Objective: To develop a quality appraisal tool for case reports in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) based on their characteristics. [Methods]: An extensive literature search was conducted in Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and China Science and Technology Journal Database (CSTJ), focusing on expert consensus statements and checklists for TCM case reports. Relevant items were extracted, and a Delphi method involving 34 experts was used in two rounds to rate each item on a 5-point Likert scale. Items were screened based on measures of central tendency and coordination (including total score, mean score, percentage of items rated as unimportant, and coefficient of variation). The weighted average method was used to determine item weights and construct the appraisal tool. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s α coefficient. The finalized tool was pilot-tested by two reviewers independently appraising 20 case reports, with an additional four reviewers evaluating 5 of these cases to compare inter-rater consistency. Results: A total of 9 513 articles were retrieved, and 96 items from 25 articles were extracted. After two rounds of the Delphi method, 27 items across 10 domains were retained. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.72 in the first round (acceptable range), and 0.96 in the second round, indicating strong internal consistency. The tool was piloted by six reviewers, achieving a kappa value of 0.663 and a Kendall’s coefficient of concordance of 0.845, demonstrating high consistency among reviewers. Conclusion The developed TCM case report quality appraisal tool, consisting of 27 items in 10 domains, offers a scientific and reliable means of assessing the quality of TCM case reports. The tool showed high consistency and practical utility, and its application is expected to enhance the standardization, scientific rigor, and evidence quality of TCM case reports, facilitating the integration of traditional medical knowledge with modern evidence-based standards.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Danhong injection on mitochondrial dynamics， morphology， and function in the rat model of chronic heart failure by mediating the adenosine 5'-monophosphate （AMP）-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/dynamin-related protein 1 （Drp1） pathway. MethodsFrom 75 SD rats， 15 rats were randomly selected as the sham group， and the remaining 60 rats were used to prepare a rat model of chronic heart failure by abdominal aortic constriction （AAC）. The modeled rats were randomly allocated into model， Danhong Injection （6 mL·kg^-1）， and captopril （8.8 mg·kg^-1） groups and administrated with corresponding agents for 15 consecutive days. The levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-pro BNP）， adenosine diphosphate （ADP）， adenosine triphosphate （ATP）， interleukin （IL）-6， IL-1β， and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α and the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes Ⅰ-Ⅳ were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The changes in cardiac function were detected by echocardiography. The ultrastructural changes of myocardial mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Western blot was employed to assess the protein levels of AMPK， p-AMPK， Drp1， p-Drp1， optic atrophy 1 （Opa1）， mitofusin （Mfn2）， and fission l （Fis1） in the myocardial tissue. Real-time PCR was performed to determine the mRNA levels of Opa1， Mfn2， and Fis1， and immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of p-AMPK. ResultsCompared with the sham group， the model group showed elevated levels of NT-pro BNP， ADP， TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-1β （P<0.01）， declined ATP level （P<0.01）， weakened activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes Ⅰ-Ⅳ （P<0.01）， decreased left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） and left ventricular fraction shortening （LVFS） （P<0.01）， and increased left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole （LVDd） and leaf ventricular internal diameter at end-systole （LVIDs） （P<0.01）. Electron microscopy results showed that the model group presented heavily abnormal myocardial structure， with large areas of myofilament structure destroyed and dissolved， significantly enlarged residual structural gaps， and fragmented mitochondria. Western blot results showed that the model group demonstrated down-regulated protein levels of p-AMPK， Mfn2， and Opa1 （P<0.01） and up-regulated protein levels of p-Drp1 and Fis1 （P<0.01） in the myocardial tissue. Real-time PCR results showed that the model group presented up-regulated mRNA level of Fis1 （P<0.01） and down-regulated mRNA levels of Mfn2 and Opa1 （P<0.01）. Immunohistochemistry results showed reduced expression of p-AMPK in the model group compared with sham group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Danhong injection lowered the levels of NT-pro BNP， ADP， TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-1β （P<0.01）， raised the level of ATP （P<0.01）， increased the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes Ⅰ-Ⅳ （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased the LVEF and LVFS （P<0.01）， decreased the LVDd and LVIDs （P<0.05， P<0.01）， alleviated mitochondrial damage， up-regulated the protein levels of p-AMPK， Mfn2， and Opa1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， down-regulated the protein levels of p-Drp1 and Fis1 （P<0.01）， reduced the mRNA level of Fis1 （P<0.01）， elevated the mRNA levels of Mfn2 and Opa1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and promoted the expression of p-AMPK （P<0.05）. ConclusionDanhong injection repairs the imbalance of mitochondrial dynamics， restores the mitochondrial function， improves the myocardial energy metabolism， and reduces the inflammatory response by regulating the AMPK/Drp1 pathway， thus improving the cardiac function.

