ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Liuwei Dihuangwan on behavioral impairments in the rat model of autism spectrum disorder （ASD） and explore the mechanism of action. MethodsTwelve SD pregnant rats were intraperitoneally injected with valproic acid （VPA） （10 rats） or normal saline （2 rats）， and male offspring were selected to establish the model of ASD and the control rats. Rats were randomly assigned into model， low-dose （0.75 g·kg^-1） and high-dose （1.5 g·kg^-1） Liuwei Dihuangwan， vitamin D （positive drug， 3.7×10^-5 g·kg^-1）， and blank groups. Each group was administrated with the corresponding concentration of drugs or the same volume of normal saline by gavage for 2 weeks. After the intervention， the three-chamber social test was conducted to evaluate social interaction and social preference. The open field test was carried out to observe spontaneous behavior and anxiety state. Hematoxylin-eosin staining （HE） was used to observe the pathological changes of the prefrontal tissue. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to observe the ultrastructure of mitochondria in prefrontal neurons. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1 （Iba-1） in the prefrontal tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was adopted to measure the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-6 （IL-6）. Western blot was employed to assess the expression differences of phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （p-AMPK）， adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， phosphorylated Unc-51-like autophagy-activating kinase 1 （p-ULK1）， Unc-51-like autophagy-activating kinase 1 （ULK1）， and FUN14 domain-containing protein 1 （FUNDC1）. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group spent less time sniffing stranger 1 and stranger 2 in the three-chamber social test （P<0.01） and showed reductions in the total distance traveled， average speed， distance traveled in the central area， and time spent in the central area in the open field test （P<0.01）. In addition， the model group showed extensive apoptosis of neurons， with shrunken nuclei and red-stained cytoplasm， and extensive necrosis of neurons in the prefrontal tissue， mitochondrial swelling， decreased matrix density， disrupted cristae， and autophagic lysosomes in neurons， increases in the rate of Iba-1 positive cells in the prefrontal area （P<0.01） and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 （P<0.01）， and down-regulation in the expression of p-AMPK/AMPK， p-ULK1/ULK1， and FUNDC1 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， low-dose and high-dose Liuwei Dihuangwan and the vitamin D prolonged the time spent sniffing stranger 1 and stranger 2 in the three-chamber social test （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased the total distance traveled， average speed， distance traveled in the central area， and time spent in the central area in the open field test （P<0.05， P<0.01）， restored the morphology of neurons in the prefrontal tissue， decreased the number of apoptotic cells， alleviated the swelling of mitochondria in neurons， increased the matrix density， mitigated the fragmentation and disorder of cristae， and increased the number of autophagosomes. Moreover， the drugs decreased the rate of Iba-1 positive cells in the prefrontal area （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 （P<0.01）， and up-regulated the expression of p-AMPK/AMPK， p-ULK1/ULK1， and FUNDC1 （P<0.01）. ConclusionLiuwei Dihuangwan ameliorate autism-like behaviors and reduce neuronal apoptosis and neuroinflammatory damage in the rat model of ASD by promoting mitophagy mediated by the AMPK/ULK1/FUNDC1 pathway.

Objective: To investigate the current status of benefit finding among young and middle-aged patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and analyze its influencing factors, so as to provide a reference for improving the level of benefit finding in this population. Methods: From November 2022 to May 2023, young and middle-aged patients with T2DM aged 18-59 years hospitalized in the endocrinology departments of 2 tertiary hospitals in Hengyang City, Hunan Province were selected as survey subjects by a convenience sampling method. Basic demographic information was collected using a general questionnaire survey. Benefit finding, resourcefulness, and stigma were evaluated using the Benefit Finding Scale, the Chinese Version of the Resourcefulness Scale, and the Type 2 Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scale, respectively. A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of benefit finding among young and middle-aged patients with T2DM. Results: A total of 305 young and middle-aged patients with T2DM were investigated, including 222 males (72.79%) and 83 females (27.21%). There were 231 cases aged 45-59 years, accounting for 75.74%. The scores for benefit finding, resourcefulness, and stigma were (42.86±6.06), (75.12±11.30), and (41.20±10.10), respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that young and middle-aged patients with T2DM who were male (β′=0.088), aged 18-<45 years (β′=0.083), absence of diabetes complications (β′=0.124), and had higher resourcefulness scores (β′=0.679) had higher levels of benefit finding, while patients with higher stigma scores (β′=-0.097) had lower levels of benefit finding. Conclusion The level of benefit finding among young and middle-aged patients with T2DM was moderate, and was related to gender, age, diabetes complications, resourcefulness, and stigma.

