Intervertebral disc degeneration （IVDD） is the core cause of chronic low back pain， which severely impairs patients’ quality of life and imposes a heavy social and medical burden. The hypoxia-pyroptosis-inflammation cascade mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α） is the core pathological mechanism driving the initiation and progression of IVDD. Natural active ingredients derived from traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） have become a research hotspot in the field of IVDD prevention and treatment due to their advantages of multi-target effects， favorable efficacy， and low toxicity. This paper systematically reviews the mechanism of HIF-1α-mediated hypoxia-pyroptosis-inflammation cascade in degenerative nucleus pulposus tissue and the intervention of related active ingredients. It is found that natural active ingredients such as baicalein， curcumin and resveratrol can intervene in the HIF-1α-mediated pathological cascade through four core links to delay IVDD progression： targeting the HIF-1α oxygen sensing pathway to block the initiation of pyroptosis cascade， inhibiting NOD-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome activation to cut off the cascade amplification of inflammatory signals， intervening in the Gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis execution stage to protect cell membrane integrity， and regulating extracellular matrix metabolism to reconstruct intervertebral disc homeostasis.

Triptolide （TP）， the core active component of the traditional Chinese medicine Tripterygium wilfordii ， exhibits remarkable pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory， immunosuppressive and anti-tumor effects， and holds broad application prospects in the treatment of major diseases such as autoimmune diseases and malignant tumors. However， TP has a narrow therapeutic window and causes multi-organ toxicities including liver， kidney and reproductive toxicities， which severely restrict its safe clinical application and new drug development. Therefore， toxicity reduction and efficacy enhancement has become a core scientific problem urgently to be solved in this field. This paper systematically reviews the four core strategies for TP toxicity reduction and efficacy enhancement， including structural modification， dosage form improvement， herbal compatibility， and external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine. Among them， structural modification optimizes the toxic and efficacy characteristics of TP from the molecular structure level， with typica l derivatives including （5 R ）-5-hydroxy triptolide， ZT01， PG490-88， etc. Dosage form modification achieves toxicity reduction and efficacy enhancement via targeted and sustained-controlled drug release of diverse delivery systems. It includes triptolide preparations such as nanoparticles， liposomes， microemulsion gels and liquid crystals， possessing favorable clinical transformation potential. The herbal compatibility and external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine conform to the holistic view of traditional Chinese medicine and have a profound clinical application foundation， but their mechanisms of action are insufficiently elucidated， and they lack unified standardized specifications and high-quality evidence-based proof. In the future， we should rely on multi-omics technology to elucidate the toxic and efficacy mechanisms， integrate technologies to optimize preparations， improve the evaluation system and promote clinical transformation.

Double network(DN)hydrogels have the ability to precisely adjust physical and chemical properties,change the interac-tion between biomaterials and cells or biomolecules,which can better fulfill clinical needs.DN have been widely used in tissue engi-neering and regenerative medicine.This article summarizes the advantages of DN hydrogels used in bone tissue regeneration,and intro-duces the effect of DN hydrogel systems on the behavior of loading cells,drug delivering in bone reparation,and the application of DN hydrogel system in microenvironment construction,bioactive composite materials,and antibacterial activity to meet the needs of bone regeneration.

To verify a new diagnostic method in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), we evaluated the function of meridians using thermal sensitivity measurement (TSM), and conducted a comparative study between nephropathy patients and healthy individuals. We also evaluated whether TSM is useful for diagnosing nephropathy. The subjects included nephropathy patients (n = 203) and healthy individuals (n = 826). Heat detection times were measured at the well points on both the left and right sides of the twelve meridians. Multivariate analysis was conducted, with the presence or absence of nephropathy as the objective variable and the heat detection times of each meridian as the explanatory variable. The meridians identified as important for diagnosing nephropathy included the pericardium meridian, the triple energizer (sanjiao) meridian, small intestine meridian, liver meridian, bladder meridian, and kidney meridian. A diagnostic method combining age and the heat detection times of these meridians achieved sensitivity and specificity of over 80%. This method intuitively and quantitatively reflects the sub-heat and sub-cold states of each meridian, and is expected to enrich the diagnostic methods in traditional Chinese and Oriental medicine.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of children with Chikungunya fever.Methods:This retrospective cohort study analyzed clinical data of 91 children with Chikungunya fever at the Department of Pediatrics, Foshan women and Children Hospital between July 2025 and August 2025. The patients were divided into four groups based on onset-age: 0-<1 year, 1-<3 years, 3-<6 years, and 6-14 years. One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to compare the clinical features of children with Chikungunya fever at different ages.Results:Among the 91 children with chikungunya fever, 55 were male and 36 were female, with an onset age of 6 (2, 11) years, age groups comprised 0-<1 year (10 cases), 1-<3 years (13 cases), 3-<6 years (17 cases) and 6-14 years (51 cases). Fever occurred in 87 cases (96%), with 50 cases (57%) had high fever. Skin rash was observed in 89 cases (98%), and 60 cases (67%) had a generalized rash. Joint pain was reported in 57 cases (63%), among which 35 cases (61%) had pain in two or more locations, with the knee involved in 21 cases (37%), the ankle in 15 cases (26%), and the wrist in 6 cases (11%).The knee was the most commonly affected joint 21 cases (37%), followed by the ankle 15 cases (26%) and wrist 6 cases (10%). Joint ultrasound was performed in 31 cases (34%), all showed joint effusion, including 8 cases (26%) without complaints of joint pain. The incidence of high fever was significantly lower in the 3-<6 years and 6-14 years groups compared to the 0-<1 year group (both P<0.05). The 6-14 years group also had a lower incidence of high fever than the 1-<3 years group ( P<0.05). The 1-<3 years group had longer duration of fever than the 3-<6 years and 6-14 years groups (both P<0.05). The incidence of joint pain was higher in the 3-<6 years and 6-14 years groups compared to the 1-<3 years group (both P<0.05), and higher in the 6-14 years group than in the 3-<6 years group ( P=0.007). Among all 91 children, 22 cases (24%) had abnormal liver function, 49 cases (54%) showed elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and 2 cases (2%) had elevated creatine kinase. The proportions of elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and LDH were higher in the 0-<1 year and 1-<3 years groups compared to the 3-<6 years and 6-14 years groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The clinical characteristics of children with Chikungunya fever vary among children of different ages. Children in the 0-<3 years are more prone to high fever with longer duration and generalized maculopapular rash, while the children in the 6-14 years have have a higher proportion of joint pain, and joint ultrasound revealed effusion in all examined children. AST and LDH levels are elevated in the 0-<3 years groups.