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the mechanism and targets of Shenfu Injection in regulating glycolysis to intervene in myocardial fibrosis in chronic heart failure based on the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/ 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2，6-bisphosphatase 3 （PFKFB3） signaling pathway. MethodsA rat model of chronic heart failure was established by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol （ISO）. After successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided into the Sham group， Model group， Shenfu injection （SFI， 6 mL·kg^-1） group， and inhibitor （3PO， 35 mg·kg^-1） group， according to a random number table， and they were treated for 15 days. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography， and serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Fasting body weight and heart weight were measured， and the heart index （HI） was calculated. Pathological changes in myocardial tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining， and the fibrosis rate was calculated. Biochemical assays were used to determine serum levels of glucose （GLU）， lactic acid （LA）， and pyruvic acid （PA）. Western blot was used to analyze the expression of proteins related to the HIF-1α/PFKFB3 signaling pathway （HIF-1α and PFKFB3）， glycolysis-related proteins （HK1， HK2， PKM2， and LDHA）， and fibrosis-related proteins ［transforming growth factor （TGF）-β₁， α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， and Collagen type Ⅰ α1 （ColⅠA1）］. Real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of HIF-1α and PFKFB3 in myocardial tissue. ResultsCompared with the Sham group， the Model group showed significantly decreased left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， left ventricular shortening fraction （LVFS）， interventricular septal thickness （IVSd）， and interventricular septal strain （IVSs） （P<0.05）， while left ventricular internal dimension at end-diastole （LVDd） and end-systole （LVIDs） were increased （P<0.05）. Serum NT-proBNP levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and body weight was decreased. Heart weight was increased， and the HIT index was increased （P<0.05）. Myocardial tissue exhibited inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen fiber deposition， and the fibrosis rate was significantly increased （P<0.05）. Serum GLU was decreased （P<0.05）， while LA and PA levels were increased （P<0.05）. Protein expressions of HIF-1α， PFKFB3， HK1， HK2， PKM2， LDHA， TGF-β₁， α-SMA， and ColⅠA1， as well as the mRNA expression of HIF-1α and PFKFB3 were increased （P<0.05）. Compared with the Model group， both the SFI group and 3PO groups showed significant improvements in LVEF， LVFS， IVSd， and IVSs （P<0.05） and decreases in LVDd， LVIDs， and NT-proBNP levels （P<0.05）. Body weight was significantly increased. Heart weight was significantly decreased， and the HIT index was significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Inflammatory cell infiltration， collagen fiber deposition， and the fibrosis rate were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Serum GLU levels were significantly increased （P<0.05）， while LA and PA levels were decreased （P<0.05）. Expressions of glycolysis-related proteins， fibrosis-related proteins， and HIF-1α/PFKFB3 pathway-related proteins and mRNAs were significantly suppressed （P<0.05）. ConclusionSFI improves cardiac function in chronic heart failure by downregulating the expression of HIF-1α/PFKFB3 signaling pathway-related proteins， regulating glycolysis， and inhibiting myocardial fibrosis.

Chronic heart failure （CHF） is the terminal stage of various heart diseases， with high morbidity， mortality， and hospitalization rate. According to the theory of collateral diseases， the core pathogenesis of CHF is blood stasis of collaterals， water retention and stagnation， and pathogen accumulation in collaterals. Accordingly， the treatment should focus on reinforcing healthy Qi to warm Yang， activating blood to dredge collaterals， and excreting water to alleviate edema. On this basis， Qili Qiangxin capsules （QLQX） are created. This prescription can effectively treat chronic heart failure. Modern studies have shown that QLQX contains a variety of pharmacological components such as flavonoids， alkaloids， terpenoids， phenylpropanoids， phenolic acids， and cardiac glycosides. QLQX can improve the cardiac function， inhibit myocardial fibrosis， improve hemodynamics， mitigate inflammation， reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis， and regulate the nervous system， with mild adverse reactions. This study analyzed the etiology and pathogenesis of CHF based on the theory of collateral diseases， explored the relationship between the prescription and syndrome， and delved into the material basis and mechanism of QLQX in the treatment of CHF， aiming to provide reference for the clinical application and scientific research of QLQX.