To explore the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and integrative TCM-Western medicine approaches in the treatment of diabetic microvascular complications （DMC）， refine key pathophysiological insights and treatment principles， and promote academic innovation and strategic research planning in the prevention and treatment of DMC. The 38th session of the Expert Salon on Diseases Responding Specifically to Traditional Chinese Medicine， hosted by the China Association of Chinese Medicine， was held in Beijing， 2024. Experts in TCM， Western medicine， and interdisciplinary fields convened to conduct a systematic discussion on the pathogenesis， diagnostic and treatment challenges， and mechanism research related to DMC， ultimately forming a consensus on key directions. Four major research recommendations were proposed. The first is addressing clinical bottlenecks in the prevention and control of DMC by optimizing TCM-based evidence evaluation systems. The second is refining TCM core pathogenesis across DMC stages and establishing corresponding "disease-pattern-time" framework. The third is innovating mechanism research strategies to facilitate a shift from holistic regulation to targeted intervention in TCM. The fourth is advancing interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance the role of TCM in new drug development， research prioritization， and guideline formulation. TCM and integrative approaches offer distinct advantages in managing DMC. With a focus on the diseases responding specifically to TCM， strengthening evidence-based support and mechanism interpretation and promoting the integration of clinical care and research innovation will provide strong momentum for the modernization of TCM and the advancement of national health strategies.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of pachymic acid on renal injury in pregnancy induced hypertension （PIH） rats by regulating the silent information regulator transcript 1/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α （Sirt1/PGC-1α） pathway. METHODS Pregnant SD rats were prepared by co-caging and PIH model was induced using N-nitro-L- arginine methyl ester （L-NAME） method. PIH rats were randomly divided into model group， L-pachymic acid （low-dose pachymic acid， 10 mg/kg） group， H-pachymic acid （high-dose pachymic acid， 20 mg/kg） group， and H-pachymic acid+EX527 （20 mg/kg pachymic acid+10 mg/kg EX527） group， with 6 rats in each group. Another 6 normal pregnant rats were selected as blank group. Each group was given relevant medicine or solvent intragastrically or intraperitoneally daily， once a day， for 28 consecutive days. After the last administration， 24 h urinary protein and tail artery systolic blood pressure （SBP） were measured in pregnant rats from each group， along with the levels of serum creatinine （Scr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN），uric acid （UA）， and cystatin C （Cys-C）. The contents of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine （8-OHdG） in renal tissue， as well as the mRNA and protein expression levels of Sirt1 and PGC-1α， were also determined. Meanwhile， renal histopathological changes in rats from each group were evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） staining. RESULTS Compared with model group， L-pachymic acid group and H-pachymic acid group exhibited significant decreases in 24 h urine protein quantification， tail artery SBP， Scr， BUN， UA， Cys-C levels， glomerulosclerosis index score of renal tissue， renal tubular injury score， the percentage of PAS positive area， MDA and 8-OHdG （P＜0.05）. Conversely， the contents of SOD and GSH-Px， along with the mRNA and protein expression levels of Sirt1 and PGC-1α， were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Moreover， these improvements were more pronounced in H-pachymic acid group （P＜0.05）. Compared with H-pachymic acid group， the aforementioned indicators in pregnant rats from the H-pachymic acid+EX527 group showed significant reversal （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Pachymic acid significantly ameliorates renal injury induced by PIH in rats， potentially through activation of the Sirt1/PGC-1α pathway.

