ObjectiveTo investigate the material basis of homologous and heterogeneous effect of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus（AFI） and Aurantii Fructus（AF） based on the total statistical moment analysis and molecular connectivity index（MCI）. MethodRelevant literature at home and abroad and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform（TCMSP） were consulted to establish the chemical composition database of AFI and AF， and set up their fingerprints by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography（UPLC）， and the total statistical moments and similarity parameters of the fingerprint were calculated. According to MCI， all components of AFI and AF were divided into different component groups， the average values of 0-8^th order（⁰χ-⁸χ） MCI of the common component groups of AFI and AF were calculated. ResultThe values of total zero-order moment（AUC_T） of AFI and AF were （10.57±2.45）×10⁶， （5.09±0.89）×10⁶ μV·s， the values of total first-order moment（MCRT_T） were （11.57±1.58）， （12.10±1.29） min， the values of total second-order moments（VCRT_T） were（24.49±2.30）， （26.49±2.54） min²， respectively. It showed that qualitative and quantitative parameters of AFI and AF were significantly different. The components with high similarity such as neohesperidin， hesperidin and narirutin were screened as the common potential pharmacodynamic components of AFI and AF. The non-common components of AFI， such as alysifolinone and imperatorin， and the non-common components of AF， such as neoeriocitrin and isosakuranin， with high similarity were screened out as potential heterogeneous components of AFI and AF. The composition groups of AFI and AF were classified into six categories， and the similarities between the composition groups of AFI and AF and the total constituents were 0.872-0.979 and 0.918-0.997， the average values of ⁰χ-⁸χ MCI of alkaloids in AFI and AF were 3.65 and 3.14， the average values of ⁰χ-⁸χ MCI of flavonoids were 8.47 and 8.47， the average values of ⁰χ-⁸χ MCI of volatile oils were 2.71 and 3.48， respectively. It showed that there were some differences in MCI of chemical constituents（groups） between AFI and AF. ConclusionThe chemical constituents（groups） of AFI and AF not only differ in content and species， but also in structural characteristics and structure-activity relationship， which can provide a basis for further explaining the scientific connotation of homologous and heterogeneous effect of AFI and AF.

ObjectiveTransforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁） was used to stimulate human fetal lung fibroblast 1 （HFL1） for simulating the pathological process of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis （IPF） and thereby the effects and mechanism of medicated serum of Bupleuri Radix against IPF were investigated. MethodTGF-β₁ （10 μg·L^-1） was employed to stimulate HFL1， and cells were treated with medicated serum of Bupleuri Radix （5%， 10%， 15%， 20%） for 24 h. Then cell proliferation rate was determined with cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）. Subsequently， cells were classified into the control group （20% blank serum）， TGF-β₁ group （20% blank serum and 10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁）， TGF-β₁ + medicated serum of Bupleuri Radix group （5% blank serum， 15% medicated serum， and 10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁）， and TGF-β₁ + SIS3 group （3 μmol·L^-1 SIS3， 20% blank serum， 10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁）. Based on in situ end labeling （TUNEL） staining， the apoptosis rate was examined， and mRNA expression of apoptosis-related proteins B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2 associated X protein （Bax） and myofibroblast marker α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） was detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. The protein expression of α-SMA， Ras homolog enriched in brain （Rheb）， and phosphorylated （p）-Smad3 was determined by immunofluorescence. Expression of Rheb， p-Smad3， and Smad3 was examined by Western blot. ResultThe cell proliferation rate of TGF-β₁ group increased compared with that of the control group （P<0.05）. The cell proliferation rate of TGF+15% medicated serum of Bupleuri Radix group and TGF+20% medicated serum of Bupleuri Radix group decreased compared with that of the TGF-β₁ group （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group， TGF-β₁ group showed decrease in apoptosis rate， increase in mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and α-SMA， reduction in Bax mRNA expression， and rise of α-SMA and Rheb protein expression and p-Smad3 level （P<0.05）. Compared with TGF-β₁ group， TGF-β₁ + medicated serum of Bupleuri Radix group and TGF-β₁ + SIS3 group demonstrated high apoptosis rate， low Bcl-2 and α-SMA mRNA expression， high Bax mRNA expression， and low α-SMA and Rheb protein expression and p-Smad3 level （P<0.05）. ConclusionMedicated serum of Bupleuri Radix can inhibit TGF-β₁-induced HFL1 proliferation and fibroblast-myofibroblast transition and promote fibroblast apoptosis by regulating the Smad3/Rheb axis.

