This article systematically analyzed the historical evolution of the origin， scientific name， producing area， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing， and other aspects of Quisqualis Fructus by consulting the ancient materia medica， medical books， prescription books， local literature and combining with the modern literature and standards， summarized and explored the development rules of its medicinal properties and efficacy along with their underlying causes， in order to provide support for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this herb. According to the textual research， Shijunzi was first recorded as Liuqiuzi in Nanfang Caomuzhuang of the Jin dynasty， and the name of Shijunzi was first used in Kaibao Bencao of the Song dynasty， which has been consistently used throughout subsequent dynasties， and there were also aliases such as Junziren， Sijunzi， and Dujilizi. The mainstream source of Quisqualis Fructus used in the past dynasties has been the dried mature fruits of Quisqualis indica， a plant belonging to the family Combretaceae. In modern times， its variety Q. indica var. villosa has also been recorded as the medicinal material of Quisqualis Fructus. In 2007， the Flora of China（English edition） designated Q. indica var. villosa as a synonym of Q. indica. Today， the accepted name of Shijunzi is updated to Combretum indicum. According to ancient herbal records， the producing areas of Quisqualis Fructus were Guangdong， Hong Kong， Macao， Guangxi， Hainan， Sichuan and Fujian， and then gradually expanded to Yunnan， Taiwan， Jiangxi and Guizhou. Since the Song dynasty， two major production regions have gradually emerged in Sichuan， Chongqing and Fujian. Currently， it is primarily cultivated in Chongqing， Guangxi and other areas， with Chongqing yielding the highest output. Since modern times， superior quality has been defined by large size， a purple-black surface， plump grains， and a yellowish-white kernel. According to ancient herbal records， the harvesting period of Quisqualis Fructus was the July and August of the lunar calendar， mostly used raw after shelling or with the shell intact， it underwent processing methods such as cleaning， slicing， mixing， steaming， roasting， stewing， and frying. Currently， the harvesting period is autumn， followed by sun-drying or low-heat drying， with processing methods including cleaning， stir-frying， and stewing. In ancient and modern literature， the records of the properties， functions and indications of Quisqualis Fructus are basically the same， that is， sweet in taste， warm in nature， predominantly non-toxic， belonging to the spleen and stomach meridians. It possesses effects of insecticide， decontamination and invigorating spleen for ascariasis， enterobiasis， abdominal pain due to worm accumulation and infantile malnutrition.The contraindications for use primarily include avoiding consumption by individuals without parasitic infestations， limiting use for those with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold， refraining from drinking hot tea during medication， and avoiding excessive intake. Based on the textual research， it is suggested that the dried mature fruits of Q. indica should be used as the medicinal material for the development of famous classical formulas containing Quisqualis Fructus. Processing methods may be chosen according to prescription requirements， and the raw products is recommended for medicinal use if not specified.

Acupotomy therapy demonstrates the definite clinical efficacy on knee osteoarthritis (KOA). After reviewing systematically the mechanism studies on acupotomy for KOA over the past 5 years, It is revealed that acupotomy synergistically intervenes in the pathological progression of KOA through multi-target approaches, such as regulating cartilage homeostasis, restoring skeletal muscle function, alleviating synovial inflammatory responses, remodeling subchondral bone, and neuromodulation. But the current research still limits to single-tissue phenotypic observation, and is insufficiency in the in-depth exploration of multi-tissue synergistic interactions and molecular upstream-downstream regulatory mechanisms. Future studies should focus on the inheritance and innovation of acupotomy theory, and integrating multi-omics analytical technologies, artificial intelligence, and novel biochemical detection methods. The mechanism research targets on the interaction mechanisms among tissues, direct effects of acupotomy, immune-inflammatory regulatory mechanisms, and analgesic mechanisms, so as to comprehensively elucidate the therapeutic mechanism of acupotomy for KOA.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/genetics* ; Animals

In the context of an aging population, diabetes has emerged as a significant public health challenge.However, compared to the extensive research on target organs such as the cardiovascular, nervous, and renal systems, the impact of diabetes on the skeletal system has been underestimated.The pathological microenvironment of diabetes and systemic internal environment disorders harm bones by affecting bone density, disrupting bone microstructure, interfering with the bone mineralization process, and reducing the quality of bone collagen, which leads to the development of osteoporosis.Therefore, maintaining bone health should be an important component of comprehensive diabetes management.This review aims to provide an overview of the pathological characteristics, mechanisms, and treatment strategies for osteoporosis in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, serving as a reference for bone health management in diabetic patients.

