Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation, joint destruction, and functional impairment. Angiogenesis plays a key role in the pathological progression of RA with dysfunction of endothelial cells to promote synovial inflammation, sustain pannus formation, subsequently leading to joint damage. Colquhounia Root Tablets (CRT), a Chinese patent drug, has shown a satisfying clinical efficacy in treating RA, while the underlying mechanism by which CRT inhibits RA-associated angiogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we applied a research approach combining transcriptomic data analysis, bio-network mapping, and in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore the molecular mechanisms of CRT in suppressing angiogenesis in RA. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (ratification number: IBTCMCACMS21-2307-06). Network analysis identified that key genes such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2), SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) significantly enriched in pathways related to NOD-like receptor signaling and VEGF signaling, indicating that CRT may inhibit angiogenesis by regulating vascular endothelial cell function with modulating angiogenesis-related pathways. In vivo data showed that CRT significantly reduced the positive expression of CD31 and VEGF in the ankle joint of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats. In vitro data further confirmed that CRT effectively inhibited VEGF-induced migration, invasion, and tube formation in HUVECs, while significantly reduced the expression of angiogenesis-related factors VEGF/CD31/Ang-1, as well as the positive expression of VEGF and CD31 in HUVECs. Furthermore, CRT markedly decreased the protein expression of NOD2, VEGFA, and SMAD3. In conclusion, these findings indicate that CRT may inhibit the RA-related angiogenesis by targeting the NOD2/SMAD3/VEGF signaling axis to improve endothelial cell function, enriching the scientific connotation of CRT in inhibiting pathological angiogenesis in RA and also offer new insights for clinical prevention and treatment of RA.

Lipid storage myopathy （LSM） is a lipid metabolic disorder characterized by excessive lipid droplet accumulation in muscle fibers. Classic multiple Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency （MADD）， also known as glutaric aciduria type Ⅱ， is a disease with various clinical manifestations caused by mutations in electron transfer flavoprotein （ETF） and ETF-ubiquinone oxidoreductase. In recent years， a large amount of evidence has shown that classic late-onset MADD caused by mutations in the electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase gene is the main cause of LSM. Besides classic MADD， many other diseases with similar changes in blood acylcarnitines and urinary organic acids can also cause LSM， and such diseases are call MADD-like disorders or MADD spectrum. This article reviews the clinical， pathological， biochemical， and molecular features of LSM with various etiologies and the latest advances in treatment， with a focus on the latest findings associated with MADD spectrum.
Riboflavin

Modified electro-convulsive therapy (MECT) is one of the most potent treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it remains a second-line option due to significant side effects, such as transient memory loss. The relationship between therapeutic efficacy and cognitive impairment warrants further investigation to develop improved treatment regimens. In this review, we examine recent evidence from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies aiming to identify structural and functional brain changes specifically associated with both the antidepressant effects and the amnesic outcomes of MECT. MECT induces widespread alterations across multiple brain systems. Increases in gray matter volume (GMV) have been observed in the prefrontal, temporal, and parietal cortices, as well as in subcortical regions such as the hippocampus (HP), amygdala, and striatum. Strengthening of myelination has also been reported along the dorsolateral prefrontal-limbic pathways. Functional changes include increased spontaneous neural activity in prefrontal areas, reorganization of intrinsic connectivity within the default mode network (DMN), and altered functional connectivity (FC) among the DMN, salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN). Correlational studies have identified structural and functional alterations linked to antidepressant efficacy, including right hippocampal volume enlargement, prefrontal cortical thickening, reduced iron deposition in the striatum, decreased FC within certain DMN nodes, and enhanced effective connectivity from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to the right angular gyrus. In contrast, the amnesic effects have been associated with increased volumes in the left hippocampus and bilateral dentate gyrus; enhanced FC in the left angular gyrus and left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC); increased FC between the right ventral anterior insula and DLPFC; and reduced FC in the left thalamus and bilateral precuneus. Changes in the hippocampus appear to correlate with both antidepressant efficacy and memory impairment. Clinical studies have found no significant correlation between the severity of memory impairment and the reduction in depressive symptoms, suggesting that the therapeutic and adverse effects may arise from distinct regional or subregional mechanisms. Supporting this hypothesis, recent findings show that increased right hippocampal volume is significantly associated with reduced depression scores, whereas increased volume in the left dentate gyrus correlates with declines in delayed recall performance. Additionally, enhanced connectivity between the anterior hippocampus and middle occipital gyrus (MOG) has been linked to mood improvement, while decreased FC between the mid-hippocampus and angular gyrus has been associated with impairments in memory integration. In conclusion, current evidence suggests that the antidepressant and memory-impairing effects of MECT may localize to distinct hippocampal subregions. These effects likely result from differential modulation of local neural activity and functional connectivity, leading to divergent behavioral outcomes. Given that both effects may originate in deep and spatially constrained structures such as the hippocampus, small-sample studies and conventional methodologies may fail to differentiate them effectively. Future research should employ large-scale, longitudinal designs utilizing high-field MRI and multimodal neuroimaging to characterize MECT-induced structure-function coupling in the hippocampus and its integration at the network level. Additionally, multiscale analyses spanning molecular, circuit, and network dimensions would be beneficial.

Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints), has growing in popularity world-wide to treat various diseases effectively, especially acute and chronic pain. In parallel, interest in the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia, particularly the neural mechanisms have been increasing. Over the past decades, our understanding of how the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system process signals induced by acupuncture has developed rapidly by using electrophysiological methods. However, with the development of neuroscience, electrophysiology is being challenged by calcium imaging in view field, neuron population and visualization in vivo. Owing to the outstanding spatial resolution, the novel imaging approaches provide opportunities to enrich our knowledge about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia at subcellular, cellular, and circuit levels in combination with new labeling, genetic and circuit tracing techniques. Therefore, this review will introduce the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied to acupuncture research. We will also review the current findings in pain research using calcium imaging from in vitro to in vivo experiments and discuss the potential methodological considerations in studying acupuncture analgesia.
Calcium ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Analgesia/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Technology

Child ; Humans ; Mpox (monkeypox)/prevention & control* ; Disease Outbreaks

The quality control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is the core issue to ensure the modernization,industrialization and internationalization of TCM.Compared with other detection methods,electrochemical analysis method has many advantages such as high sensitivity,fast detection speed and low cost,making it an important means of quality control for TCM and having broad development prospects.This article reviewed the research progress of electrochemical methods in quality control of TCM in recent years,discussed the application of electrochemical fingerprinting technique in identification of TCM,and comprehensively summarized the application of electrochemical technology in analyzing effective components and harmful substances in TCM,including flavonoids,alkaloids,quinones,glycosides,heavy metals and pesticide residues.Finally,the development prospects of electrochemical methods in the field of quality control of TCM were discussed.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of the therapy of soothing liver and strengthening spleen(shortened as Shugan Jianpi therapy)in the treatment of active thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy(TAO)complicated with dry eye,and to provide a reference basis for clinical treatment.Methods A total of 108 patients with active TAO complicated with dry eye of liver depression and qi stagnation type were randomly divided into observation group and control group,54 patients in each group.Both groups were given conventional treatment for intervention of Graves'disease,and additionally the control group was given hormone shock therapy by intravenous injection of Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate,and the observation group was treated with Chinese medicine prescription for soothing liver and strengthening spleen orally and intravenous injection of Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate.The treatment period lasted for 12 weeks,and then the patients were followed up till to the 6th month.The changes of clinical activity score(CAS),proptosis,ocular surface disease index(OSDI),corneal fluorescein staining(FL),Schirmer I test(SIT)and tear film break-up time(BUT)in the two groups were observed before and after the treatment.After treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated.Results(1)After 6 months of treatment,the total effective rate in the observation group was 94.44%(51/54)and that in the control group was 74.07%(40/54),and the intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy of the observation group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the CAS,OSDI score and proptosis of the patients in the two groups were all lower than those before treatment(P＜0.01),and the reduction in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the indicators of tear secretion function such as SIT,FL score and BUT of patients in the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment(P＜0.01),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the differences being all statistically significant(P＜0.01).Conclusion Shugan Jianpi therapy exerts certain clinical efficacy in treating patients with active TAO complicated with dry eye of liver depression and qi stagnation type,which can effectively relieve the proptosis,prolong the tear film break-up time,promote the secretion of tears and the repair of corneal epithelium,improve the visual function,and enhance the quality of life of the patients.