This paper outlines the development of artificial intelligence （AI） and its applications in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） research， and elucidates the roles and advantages of large language models， knowledge graphs， and natural language processing in advancing syndrome identification， prescription generation， and mechanism exploration. Using spleen-stomach diseases as an example， it demonstrates the empowering effects of AI in classical literature mining， precise clinical syndrome differentiation， efficacy and safety prediction， and intelligent education， highlighting an upgraded research paradigm that evolves from data-driven and knowledge-driven approaches to intelligence-driven models. To address challenges related to privacy protection and regulatory compliance in cross-institutional data collaboration， a "trusted federated evidence-based analysis platform for TCM spleen-stomach diseases" is proposed， integrating blockchain-based smart contracts， federated learning， and secure multi-party computation. The deep integration of AI with privacy-preserving computing is reshaping research and clinical practice in TCM spleen-stomach diseases， providing feasible pathways and a technical framework for building a high-quality， trustworthy TCM big-data ecosystem and achieving precision syndrome differentiation.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. in improving sleep. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify the active components of L. ruthenicum and their associated disease targets， followed by enrichment analysis. A caffeine‑induced zebrafish model of sleep deprivation was established ， and the zebrafish were treated with L. ruthenicum Murr. extract （LRME） at concentrations of 0.1， 0.2 and 0.4 mg/mL， respectively； 24 h later， behavioral changes of zebrafish and pathological alterations in brain neurons were subsequently observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， oxidative stress markers [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）]， and neurotransmitters [5- hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， glutamic acid （Glu）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE）] were measured. The protein expression levels of protein kinase B1 （AKT1）， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， sarcoma proto-oncogene，non-receptor tyrosine kinase （SRC）， and heat shock protein 90α family class A member 1 （HSP90AA1） in the zebrafish were also determined. RESULTS A total of 12 active components and 176 intersecting disease targets were identified through network pharmacology analysis. Among these， apigenin， naringenin and others were recognized as core active compounds， while AKT1， EGFR and others served as key targets； EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway was identified as the critical pathway. The sleep improvement rates in zebrafish of LRME low-， medium-， and high-dose groups were 54.60%， 69.03% and 77.97%， 开发。E-mail：hjp_yft@163.com respectively， while the inhibition ratios of locomotor distance were 0.57， 0.83 and 0.95， respectively. Compared with the model group， the number of resting counts， resting time and resting distance were significantly increased/extended in LRME medium- and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. Neuronal damage in the brain was alleviated. Additionally， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， TNF-α， MDA， Glu， DA and NE， as well as the protein expression levels of AKT1， p-AKT1， EGFR， SRC and HSP90AA1， were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the levels of IL-10， SOD， GSH-Px， CAT， 5-HT and GABA， as well as Bcl-2 protein expression， were significantly elevated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS L. ruthenicum Murr. demonstrates sleep-improving effects， and its specific mechanism may be related to the regulation of inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， neurotransmitter balance， and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND Individualized positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration is a crucial technique in mechanical ventilation therapy for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients with intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of electrical impedance tomography (EIT)-guided PEEP titration in this population. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 36 ARDS patients, including 22 patients with IAH and 14 without IAH. All the patients underwent EIT-guided PEEP titration at the intersection point between alveolar overdistension and collapse during a decremental PEEP trial. The changes in pulmonary ventilation distribution, respiratory mechanics and hemodynamics during the titration process were observed. RESULTS: After EIT-guided PEEP titration was performed, the PEEP, peak inspiratory pressure and plateau pressure increased significantly (P<0.05). Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in respiratory system compliance, tidal volume, driving pressure, or the 4*DP+RR index between the two groups (P>0.05). The mechanical power increased in the non-IAH (NIAH) group after PEEP titration (P<0.05). Ventilation in gravity-dependent lung regions significantly increased (P<0.05), and the oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) improved significantly (P<0.05) in both groups. However, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, central venous pressure, and lactate levels did not significantly change. In the IAH group, the PaO2/FiO2 ratio improved less than that in the NIAH group did (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In our study, individualized PEEP titration guided by EIT improved oxygenation in ARDS patients with concomitant IAH without significantly affecting hemodynamics. The presence of IAH may limit the improvement of oxygenation during EIT-guided PEEP titration.

