.78, 3.95, 12.60, all P <0.05). After intervention, LPA time of intervention group [152.23(59.15, 245.80)min] was higher than that of control group [120.70(29.90, 201.20)min], and SSB time of intervention group [55.50(30.00, 125.50)min] was lower than that of control group [220.00(60.00, 285.00)min], with statistically significant differences ( Z =-2.46, -4.48, both P <0.05). Conclusion The school horticulture curriculum effectively enhances daily LPA and reduces SSB among third grade primary school students.

Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effect of neoeriocitrin (Neo) on ligature-induced experimental periodontitis in mice and evaluate its biosafety, providing experimental evidence for novel candidate drugs in periodontitis treatment. Methods: This study has been approved by the Animal Welfare and Ethical Safety Committee. A periodontitis model was established in C57BL/6J mice using silk ligation. The mice were divided into control, periodontitis model, and three Neo treatment groups (5, 10, 20 mg/kg Neo). After 2 weeks of intervention, alveolar bone resorption was analyzed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT); periodontal tissue pathological changes were observed via hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Masson staining; osteoclasts were counted using tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining; serum inflammatory factor levels [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-10 (IL-10)] were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; gut microbiota changes were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing; and biosafety was assessed through HE staining of the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and colon, as well as zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) immunohistochemical staining of the colon. Results: Compared with the periodontitis model group, the 10 mg/kg Neo treatment group showed significantly alleviated alveolar bone resorption, manifested as reduced cementoenamel junction to alveolar bone crest distance, increased bone mineral density, bone volume fraction, and trabecular thickness. Additionally, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, improved collagen fiber arrangement, and a significantly decreased number of osteoclasts were observed in periodontal tissues. Serum levels of pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 were also reduced. Furthermore, 10 mg/kg Neo intervention modulated the gut microbiota structure without causing significant multi-organ toxicity or impairing intestinal barrier function. Conclusion Neo can effectively mitigate the progression of experimental periodontitis by inhibiting alveolar bone resorption, reducing periodontal tissue inflammation, modulating systemic immunity, and improving gut microbiota. With good biosafety, Neo is a promising candidate drug for the treatment of periodontitis.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the retroauricular transmeatal approach in the treatment of condylar head and neck fractures, and to provide a reference for clinical practice. Methods: This study has been reviewed and approved by the institutional medical ethics committee and has obtained informed consent from the patients. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients with condylar head and neck fractures treated via the retroauricular transmeatal approach between March and October 2024. Postoperative follow-up was performed for at least 3 months, including clinical and radiographical evaluations. The assessed parameters included facial nerve function, temporal region numbness, hematoma, infection, salivary fistula, mouth opening, malocclusion, mandibular movement function, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and clicking, external auditory canal (EAC) stenosis, hearing function impairment, surgical scar concealment, postoperative reduction and fixation outcomes. Results: A total of 16 patients with condylar fractures were treated via the retroauricular transmeatal approach, including 10 unilateral and 6 bilateral cases. Specifically, 18 sides were condylar head fractures, and 4 sides were condylar neck fractures. All patients achieved a House-Brackmann Grade I, indicating normal facial nerve function postoperatively. On postoperative day 1, 3 sides experienced temporal numbness in the temporal region on the surgical side, with spontaneous resolution in all cases. All patients recovered after surgery without hematoma, infection, or salivary fistula. Limited mouth opening was improved (14 cases with restricted mouth opening preoperatively vs. 3 cases postoperatively). No malocclusion occurred in any patient. All patients achieved satisfactory recovery of postoperative mandibular movement function, manifested as restored range of motion without pain. No TMJ clicking was observed within 3 months after surgery. One keloid-prone patient developed progressive EAC stenosis (2 mm lumen constriction) accompanied by conductive hearing impairment, which recovered after dilation therapy. All patients were satisfied with the aesthetic outcomes. Radiographically parametric assessment demonstrated satisfactory fracture reduction and fixation; with no loosening of titanium plates or screws. Conclusion The retroauricular transmeatal approach effectively reduces the risk of facial nerve injury and salivary fistulas formation with providing concealed scarring and high patient satisfaction. However, caution should be exercised regarding EAC stenosis, especially for keloid-prone patients.