Chronic heart failure （CHF）， as the terminal stage of various cardiovascular diseases， is characterized by a prolonged clinical course and recurrent exacerbations. The coexistence of CHF with anxiety and depression falls under the category of psycho-cardiological diseases. Studies have demonstrated that anxiety and depression are closely associated with adverse outcomes including elevated risks of cardiovascular events and increased mortality in CHF patients. The complex pathogenesis poses challenges to modern medical treatments， which often face limited efficacy and concurrent side effects. According to the theory of Shaoyang Pivot in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， this paper elucidates that obstructed Shaoyang Pivot—manifested as Qi transformation disorder， dysregulated fluid metabolism， and abnormal distribution of ministerial fire-serves as a critical pathological basis for CHF with anxiety and depression. Bupleuri Radix-based Formulas， such as Xiao Chaihu Tang， Chaihu Guizhi Tang， and Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli Tang， aim to harmonize lesser Yang to restore the Qi transformation， activate Yang to promote water excretion， and redistribute ministerial fire， thus effectively alleviating pathological states such as Qi stagnation， blood stasis， water retention， and phlegm-fire disturbing the heart in CHF patients with anxiety and depression. Consequently， they mitigate symptoms of this psycho-cardiological disease. Mechanism studies have revealed that Bupleuri Radix-based formulas exhibit multi-target effects， including modulation of neurotransmitters， suppression of inflammatory responses， regulation of lipid metabolism， protection of cardiomyocytes， and improvement of the endothelial function. By interpreting the TCM pathogenesis of CHF with anxiety and depression from the theory of Shaoyang Pivot， this paper delves into the therapeutic principles and mechanisms of Bupleuri Radix-based formulas， providing a theoretical foundation for optimizing TCM diagnosis and treatment strategies for psycho-cardiological diseases.

Chronic heart failure is the terminal stage of various cardiovascular diseases， and cardiomyocyte apoptosis is the turning point of decompensation. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） could regulate apoptosis-related signaling pathways and factors and inhibit or up-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Thus， TCM can reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis， protect the myocardial tissue and improve the cardiac function， demonstrating remarkable clinical effects. In recent years， the research on the treatment of chronic heart failure based on the inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis is increasing and becomes the current research hotspot. On the basis of literature review， this paper discovers that TCM regulates apoptosis factors and multiple signaling pathways to inhibit apoptosis and inflammation and delay the progression of chronic heart failure through classical pathways such as the death receptor pathway， the mitochondrial pathway， and the endoplasmic reticulum pathway. At the same time， the studies in this field have the following problems： Repeated studies with shallow， simple， and fragmented contents， treating animal models with TCM prescriptions without syndrome differentiation， treating diseases with drugs at only one concentration which is insufficient to indicate efficacy， and lacking comprehensive， holistic， and systematic studies on the relationships of apoptosis with inflammatory responses， pyroptosis， ferroptosis， and autophagy. In the future， more scientific， reasonable， comprehensive， and feasible experimental schemes should be designed on the basis of comprehensively mastering the research progress in this field， and the communication and cooperation between researchers in different disciplines should be strengthened. The specific pathological mechanism of cardiomyocyte apoptosis in chronic heart failure and the signaling pathways， active components， and action targets of TCM in inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis in chronic heart failure should be elucidated. Such efforts are expected to provide sufficient reference for the clinical treatment of chronic heart failure.

Objective To compare animal models of chronic heart failure(CHF)prepared by three different protocols,to establish a stable,reliable,and reproducible mouse model of CHF.Methods Twenty-five male C57BL/6J mice were divided randomly into four groups:a blank group,model A group(MA group),model B group(MB group),and model C group(MC group).The model groups adopted different preparation protocols for continuous injection of isoprenaline.The MA group and MB group were dose-decreasing models:MA group:subcutaneous injection of 10 mg/kg on day 1,5 mg/kg on day 2,2.5 mg/(kg·d)on days 3～30,total 30 days;and MB group:subcutaneous injection of 20 mg/kg on day 1,10 mg/kg on day 2,5 mg/(kg·d)on days 3～14,total 14 days.The MC group used a constant dose of intraperitoneal injection of 7.5 mg/(kg·d)for 28 days.The day after the final injection,the survival and model-formation rates for each group of mice were calculated.Cardiac function was measured by cardiac ultrasound and serum levels of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide,interleukin-6,and tumor necrosis factor-α were measured.Results CHF was successfully induced in all the model groups after all injections at the end of the fourth week.However,comprehensive test result showed that the MC model was the most stable.Conclusions An isoprenaline-induced mouse model of CHF using constant intraperitoneal injection of 7.5 mg/(kg·d)for 28 days may be the most suitable model for subsequent research on traditional Chinese medicine.