OBJECTIVE To construct an intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform for precision medication with low “artificial intelligence （AI） hallucination”， aiming to enhance the accuracy， consistency， and traceability of medication consultations. METHODS Medication package inserts were batch-processed and converted into structured data through Python programming to build a local pharmaceutical knowledge base. The retrieval and question-answering processes were designed based on large language models， and system integration and localized deployment were completed on Dify platform. By designing typical clinical medication questions and comparing the output of the intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform with the online version of DeepSeek across dimensions such as peak time retrieval， half-life， and dosage adjustment reasoning for patients with renal impairment， the accuracy and reliability of its retrieval and reasoning results were evaluated. RESULTS The intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform， constructed based on local drug package inserts， achieved 100% accuracy in retrieval and reasoning for peak time， half-life， and dosage adjustment schemes. In comparison， the online version of DeepSeek demonstrated accuracies of 30%（6/20）， 50%（10/20）， and 38%（23/60） across these three dimensions， respectively. CONCLUSIONS The constructed intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform is capable of accurately retrieving and extracting information from the local knowledge base based on clinical inquiries， thereby avoiding the occurrence of AI hallucinations and providing reliable medication decision support for healthcare professionals.

Objective: To assess the effect of 12-year-old children s pit and fissure sealants on the health of first permanent molars, so as to provide evidence for optimizing caries prevention strategies among children. Methods: In March 2025, a cluster random sampling method was used to conduct oral examinations on 965 students aged 12 from Chengdu s 2021 Comprehensive Intervention Program for Pediatric Oral Diseases. Data from the Comprehensive Intervention System for Children s Oral Diseases were referenced. Participants were divided into a sealed group ( n =755) and an unsealed group ( n =210) based on whether they had received sealants on their first permanent molars. Chi square test or analysis of variance were used to compare indicators such as caries incidence, new caries detection rate, and new caries mean (DMFT increment) between the two groups Results: The sealed group showed significantly lower caries incidence, new caries detection rate, and new caries mean (33.38%, 17.65%, 0.59±1.00) compared to the unsealed group (43.81%, 24.70%, 0.87±1.22)( χ 2/F =7.79, 18.26, 9.55, all P <0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the filled teeth ratio between the two groups (20.38% , 20.16%; χ 2=0.01, P =0.94). In girls, the sealed group exhibited significantly lower caries incidence, new caries detection rate, and new caries mean (36.78%, 20.99%, 0.69± 1.10 ) than the unsealed group (57.55%, 33.52%, 1.15±1.29) ( χ 2/F =14.42, 23.76, 10.92, all P <0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed between boys in the sealed (30.47%, 14.85%, 0.50±0.89) and unsealed groups (29.81%, 16.18%, 0.59± 1.08) ( χ 2/F =0.02, 0.41, 0.74, all P >0.05). Boys had significantly lower new caries detection rates and new caries means than girls in both groups ( χ 2/F =16.20, 6.94; 29.93, 11.84, all P <0.05). In urban areas, the sealed group had lower new caries detection rates and new caries means (19.37%, 0.68±1.04) than the unsealed group (24.66%, 0.90±1.20) ( χ 2/F =6.86, 3.94, both P <0.05). In suburban areas, all indicators for the sealed group (24.71%, 13.77%, 0.42±0.87) were significantly lower than those for the unsealed group (38.81%, 24.77%, 0.82±1.28) ( χ 2/F =5.28, 15.36, 6.00, all P <0.05). Indicators from specialized dental institutions (11.25%, 4.81%, 0.16±0.56) were significantly lower than those from county level or above general hospitals (33.33%, 19.11%, 0.38±1.00) and primary healthcare institutions (37.59%, 19.24%, 0.67±1.05) ( χ 2/F =20.99, 34.31, 21.08 , all P <0.01). Conclusions The 12-year-old children s pit and fissure sealants effectively reduce the caries incidence in first permanent molars, particularly showing significant effectiveness in girls and suburban children. Intervention strategies should be optimized according to gender.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanism of Danggui Shaoyaosan （DSS） in ameliorating renal injury in db/db mice. MethodsThirty 8-week-old specific pathogen-free （SPF）-grade male db/db mice and six db/m mice were acclimated for one week. Urinary microalbumin and blood glucose levels were measured weekly in both db/db and db/m mice. Successful modeling was determined by significantly higher microalbuminuria in db/db mice compared to db/m mice and a fasting blood glucose ≥16.7 mmol·L^-1. The 30 db/db mice were randomly divided into five groups： the model group， the irbesartan （IBN） group， and three DSS dose groups （low-， medium-， and high-dose DSS groups， administered at 16.77， 33.54， 67.