Objective:To analyze the proportion of nonobstructive azoospermia(NOA)patients opting for sperm bank donation under different sperm retrieval methods[percutaneous testicular sperm aspiration(TESA),microdissection testicular sperm extraction(mTESE)]and its influencing factors.Methods:Retrospective data from assisted reproductive technology(ART)cycles at the Center for Reproductive Medical,Peking University Third Hospital(from January 2019 to December 2023)were collected.Data-complete ART cycles involving NOA patients and their partners(using the last treatment cycle as the endpoint)were selected.Sperm donation utilization rates were compared across retrieval methods(fresh mTESE,fresh TESA,thawed mTESE,thawed TESA).Log-linear models were used to analyze the rela-tionship between sperm retrieval method and sperm source.Results:Among the 1 730 couples,the over-all sperm donation utilization rate was 12.66％.The highest rate occurred in the fresh mTESE group(23.42％),followed by the thawed mTESE group(5.87％).The rates for the fresh TESA and thawed TESA groups were 5.22％and 0％,respectively.Log-linear analysis demonstrated that sperm retrieval method was significantly associated with sperm source(mTESE:Estimate=4.499;TESA:Estimate=2.780;P＜0.001).Conclusion:The low overall sperm donation utilization rate in ART cycles may re-flect the efficacy of synchronous sperm retrieval ART.The proportion of NOA patients opting for sperm donation was influenced by the retrieval method.Compared with patients undergoing TESA,those under-going mTESE were more inclined to utilize donor sperm after retrieval failure.

Objective:To analyze the proportion of nonobstructive azoospermia(NOA)patients opting for sperm bank donation under different sperm retrieval methods[percutaneous testicular sperm aspiration(TESA),microdissection testicular sperm extraction(mTESE)]and its influencing factors.Methods:Retrospective data from assisted reproductive technology(ART)cycles at the Center for Reproductive Medical,Peking University Third Hospital(from January 2019 to December 2023)were collected.Data-complete ART cycles involving NOA patients and their partners(using the last treatment cycle as the endpoint)were selected.Sperm donation utilization rates were compared across retrieval methods(fresh mTESE,fresh TESA,thawed mTESE,thawed TESA).Log-linear models were used to analyze the rela-tionship between sperm retrieval method and sperm source.Results:Among the 1 730 couples,the over-all sperm donation utilization rate was 12.66％.The highest rate occurred in the fresh mTESE group(23.42％),followed by the thawed mTESE group(5.87％).The rates for the fresh TESA and thawed TESA groups were 5.22％and 0％,respectively.Log-linear analysis demonstrated that sperm retrieval method was significantly associated with sperm source(mTESE:Estimate=4.499;TESA:Estimate=2.780;P＜0.001).Conclusion:The low overall sperm donation utilization rate in ART cycles may re-flect the efficacy of synchronous sperm retrieval ART.The proportion of NOA patients opting for sperm donation was influenced by the retrieval method.Compared with patients undergoing TESA,those under-going mTESE were more inclined to utilize donor sperm after retrieval failure.