Chronic heart failure is the final stage of various cardiovascular diseases,and mitochondrial energy metabolism disorders have been proved to play an important role in the development of chronic heart failure.TCM believes that heart yin is the material basis of heart yang(qi),and deficiency of heart yang(qi)is the core pathogenesis of chronic heart failure.Based on mitochondrial energy metabolism,this article expounded the scientific connotation of"reinforcing yang from yin"in the treatment of chronic heart failure from the aspects of theoretical connotation,pathogenesis,pathophysiological relationship and modern research.In-depth study at the microscopic level demonstrated that the application of"reinforcing yang from yin"method can effectively improve the reconstruction of heart energy substrate(yin),enhance mitochondrial function,and finally provide energy support(yang),which could offer ideas for theoretical research and clinical prevention and treatment of chronic heart failure.

As an emerging discipline that combines traditional diagnostic methods with modern scientific technology,micro syndrome differentiation has good prospects for development,but there are some controversies in the research process.Based on ancient and modern literature,this article reviewed the origin and flow of research on micro syndrome differentiation,and summarized the problems to be improved in the process of research on micro syndrome differentiation from three aspects:application of disease type,guiding ideology and micro indicators.Based on this,the article further expounded the new thinking on"near-micro"syndrome differentiation from three aspects:connotation,scope of application,and links to traditional identification and micro-identification,and pointed out that the modern medical detection basis should be incorporated into the field of TCM syndrome differentiation,and at the same time,it should be based on the overall thinking mode of TCM,which would provide a new idea for the development of modern TCM diagnosis technology.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and possible mechanism of Shenfu Injection （参附注射液） on rat cardiomyocyte injury induced by isoproterenol from the perspective of regulating the high mobility group protein B1 （HMGB1）/ Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/nuclear factor κB （NF-κB） pathway through the deacetylation modification of silent information regulator 1 （SIRT1）. MethodsThe optimal concentration and intervention duration of isoproterenol hydrochloride and the optimal intervention concentration of Shenfu Injection were screened out by CCK-8 method. Logarithmically growing H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes were taken at 5×10⁴ cells/well and divided into normal group， model group， Shenfu Injection group， and SIRT1 inhibitor group， with 3 replicates in each group.Except for the normal group， the cells in the other groups were induced by isoproterenol hydrochloride to establish a chronic heart failure cell model. After modeling， the Shenfu Injection group was given Shenfu Injection at the optimal intervention concentration， and the SIRT1 inhibitor group was given 1 μmol/L of SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527， for optimal intervention duration.CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell activity and calculate the inhibitory rate. ELISA assay was used to detect the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidation state/ nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduction state （NAD+/NADH） in cardiomyocytes. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the immunofluorescence localization of HMGB1 and SIRT1 in cardiomyocytes. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of acetylated HMGB1 in cardiomyocytes， HMGB1 in the nucleus and cytoplasm， and SIRT1， TLR4， myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MYD88） and NF-κB p65 in cardiomyocytes. RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of SIRT1， HMGB1， TLR4， MYD88 and NF-κB p65 in cardiomyocytes. ResultsThe optimal intervention concentration of isoproterenol hydrochloride was 300 μmol/L， and the intervention duration was 48 hours； 8% was the optimal intervention concentration of Shenfu Injection. Compared to those in the normal group， the cell activity， NAD+/NADH value， nuclear HMGB1 protein expression， cardiomyocyte SIRT1 protein and mRNA expression in the model group decreased， while the cell inhibition rate， cardiomyocyte acetylated HMGB1 and cytoplasmic HMGB1 protein expression， cardiomyocyte TLR4， MYD88， NF-κB p65 protein and mRNA expression all increased （P＜0.05）； fluorescence localization showed that the content of HMGB1 in cardiomyocytes in the model group increased and was localized in both the nucleus and cytoplasm.Compared to the model group and the SIRT1 inhibitor group， the Shenfu Injection group showed significant improvements in all the above indicators （P＜0.05）； fluorescence localization showed that the SIRT1 content increased in the Shenfu injection group， while the HMGB1 content decreased， and was mainly located in the nucleus. ConclusionShenfu Injection can improve myocardial cell damage by increasing SIRT1 expression to reduce the acetylation level of HMGB1， regulating the HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway and inhibiting the nuclear translocation of HMGB1.