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively）. Additionally， the six db/m mice served as the normal control group. The IBN group received irbesartan at 0.025 g·kg^-1·d^-1 by gavage， while the three DSS groups received DSS at 16.77， 33.54， and 67.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1 by gavage， respectively. The normal and model groups were administered with an equivalent volume of normal saline by gavage. All interventions lasted for 8 consecutive weeks. After intervention， serum creatinine （SCr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， urinary total protein （UTP）， triglyceride （TG）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） were measured to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the treatments. Renal histopathological changes were observed with hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of silencing information regulator 1 （SIRT1）， hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）， very low-density lipoprotein receptor （VLDLr）， and cluster of differentiation 31 （CD31）. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA levels of HIF-1α and VLDLr. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe the expression and distribution of HIF-1α and Caspase-3. ResultsCompared to the normal group， the model group showed significantly increased SCr， BUN， UTP， TG， and LDL-C. HE staining revealed glomerulosclerosis， mesangial matrix hyperplasia， capillary loop distortion and thickening， with extensive inflammatory cell infiltration. Protein expression of SIRT1 and CD31 significantly decreased （P<0.05）， while HIF-1α and VLDLr protein and mRNA levels increased （P<0.05）. Immunohistochemistry showed increased expression of HIF-1α and Caspase-3 （P<0.05）， indicating hypoxia and apoptosis in renal cells. In all treatment groups， SCr， BUN， TG， and LDL-C were significantly reduced compared to the model group （P<0.05）， and UTP was significantly improved in the medium-dose DSS group （P<0.05）. Renal tissue structure and morphology were improved， inflammatory cells were reduced， and no vascular hyaline degeneration was observed. SIRT1 and CD31 protein expression was elevated to varying degrees compared to the model group （P<0.05）， while HIF-1α and VLDLr protein and mRNA levels decreased （P<0.05）. Immunohistochemistry showed reduced expression of HIF-1α and Caspase-3 in all treatment groups （P<0.05）， with the most significant improvement observed in the IBN group and medium-dose DSS group （P<0.05）. ConclusionDSS can effectively ameliorate glomerulosclerosis and lipid deposition in db/db mice， and its mechanism may involve the SIRT1/HIF-1α/VLDLr signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Danggui Shaoyaosan （DSS） on renal injury in db/db mice and its impact on endoplasmic reticulum stress （ERS） in renal tissues. MethodsThirty 8-week-old male db/db mice and six db/m mice were acclimated for one week， after which urinary microalbumin and blood glucose levels were monitored to establish a diabetic kidney disease （DKD） model. The model mice were randomly divided into a model group， an irbesartan group， and three DSS treatment groups with different doses （16.77， 33.54， and 67.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1）. A normal group was set as control. Each group was intragastrically administered with the corresponding drugs or saline for 8 weeks. After the intervention， general conditions were observed. Serum cystatin C （Cys-C）， 24-hour urinary total protein （24 h-UTP）， 24-hour urinary microalbumin （24 h-UMA）， urinary creatinine （Ucr）， and urea nitrogen （UUN） were measured. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） was used to observe glomerular basement membrane （GBM） and ultrastructural changes of the endoplasmic reticulum （ER） in glomerular endothelial cells. Western blot， real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze renal tissue structure and the expression of GRP78， CHOP， and related markers. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the mice in the model group showed curled posture， sluggish response， poor fur condition， increased levels of Cys-C， 24 h-UTP， 24 h-UMA， and UUN （P<0.05）， while Ucr decreased （P<0.05）. The GBM was significantly thickened， with podocyte and foot process fusion. The protein expressions of GRP78， CHOP， and ATF6 were significantly upregulated （P<0.05）， the mRNA levels of GRP78 and CHOP increased （P<0.05）， and immunohistochemistry showed an enhanced GRP78 signal （P<0.05）. After treatment， the mice exhibited improved behavior， normalized GBM and podocyte structure， improved ER morphology and markedly better biochemical indicators. Western blot， Real-time PCR， and immunohistochemistry indicated that the ERS-related markers were downregulated in the DSS treatment groups （P<0.05）， suggesting alleviated ERS and improved renal function. ConclusionDSS can effectively ameliorate renal pathological damage in db/db mice， possibly by regulating ERS in glomerular endothelial cells， although the underlying signaling mechanisms require further investigation.