Objective:To explore the effects of anshen jieyu decoction on hippocampal morphology and regulation of PI3K/AKT signalling pathway with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis expression in CUMS depressed rats.Methods:Rats were divided into a control group(Control),CUMS model group(CUMS),and ASJYD treatment group(CUMS+ASJYD).Rats in the CUMS and CUMS+ASJYD groups were exposed to 10 different chronic stressors to induce depressive-like behaviors.After modeling,the CUMS+ASJYD group received ASJYD via gavage.Depressive-like behaviors were assessed using the sucrose preference test and open field test.Serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hor-mone(ACTH)and corticosterone(CORT)were measured by ELISA.Hippocampal neuronal morphological changes were observed via Nissl staining,mitochondrial ultrastructure was examined using transmission electron microscopy,and hippocampal PI3K and AKT protein phosphorylation levels were detected by Western blot.Results:Compared with the Control group,the CUMS group showed significantly reduced sucrose consumption,preference rate,total travel distance in the open field,and central zone activity time(P＜0.01).Serum ACTH and CORT levels were elevated(P＜0.01),with disorganized hippocampal cell arrangement,reduced cell count,mitochondrial swelling,cristae blurring/rupture observed under electron microscopy,and decreased phosphorylation levels of PI3 K and AKT proteins(P＜0.01).After ASJYD treatment,the CUMS+ASJYD group exhibited significant improvements in sucrose consumption,preference rate,locomotor activity,and central zone exploration(P＜0.01),accompanied by reduced ACTH/CORT expression,alleviated hippocampal pathology,restored mitochondrial integrity with clear cristae,and increased PI3K/AKT phosphorylation(P＜0.01).Conclusion:Anshen Jieyu decoction significantly improved the depression-like be-haviour of CUMS rats,which may be achieved by down-regulating the hyperactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis,regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway,and ameliorating the damage to hippocampal neurons and mi-tochondria.

Objective:To explore the effects of anshen jieyu decoction on hippocampal morphology and regulation of PI3K/AKT signalling pathway with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis expression in CUMS depressed rats.Methods:Rats were divided into a control group(Control),CUMS model group(CUMS),and ASJYD treatment group(CUMS+ASJYD).Rats in the CUMS and CUMS+ASJYD groups were exposed to 10 different chronic stressors to induce depressive-like behaviors.After modeling,the CUMS+ASJYD group received ASJYD via gavage.Depressive-like behaviors were assessed using the sucrose preference test and open field test.Serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hor-mone(ACTH)and corticosterone(CORT)were measured by ELISA.Hippocampal neuronal morphological changes were observed via Nissl staining,mitochondrial ultrastructure was examined using transmission electron microscopy,and hippocampal PI3K and AKT protein phosphorylation levels were detected by Western blot.Results:Compared with the Control group,the CUMS group showed significantly reduced sucrose consumption,preference rate,total travel distance in the open field,and central zone activity time(P＜0.01).Serum ACTH and CORT levels were elevated(P＜0.01),with disorganized hippocampal cell arrangement,reduced cell count,mitochondrial swelling,cristae blurring/rupture observed under electron microscopy,and decreased phosphorylation levels of PI3 K and AKT proteins(P＜0.01).After ASJYD treatment,the CUMS+ASJYD group exhibited significant improvements in sucrose consumption,preference rate,locomotor activity,and central zone exploration(P＜0.01),accompanied by reduced ACTH/CORT expression,alleviated hippocampal pathology,restored mitochondrial integrity with clear cristae,and increased PI3K/AKT phosphorylation(P＜0.01).Conclusion:Anshen Jieyu decoction significantly improved the depression-like be-haviour of CUMS rats,which may be achieved by down-regulating the hyperactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis,regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway,and ameliorating the damage to hippocampal neurons and mi-tochondria.