The pathological changes of myocardial infarction （MI） are mainly characterized by progressive myocardial ischemic necrosis， decline in cardiac diastolic function， thinning of the ventricular wall， and enlargement of the ventricles. The clinical manifestations include myocardial ischemia， heart failure， arrhythmia， shock， and even sudden cardiac death， rendering MI one of the most perilous cardiovascular diseases. Currently， the clinical treatment for MI primarily involves interventional procedures and drug therapy. However， due to their significant side effects and high complication rates associated with these treatments， they fail to ensure a satisfactory quality of life and long-term prognosis for patients. On the other hand， traditional Chinese medicine has demonstrated remarkable potential in improving patient prognosis while reducing side effects. Research has elucidated that various signaling pathways such as nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB）， adenosine 5̒-monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）/Smads， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， Wnt/β-catenin （β-catenin）， and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt） play crucial roles in regulating the occurrence and development of MI. Effectively modulating these signaling pathways through its therapeutic interventions， traditional Chinese medicine can enhance MI management by inhibiting apoptosis， providing anti-inflammatory properties， alleviating oxidative stress levels， and resisting myocardial ischemia. Due to its notable efficacy and favorable safety， it has become an area of focus in clinical practice.

GPR126, also known as ADGRG6, is one of the most deeply studied aGPCRs. Initially, GPR126 was thought to be a receptor associated with muscle development and was primarily expressed in the muscular and skeletal systems. With the deepening of research, it was found that GPR126 is expressed in multiple mammalian tissues and organs, and is involved in many biological processes such as embryonic development, nervous system development, and extracellular matrix interactions. Compared with other aGPCRs proteins, GPR126 has a longer N-terminal domain, which can bind to ligands one-to-one and one-to-many. Its N-terminus contains five domains, a CUB (complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, Bmp1) domain, a PTX (Pentraxin) domain, a SEA (Sperm protein, Enterokinase, and Agrin) domain, a hormone binding (HormR) domain, and a conserved GAIN domain. The GAIN domain has a self-shearing function, which is essential for the maturation, stability, transport and function of aGPCRs. Different SEA domains constitute different GPR126 isomers, which can regulate the activation and closure of downstream signaling pathways through conformational changes. GPR126 has a typical aGPCRs seven-transmembrane helical structure, which can be coupled to Gs and Gi, causing cAMP to up- or down-regulation, mediating transmembrane signaling and participating in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. GPR126 is activated in a tethered-stalk peptide agonism or orthosteric agonism, which is mainly manifested by self-proteolysis or conformational changes in the GAIN domain, which mediates the rapid activation or closure of downstream pathways by tethered agonists. In addition to the tethered short stem peptide activation mode, GPR126 also has another allosteric agonism or tunable agonism mode, which is specifically expressed as the GAIN domain does not have self-shearing function in the physiological state, NTF and CTF always maintain the binding state, and the NTF binds to the ligand to cause conformational changes of the receptor, which somehow transmits signals to the GAIN domain in a spatial structure. The GAIN domain can cause the 7TM domain to produce an activated or inhibited signal for signal transduction, For example, type IV collagen interacts with the CUB and PTX domains of GPR126 to activate GPR126 downstream signal transduction. GPR126 has homology of 51.6%-86.9% among different species, with 10 conserved regions between different species, which can be traced back to the oldest metazoans as well as unicellular animals.In terms of diseases, GPR126 dysfunction involves the pathological process of bone, myelin, embryo and other related diseases, and is also closely related to the occurrence and development of malignant tumors such as breast cancer and colon cancer. However, the biological function of GPR126 in various diseases and its potential as a therapeutic target still needs further research. This paper focuses on the structure, interspecies differences and conservatism, signal transduction and biological functions of GPR126, which provides ideas and references for future research on GPR126.