There are practical and cost-effective opportunities for the prevention and early intervention of periodontal disease, a common oral condition. Depression and anxiety represent major global mental health challenges, and they are characterized by high prevalence rates and an elevated suicide risk. Their clinical management is complicated by extended treatment timelines and substantial healthcare costs. Accumulating evidence demonstrates a statistically significant bidirectional association between periodontal disease and depression/anxiety disorders. However, established clinical pathways integrating these conditions remain lacking. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of current research examining the relationship between periodontal disease and mood disorders, specifically depression and anxiety. This study explored the bidirectional mechanisms within the microbiota-oral-brain axis, which includes both periodontal disease inducing neuroinflammation through pro-inflammatory factors, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) activating the TLR-4/NF-κB signaling pathway, and depression and anxiety leading to “glucocorticoid resistance” through hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, thus causing dual immune dysfunction that exacerbates periodontal tissue destruction, as well as the mechanisms by which biological, psychological, and social factors contribute to the bidirectional association between periodontal disease and depression/anxiety. We propose implementing bidirectional referral protocols between dental and psychiatric services in clinical practice, incorporating mental health screening tools, such as Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7), for patients with moderate-to-severe periodontal disease, and incorporating periodontal examination into routine assessment during psychiatric services. This multidisciplinary approach aims to break the vicious circle between these conditions and provide clinicians with pragmatic intervention strategies.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to find the identified and validated clinical biomarker data building upon a clinical study of early-phase phase Ⅱ and investigate the correlation analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" based on a machine learning model. Additionally， the effective prediction of clinical biomarker values for the main symptoms of the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome was assessed. MethodsA total of 229 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome were randomly divided into the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group. Syndrome score transition matrices were constructed for the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group based on three main symptoms of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome， such as oral ulcers， sore throat， and gum swelling and pain. Data from the patients with these three syndromes were also integrated for an overall analysis. The corresponding syndrome score transition matrices were further constructed to visualize symptom change trends of the patients in the two groups via heatmaps. Based on the identified and validated clinical biomarkers related to inflammation， oxidative stress， and energy metabolism in the early phase， Spearman correlation analysis was employed to analyze and evaluate the associations between clinical biomarkers and syndrome improvement. Key clinical biomarkers reflecting the effect of Huanglian Jiedu Wan were screened through the comparison of differences between groups. An extreme gradient boosting （XGBoost） algorithm was used to develop a prediction model for main symptom classification， with classification performance evaluated through 10-fold cross-validation. Feature importance analysis was applied to identify variables with the greatest contribution to the prediction result. ResultsThe syndrome transition matrix results indicated that the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group showed a superior effect to the placebo group in improving oral ulcers， sore throat， and overall symptoms， with significant effects observed especially in sore throat and overall symptom analyses （P<0.01）. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that several clinical biomarkers positively correlated with "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome and its main symptom improvement， were also called "heat-related biomarkers"， including succinic acid， α-ketoglutaric acid， glycine， lactic acid， adenosine monophosphate （AMP）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interferon-γ （IFN-γ）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-4 （IL-4）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and so on. Conversely， clinical biomarkers negatively correlated with symptom severity， were also called "heat-clearing related biomarkers" after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Wan， including malic acid， fumaric acid， cis-aconitic acid， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， IL-1β， IL-4， IL-8， succinic acid， and citric acid. The XGBoost classification model using all 52 biomarkers as variables achieved an average test accuracy of 0.754 and an average F1 score of 0.777. Feature importance analysis identified the scores of glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 were the highest in all the variables， with importance scores of 0.081 and 0.080， respectively. After screening out 14 key variables and optimizing the parameters， model performance improved to an average accuracy of 0.758 and an F1 score of 0.798. Feature importance analysis further determined that the glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 showed obvious changes after screening the variables， confirming the good syndrome prediction ability of the model constructed by these key clinical biomarkers. ConclusionThis study systematically elucidates the correlation between syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers of Huanglian Jiedu Wan in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome. An XGBoost classification model based on key clinical biomarkers is successfully established， achieving effective prediction of the symptoms related to the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome such as oral ulcers and sore throat and providing a new insight for objective identification of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes.

ObjectiveTo analyze the processing mechanism underlying the enhanced effect of invigorating spleen and stopping diarrhea of soil-fried Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） by analyzing the changes of microstructure， chemical composition and anti-ulcerative colitis（UC） activity before and after soil stir-frying. MethodsThe microstructure and elemental composition of AMR before and after soil stir-frying were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy（SEM-EDS）， to investigate the differences in microstructure and the underlying causes. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） coupled with UNIFI 1.9.2 natural product analysis platform were used to analyze and identify the chemical constituents in raw and soil-fried products， and multivariate statistical methods including principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to explore the differences and sources of chemical constituents between them. A dextran sulfate sodium（DSS）-induced UC mouse model was established. The method of disease activity index（DAI） was used to evaluate the severity of intestinal inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colon tissue， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors， Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to analyze the expressions of key genes and proteins involved in the intestinal mucosal barrier. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to evaluate the diversity of intestinal flora， headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS） was used to explore the levels of short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） in feces. Base on the above findings， this paper investigated the effects of raw and soil-fried AMR on the biological， chemical， mechanical and immune barriers of model animals， and the differences in pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. ResultsSEM observation revealed numerous hearth soil particles on the surface of soil-fried AMR， accompanied by bubble-like bulges. At the same time， there were many cracks and folds on the surface of the hearth soil. EDS analysis revealed that the contents of Si， Al， Mg and Ca in soil-fried AMR were significantly higher than those of raw products， and these elements constituted the primary components of hearth soil. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with database comparison was used to identify the chemical constituents of raw and soil-fried AMR. In positive ion mode， a total of 132 components were identified， primarily comprising three categories of terpenoids， polyphenols and amino acids. In negative ion mode， a total of 40 components were identified， primarily polyphenolic and glycoside compounds. Among them， the contents of sesquiterpenes and polyphenolic acids were changed significantly before and after processing. Soil-fried AMR could reduce the DAI score of UC mice， alleviate the shortening of colon length， reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-17， IL-18， γ-interferon（IFN-γ） and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α in serum， increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors such as secretory immunoglobulin A（sIgA）， IL-10， IL-4 and transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β） in serum， increase the expressions of key genes and proteins of intestinal mucosal barrier such as tight junction protein-1（ZO-1）， Occludin， Claudin-1 and mucin 2（MUC2） in colonic mucosa， and improve the disorders of intestinal flora diversity and the levels of SCFAs（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The raw and stir-fried products of AMR also exhibited the aforementioned effects， but they were weaker than the soil-fried products. Additionally， the auxiliary material hearth soil also had a certain pharmacodynamic effect. ConclusionSoil-fried AMR can enhance the protective effect on intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. These changes or heating-induced alterations in the microscopic structure and chemical composition of AMR may be attributed to the dual effects of adsorption of hearth soil.