In the context of an aging population, diabetes has emerged as a significant public health challenge.However, compared to the extensive research on target organs such as the cardiovascular, nervous, and renal systems, the impact of diabetes on the skeletal system has been underestimated.The pathological microenvironment of diabetes and systemic internal environment disorders harm bones by affecting bone density, disrupting bone microstructure, interfering with the bone mineralization process, and reducing the quality of bone collagen, which leads to the development of osteoporosis.Therefore, maintaining bone health should be an important component of comprehensive diabetes management.This review aims to provide an overview of the pathological characteristics, mechanisms, and treatment strategies for osteoporosis in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, serving as a reference for bone health management in diabetic patients.

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely applied in the field of drug discovery and development.In particular, natural language processing technology has been significantly improved after the emergence of the pre-training model.On this basis, the introduction of graph neural network has also made drug development more accurate and efficient.In order to help drug developers more systematically and comprehensively understand the application of artificial intelligence in drug discovery, this article introduces cutting-edge algorithms in AI, and elaborates on the various applications of AI in drug development, including drug small molecule design, virtual screening, drug repurposing, and drug property prediction, finally discusses the opportunities and challenges of AI in future drug development.

Primary liver cancer is a major global public health issue and currently the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The continuous changes in early cancer detection and treatment strategies have improved the overall survival rate of patients. Emerging organoid technologies have had a dramatic impact on cancer research in recent years, and tumor organoids are widely used in basic and translational cancer research. Tumor organoid culture technology will bridge the gap among molecular genetics, biology and clinical treatment. In this review, we discussed the recent different applications of liver organoids in liver cancer biology and clinical translation, involving liver cancer molecular studies, microenvironment and metastasis studies and drug screening trials, in order to provide a reference for clinical practice.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a slowly progressing hematopoietic cell disorder. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) plays established roles in tumor initiation, progression, and chemotherapy resistance in a wide range of cancers, including leukemia.However, small-molecule inhibitors targeting SPHK1 in CML still need to be developed. This study revealed the role of SPHK1 in CML and investigated the potential anti-leukemic activity of hirsuteine (HST), an indole alkaloid obtained from the oriental plant Uncaria rhynchophylla, in CML cells. These results suggest that SPHK1 is highly expressed in CML cells and that overexpression of SPHK1 represents poor clinical outcomes in CML patients. HST exposure led to G2/M phase arrest, cellular apoptosis, and downregulation of Cyclin B1 and CDC2 and cleavage of Caspase 3 and PARP in CML cells. HST shifted sphingolipid rheostat from sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) towards the ceramide coupled with a marked inhibition of SPHK1. Mechanistically, HST significantly blocked SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways. In addition, HST can be docked with residues of SPHK1 and shifts the SPHK1 melting curve, indicating the potential protein-ligand interactions between SPHK1 and HST in both CML cells. SPHK1 overexpression impaired apoptosis and proliferation of CML cells induced by HST alone. These results suggest that HST, which may serve as a novel and specific SPHK1 inhibitor, exerts anti-leukemic activity by inhibiting the SPHK1/S1P/ S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways in CML cells, thus conferring HST as a promising anti-leukemic drug for CML therapy in the future.

Objective To optimize the process of ultrasonic extraction of polysaccharide in Anoectochilus roxburghii and to investigate the method of protein removal. Methods The extraction rate of polysaccharide was used as the detection index. On the basis of single factor investigation, Box-Behnken experimental design and response surface method were used to optimize the three factors of material-liquid ratio, ultrasonic time and ultrasonic extraction temperature. The five deproteinization methods including Sevage reagent method, TCA method, salt method (NaOH-CaCl₂ and NaOH-NaCl) and hydrochloric acid method were investigated with the retention rate of polysaccharide and protein removal rate. Results The optimal extraction conditions of polysaccharide from Anoectochilus roxburghii were as follows: liquid-to-solid ratio was 10∶1, extraction temperature was 48 ℃ and extraction time was 36 min with extraction 2 times, ultrasonic power was 300 W, the extraction rate was 13.13%. NaOH-CaCl₂ deproteinized methods∶ the loss rate of polysaccharide was 18.74%, and the removal rate of protein was 95.62%. Conclusion Ultrasonic extraction is easy to operate, and the optimized extraction method can achieve a high extraction rate. NaOH-CaCl₂ deproteinization methods can get high protein removal rate and polysaccharide retention rate. This method is suitable for the research and development of the active components of the polysaccharides from Anoectochilus roxburghii.