Objective To analyze the effect of the activation rate of peripheral blood monocytes on the recovery of patients after liver transplantation and to initially explore the possible influencing factors for differences in monocyte activation rates. Methods A total of 139 patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation from September 2020 to June 2023 at Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were selected. The proportion of CD14^＋HLA-DR^＋ monocytes in peripheral blood was defined as the monocyte activation rate. The difference in monocyte activation rates between postoperative day 7 (POD7) and postoperative day 1 (POD1) was calculated as Δ, and patients were divided into Δ＞0 group (n＝73) and Δ＜0 group (n＝66). The two groups were compared in terms of complete blood count, liver and kidney function, coagulation indicators, infection indicators, ICU length of stay, total length of hospitalization, and 90-day mortality. Changes in the proportions of different monocytes subsets (Mo0, Mo1, Mo2, and Mo3) and HLA-DR expression in peripheral blood on POD1 and POD7 were detected using flow cytometry. Results The ICU length of stay in the Δ＜0 group was significantly longer than that in the Δ＞0 group (18[12, 26] days vs 14[10, 20.5] days, P＝0.018). On POD1, the proportion of Mo0 in the Δ＞0 group was significantly lower than that in the Δ＜0 group (P＜0.05); on POD7, the proportion of Mo0 in the Δ＞0 group was significantly lower than that in the Δ＜0 group (P＜0.001), while the proportions of Mo1, Mo2, and Mo3 were significantly higher than those in the Δ＜0 group (P＜0.001). Compared to POD1, the HLA-DR expression level of Mo0 in peripheral blood of patients with liver transplantation significantly decreased on POD7 (P＜0.01), while there was no significant difference in HLA-DR expression levels of Mo1, Mo2, and Mo3. Conclusions Increased proportion of Mo0 (CD14^lowCD16⁻HLA-DR^low) among peripheral blood monocyte subsets may be one of the influencing factors for the differences in monocyte activation rates in patients with liver transplantation. The difference in monocyte activation rate can serve as a new clinical indicator for assessing changes in the immune status and postoperative recovery of patients with liver transplantation.

ObjectiveTo compare the differences in color， odor， coumarin content and microbial community composition of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix（ADR） during different drying processes， and to explore the correlation between changes in microbial community composition and changes in quality indexes of ADR. MethodsThe fresh ADR was processed at three drying temperatures（50， 70， 100 ℃） by drying and steaming cutting， semi-fresh cutting and drying， fresh cutting and drying， and sulfur fumigation methods. The color values of samples were extracted by Adobe Photoshop 2022 software and subjected to principal component analysis（PCA）， electronic nose was used to identify the odor information of medicinal powders and subjected to loadings analysis， PCA， and linear discriminant analysis（LDA）， and high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was used to determine the contents of five coumarins（bergapten， oxypeucedanin， imperatorin， phellopterin， isoimperatorin）. The samples for microbial detection were taken from fresh dried samples， 50 ℃（dried and steamed cut， sulfur fumigated） samples， and 100 ℃（dried and steamed cut） samples when the water content was 50% and 14%， respectively. And the changes of microbial community composition during processing were determined by high-throughput sequencing method. The relationship between the changes of microbial community composition and the changes of odor， color and active component content of ADR during drying process was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. ResultsThe color quantification results showed that an increase in drying temperature led to the decrease of brightness value（L）， and the increases of red-green value（a） and yellow-blue value（b）， and the change of processing method had no obvious effect on the color of medicinal materials. The results of odor quantification showed that W1S， W2S， W5S， W2W and W1W sensor were sensitive to the odor changes of ADR and could be used to distinguish ADR decoction pieces from different processing methods. The results of HPLC showed that the coumarin content of ADR decreased with the increase of drying temperature and the delay of processing time， the optimal processing method was drying and steaming cutting method， and the optimal temperature was 50 ℃. High-throughput sequencing results showed that the dominant bacteria in ADR during processing were Achromobacter， Agrobacterium， Nocardioides， Mycobacterium and Enterobacter， the dominant fungi were Coprinopsis， Meyerozyma and Apiotrichum. The results of correlation analysis showed that the quality indexes of ADR were positively correlated with Agrobacterium， Mycobacterium in bacteria， Candida in fungi， and negatively correlated with Bacillus in bacteria. ConclusionThere are significant differences in the color， odor， coumarin content and microbial community composition of ADR in different drying processes， and the best drying method is drying and steaming cutting at 50 ℃. The relative abundance changes of 9 bacterial genera and 4 fungal genera are closely related to the quality formation of ADR during the drying process.