Double network(DN)hydrogels have the ability to precisely adjust physical and chemical properties,change the interac-tion between biomaterials and cells or biomolecules,which can better fulfill clinical needs.DN have been widely used in tissue engi-neering and regenerative medicine.This article summarizes the advantages of DN hydrogels used in bone tissue regeneration,and intro-duces the effect of DN hydrogel systems on the behavior of loading cells,drug delivering in bone reparation,and the application of DN hydrogel system in microenvironment construction,bioactive composite materials,and antibacterial activity to meet the needs of bone regeneration.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of children with Chikungunya fever.Methods:This retrospective cohort study analyzed clinical data of 91 children with Chikungunya fever at the Department of Pediatrics, Foshan women and Children Hospital between July 2025 and August 2025. The patients were divided into four groups based on onset-age: 0-<1 year, 1-<3 years, 3-<6 years, and 6-14 years. One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to compare the clinical features of children with Chikungunya fever at different ages.Results:Among the 91 children with chikungunya fever, 55 were male and 36 were female, with an onset age of 6 (2, 11) years, age groups comprised 0-<1 year (10 cases), 1-<3 years (13 cases), 3-<6 years (17 cases) and 6-14 years (51 cases). Fever occurred in 87 cases (96%), with 50 cases (57%) had high fever. Skin rash was observed in 89 cases (98%), and 60 cases (67%) had a generalized rash. Joint pain was reported in 57 cases (63%), among which 35 cases (61%) had pain in two or more locations, with the knee involved in 21 cases (37%), the ankle in 15 cases (26%), and the wrist in 6 cases (11%).The knee was the most commonly affected joint 21 cases (37%), followed by the ankle 15 cases (26%) and wrist 6 cases (10%). Joint ultrasound was performed in 31 cases (34%), all showed joint effusion, including 8 cases (26%) without complaints of joint pain. The incidence of high fever was significantly lower in the 3-<6 years and 6-14 years groups compared to the 0-<1 year group (both P<0.05). The 6-14 years group also had a lower incidence of high fever than the 1-<3 years group ( P<0.05). The 1-<3 years group had longer duration of fever than the 3-<6 years and 6-14 years groups (both P<0.05). The incidence of joint pain was higher in the 3-<6 years and 6-14 years groups compared to the 1-<3 years group (both P<0.05), and higher in the 6-14 years group than in the 3-<6 years group ( P=0.007). Among all 91 children, 22 cases (24%) had abnormal liver function, 49 cases (54%) showed elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and 2 cases (2%) had elevated creatine kinase. The proportions of elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and LDH were higher in the 0-<1 year and 1-<3 years groups compared to the 3-<6 years and 6-14 years groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The clinical characteristics of children with Chikungunya fever vary among children of different ages. Children in the 0-<3 years are more prone to high fever with longer duration and generalized maculopapular rash, while the children in the 6-14 years have have a higher proportion of joint pain, and joint ultrasound revealed effusion in all examined children. AST and LDH levels are elevated in the 0-<3 years groups.

AIM:To investigate the potential impact of mitoNEET[mitochondrial protein containing Asn-Glu-Glu-Thr(NEET)sequence]on mitochondrial metabolism in brown adipocytes,and to elucidate its underlying mecha-nism.METHODS:An in vitro model of primary mouse brown adipocytes was established.Western blot were utilized to detect relevant proteins,and iron ion and ATP content was measured using kits.Mitochondrial membrane potential and re-active oxygen species(ROS)were assessed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.RESULTS:The expression of the ferroptosis-related protein ACSL4 increased by 1.13 times in ferroptosis inducer erastin treatment group,whereas the expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 decreased by 27.33%and 25.33%,respectively,compared with control group(P<0.05).The expression of Nrf1,PGC-1α,MFN2 and UCP1 proteins,related to mitochondrial energy metabolism,de-creased by 20.98%,15.17%,15.03%and 34.22%,respectively(P<0.05).Additionally,the mitoNEET protein con-tent was significantly reduced by 42.14%(P<0.05).The iron ion content in erastin group was substantially increased by 1.80 times compared with control group.However,a notable decrease in ATP content of 14.95%was seen(P<0.05).The results obtained from fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated a significant decrease in the mitochon-drial membrane potential of brown adipocytes in erastin group,with reductions of 52.18%and 61.31%(P<0.05),re-spectively.A substantial increase in mitochondrial ROS content of 80.97%was seen(P<0.05).Western blot analysis of overexpressed stable strains revealed a significant elevation in mitoNEET levels in brown adipocytes following lentivirus transfection,exhibiting an increase of 11.19 times(P<0.05),thus confirming successful transfection.The LV-mitoNEET group exhibited a significant decrease of 37.95%in the expression of ferroptosis-related protein ACSL4 in brown adipose cells compared with control group.Additionally,there was a notable increase of 77.82%and 66.3%in the expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4,respectively(P<0.05).Up-regulation was observed in the expression of MFN2(79.06%),PGC-1α(72.89%),Nrf1(40.14%),and UCP1(31.68%)(P<0.05).The test results demonstrated that the LV-mitoNEET group experienced a reduction of 43.5%in iron ion content compared with control group while exhibiting an increase of 33.5%in ATP content(P<0.05).The results obtained from fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated that mitoNEET overexpression led to a significant increase in the mitochondrial membrane potential of erastin-induced brown adipocytes,with increments of 17.61%and 96.05%,respectively.Additionally,mitoNEET overexpression effec-tively reduced the production of mitochondrial ROS by 24.48%(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Our findings suggest that mitoNEET overexpression can effectively inhibit the disruption of mitochondrial energy metabolism caused by ferroptosis-induced death of brown adipocytes.