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.

ObjectiveTo establish a new noninvasive， simple， and convenient clinical predictive model by identifying independent predictive factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy in cirrhotic patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding （EGVB）， and to provide a basis for individualized risk assessment and development of clinical intervention strategies. MethodsCirrhotic patients with EGVB who were diagnosed and treated in The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Medical University from September 2018 to October 2023 were enrolled as subjects， and according to whether the patient experienced rebleeding within 1 year after endoscopic therapy， they were divided into rebleeding group with 93 patients and non-rebleeding group with 84 patients. Clinical data were collected and analyzed. The independent samples t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. A Logistic model was established based on the results of the univariate and multivariate analyses， and the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve and the area under the ROC curve （AUC） were used to assess the accuracy of the model. R software was used to visualize the model by plotting a nomogram， and the Bootstrap method was used for internal validation of the model. ResultsThe multivariate analysis showed that red blood cell count （RBC）， cholinesterase （ChE）， alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， albumin （Alb）， thrombin time （TT）， portal vein trunk diameter， sequential therapy， and primary prevention were independent predictive factors for rebleeding. Based on the results of the multivariate analysis， a logistic model was established as logit（P）=-0.805-1.978×（RBC）+0.001×（ChE）-0.020×（ALP）-0.314×（Alb）+0.567×（TT）+0.428×（portal vein trunk diameter）-2.303×［sequential therapy （yes=1， no=0）］-2.368×［primary prevention （yes=1， no=0）］. The logistic model （AUC=0.928， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 0.893—0.964， P<0.001） had a better performance in predicting rebleeding than MELD score （AUC=0.603， 95%CI： 0.520—0.687， P=0.003）， Child-Pugh class （AUC=0.650， 95%CI： 0.578—0.722， P=0.001）， and FIB-4 index （AUC=0.587， 95%CI： 0.503—0.671， P=0.045）. The model had an optimal cut-off value of 0.607， a sensitivity of 0.817， and a specificity of 0.817. Internal validation confirmed that the model had good predictive performance and accuracy. ConclusionSequential therapy， implementation of primary prevention， an increase in RBC， and an increase in Alb are protective factors against rebleeding， while prolonged TT and widened main portal vein diameter are risk factors. The logistic model based on these independent predictive factors can predict rebleeding and thus holds promise for clinical application.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Solanum nigrum on hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄） in rats. MethodsSixty SD rats were randomly allocated into blank， model， low-， medium-， and high-dose （0.9， 1.8， 3.6 g·kg^-1， respectively） S. nigrum， and silibinin capsules （18.9 mg·kg^-1） groups. Except the blank group， the other groups were subjected to intraperitoneal injection of 40% CCl₄ solution for the modeling of hepatic fibrosis. After 4 weeks of gavage， blood was collected from the abdominal aorta following intraperitoneal anesthesia. The rats were sacrificed， and the liver was separated. The pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson staining. The levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and liver fibrosis indexes ［type Ⅲ procollagen （PCⅢ）， type Ⅳ collagen （Col Ⅳ）， laminin （LN）， and hyaluronic acid （HA）］ in the rat serum were determined. The mRNA and protein levels of B cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）/Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）/cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 （Caspase-3） pathway-related factors were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significant hepatocyte edema， infiltration of inflammatory cells， connective tissue proliferation， and collagen fiber deposition in the liver tissue. Compared with the model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose S. nigrum and silymarin capsules significantly improved the structure of liver cells and alleviated the edema， inflammatory cell infiltration， connective tissue proliferation， and collagen fiber deposition. Compared with those in the blank group， the serum levels of ALT， AST， PCⅢ， Col Ⅳ， LN， and HA were elevated in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum levels of ALT， AST， PCⅢ， Col Ⅳ， LN， and HA were reduced in all the treatment groups （P<0.05）. Real-time PCR and Western blot results showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bax and Caspase-3 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all the treatment groups showed down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bax and Caspase-3 （P<0.05）， with the high-dose S. nigrum group showing the best therapeutic effect. ConclusionS. nigrum modulates the progression of hepatic fibrosis in rats by regulating apoptosis through the Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 pathway.