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and potential mechanism of Qiangxin decoction on mitochondrion of rats with chronic heart failure （CHF）. METHODS The CHF model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery. Modeled rats were divided into model group， Qiangxin decoction low-dose and high-dose groups （12.25， 24.50 g/kg， calculated by crude drug）， and chemical medicine group （Sacubitril valsartan sodium tablets， 10.42 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group； control group was set up without treatment. Each group of rats was orally administered with the corresponding medication or normal saline twice a day for 28 consecutive days. After the last medication， the contents of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in serum and phosphatidic acid （PA） and cardiolipin （CL） in myocardial tissue were all detected； the pathological damage and collagen fibrosis of rat myocardial tissue were observed； the apoptosis of myocardial cells was determined； the ultrastructure of myocardial tissue was observed； the protein expressions of mitofusin 1 （Mfn1）， Mfn2， optic atrophy protein 1 （OPA1） and dynamin-related protein 1 （Drp1） were all detected in myocardial tissue. RESULTS Compared with control group，the serum content of NT-proBNP， apoptotic rate of myocardial cells， and relative expressions of S-OPA1 and Drp1 proteins were all increased significantly； serum content of ATP，contents of PA and CL， and relative expressions of Mfn1， Mfn2 and L-OPA1 proteins were all significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. There were abnormal membrane tissue structure in various layers of myocardial tissue， degeneration and necrosis of myocardial cells， and severe fibrosis； the mitochondria were swollen， with reduced or absent cristae， and uneven matrix density. After intervention with Qiangxin decoction， the levels of the aforementioned quantitative indicators in serum and myocardial tissue of rats （excluding CL content in the Qiangxin decoction low- dose group） were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）； the pathological damage of myocardial tissue had significantly improved， fibrosis had significantly reduced， mitochondrial morphology tended to be normal， cristae had increased， and matrix density was uniform. CONCLUSIONS Qiangxin decoction can regulate myocardial mitochondrial function and structural integrity of CHF rats， thereby improving myocardial energy metabolism and antagonizing myocardial fibrosis， the mechanism of which may be associated with activating PA/Mfn/CL signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and potential mechanism of Qiangxin decoction on mitochondrion of rats with chronic heart failure （CHF）. METHODS The CHF model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery. Modeled rats were divided into model group， Qiangxin decoction low-dose and high-dose groups （12.25， 24.50 g/kg， calculated by crude drug）， and chemical medicine group （Sacubitril valsartan sodium tablets， 10.42 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group； control group was set up without treatment. Each group of rats was orally administered with the corresponding medication or normal saline twice a day for 28 consecutive days. After the last medication， the contents of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in serum and phosphatidic acid （PA） and cardiolipin （CL） in myocardial tissue were all detected； the pathological damage and collagen fibrosis of rat myocardial tissue were observed； the apoptosis of myocardial cells was determined； the ultrastructure of myocardial tissue was observed； the protein expressions of mitofusin 1 （Mfn1）， Mfn2， optic atrophy protein 1 （OPA1） and dynamin-related protein 1 （Drp1） were all detected in myocardial tissue. RESULTS Compared with control group，the serum content of NT-proBNP， apoptotic rate of myocardial cells， and relative expressions of S-OPA1 and Drp1 proteins were all increased significantly； serum content of ATP，contents of PA and CL， and relative expressions of Mfn1， Mfn2 and L-OPA1 proteins were all significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. There were abnormal membrane tissue structure in various layers of myocardial tissue， degeneration and necrosis of myocardial cells， and severe fibrosis； the mitochondria were swollen， with reduced or absent cristae， and uneven matrix density. After intervention with Qiangxin decoction， the levels of the aforementioned quantitative indicators in serum and myocardial tissue of rats （excluding CL content in the Qiangxin decoction low- dose group） were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）； the pathological damage of myocardial tissue had significantly improved， fibrosis had significantly reduced， mitochondrial morphology tended to be normal， cristae had increased， and matrix density was uniform. CONCLUSIONS Qiangxin decoction can regulate myocardial mitochondrial function and structural integrity of CHF rats， thereby improving myocardial energy metabolism and antagonizing myocardial fibrosis， the mechanism of which may be associated with activating PA/Mfn/CL signaling pathway.