ObjectiveBased on the supramolecular "imprinting template" theory， the autonomous action law of the component groups of Shentong Zhuyutang in the preparation process of medicinal materials-decoction pieces-formulas was studied to clarify the quantitative transfer law of its quality attributes. MethodUltra performance liquid chromatography（UPLC） fingerprint of Shentong Zhuyutang was established with mobile phase of 0.4% phosphoric acid aqueous solution（A）-acetonitrile（B） for gradient elution（0-2.5 min， 100%A； 2.5-6 min， 100%-96%A； 6-15 min， 96%-92%A； 15-25 min， 92%-88%A； 25-35 min， 88%-75%A； 35-50 min， 75%-65%A； 50-60 min， 65%-50%A； 60-65 min， 50%-30%A； 65-70 min， 100%A） and detection wavelength of 235 nm， and the total statistical moments， information entropy and primary feeding amount of fingerprint of medicinal materials， decoction pieces and benchmark samples were calculated. Dry extract rate of the benchmark samples， the transfer rates and the addition parameters of medicinal materials-decoction pieces-formulas were calculated. ResultSimilarities of the total statistical moments of UPLC fingerprint of 15 batches of medicinal materials and decoction pieces were>0.89， the relative standard deviations（RSDs） of information entropy of UPLC fingerprint of 12 medicinal materials and decoction pieces were<10%. RSDs of total first-order moment（MCRT_T） and information entropy of Shentong Zhuyutang（medicinal materials） were 5.5% and 2.3%， while the RSDs of MCRT_T and information entropy of Shentong Zhuyutang（decoction pieces） were 4.8% and 2.6%， respectively. The dry extract rate of 45 batches of Shentong Zhuyutang was 17.2%-20.2%. The transfer rate of medicinal materials to decoction pieces was within the range of data fluctuation， which was 70%-130% of the average value. The overall transfer rates of medicinal materials to decoction pieces and decoction pieces to benchmark samples were 101.8% and 83.0%， respectively. ConclusionThe quality properties of Shentong Zhuyutang benchmark samples can be studied by total statistical moment analysis and primary feeding amount analysis， which can confirm the supramolecular "imprinting template" theory to a certain extent.

ObjectiveTo compare the similarities and differences of material basis for improving insulin resistance （IR） in different parts of Morus alba based on liquid-mass combination combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. MethodUltra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） was used to analyze the composition differences in different parts of M. alba. Sybyl-X2.1 was used to connect components with IR core targets， and the selection criterion was Total Score≥5. The "component-target-disease" network map was drawn. The total statistical moment standard similarity （TQSMSS） between the single target-component docking score data set and the total target-component docking score data set was calculated. The targets with higher TQSMSS were screened out， and the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed. The Gene Ontology （GO） functional analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis were performed using R language. ResultForty-one active components were obtained by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. According to the total statistical moment （similarity） method， there were 20， 23， 30， and 27 targets with TQSMSS≥0.75 in Mori Ramulus， Mori Cortex， Mori Fructus， and Mori Folium， respectively. In the four M. alba medicinal sources， the functional order of the targets by GO enrichment analysis was Mori Fructus>Mori Folium>Mori Cortex>Mori Ramulus， which were involved in biological processes such as blood glucose homeostasis， glucose metabolism， and glucose transmembrane transport. The order of the four M. alba medicinal sources by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was Mori Fructus>Mori Ramulus>Mori Folium>Mori Cortex， which were involved in the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK） energy metabolism signaling pathway， the insulin regulation-related signaling pathway， the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress signaling pathway， and so on. ConclusionThis research demonstrates that there are differences in the material basis for improving IR by different parts of M. alba， which provides references for the development of different parts of M. alba.

Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma, ZR) and Jiangtan (Carbonized Zingiberis Rhizoma, CZR) have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with a rich history in the treatment of various ailments. While ZR and CZR obviously stem from the same botanical source, their attributes, chemical compositions, pharmacological behaviors, and clinical applications are different owing to variations in the extent of drying and processing they undergo. In this paper, data pertaining to ZR and CZR were retrieved from databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. These sources were scrutinized to elucidate the distinctions between ZR and CZR arising from carbonization processing in terms of their ethnopharmacology, quality control, chemical compositions, biological activities, pharmacological mechanisms, and clinical uses. In this study, a total of 56 chemical constituents were identified and isolated from ZR and CZR, which primarily encompassed volatile oils, gingerols, and diphenylheptane compounds. CZR's pharmacological effects include hemostatic, anti-oxidant, analgesic, antibacterial, anti-cancer, and other biological activities. ZR has pungent and warm properties. It is a Yang-supplementing herbal medicine for ailments exacerbated by cold or damp climatic influences. CZR is a product of ZR after undergoing high temperature, with diminished intensity of its pungent and warm attributes. This change leads to a more gradual treatment efficacy, renowned hemostatic effects and its ability to gently invigorate the spleen and effectively alleviate diarrhea. Currently, research on the pharmacological mechanism of CZR is mainly focused on the effects of CZR on coagulation and fibrinolysis. Although the healing effect of CZR has long been known, and some correlation has been found between the changing composition and the changing color of the decoctions, people still lack relatively clear processing mechanisms to reflect the characteristics and specific quality standards of the ingredients of CZR's hemostatic effect. This review provides a systematic summary on quality control, chemical composition, ethnopharmacology, and pharmacology of CZR, offering novel perspectives for advancing the exploration of additional carbonized herbal medicine and fostering their application in clinical settings

ObjectiveTo explore the material basis for the difference in the efficacy of different parts of mulberry based on molecular connectivity index （MCI）. MethodBy referring to the relevant literature at home and abroad and traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform （TCMSP） database， the chemical composition database of mulberry-source medicinal materials was established. Venn analysis was carried out on the components among mulberry-source medicinal materials. The components in the database were divided into 10 categories， and the composition information was analyzed. According to MCI value， all components of mulberry-source medicinal materials were divided into different groups. The angle cosine method was used to calculate the MCI similarity. The average MCI values of the common component group from 0-8 orders and CI of mulberry-source medicinal materials were calculated. ResultThe components with high similarity such as （+）-cycloolivil， 1′-methoxy-2′-hydroxydihydromollugin， kuwanon， morusin and 1-deoxynojirimycin were selected as potential pharmacodynamic components. Mulberry-source medicinal materials could be divided into five component groups. The similarity between component groups and total components was 0.760-0.999， and the similarity between component groups was 0.248-0.999. In Mori Ramulus， Mori Folium， Mori Cortex and Mori Fructus， the average MCI values of their flavonoids from 0-8 orders were 4.57， 4.59， 6.41， 4.24， respectively. The average MCI values of alkaloids from 0-8 orders were 2.65， 4.55， 2.58， 2.78， respectively. The average CI values from 0-8 orders were 5.51， 5.49， 5.44 and 2.88， respectively. ConclusionIt is preliminarily concluded that there are differences in the flavonoids and pathways of hypoglycemic effects between Mori Cortex and the other three mulberry-source medicinal materials. The MCI values of alkaloids from 0-8 orders in Mori Folium and Mori Fructus were higher， but their inhibitory activity of α-glucosidase were lower than those of Mori Ramulus and Mori Cortex. The structural characteristics of the total components of Mori Fructus represented by CI were quite different from the other three mulberry-source medicinal materials.

Objective : To analyze the length of hospital stay of patients with heart failure in a multicenter cohort in order to explore the influencing factors of length of stay and provide data support for further intervention. Methods: A total of 2 794 patients enrolled in the multicenter prospective heart failure cohort were divided into two groups: long hospital stay group (≥9 days) and short hospital stay group ( < 9 days) . The general data of the two groups were compared, and the factors with statistical difference in univariate analysis were included in Logistic multifactor regression analysis to explore the difference in length of hospital stay between the two groups. According to left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), patients were divided into heart failure with preserved reduced ejection fraction (HFpEF)group, heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction(HFmrEF)group and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF) group, and Logistic multifactor regression analysis was performed to find influencing factors. Results : Logistic multifactor regression analysis showed that LVEF, pneumonia, N⁃terminal pro⁃B⁃type natriuretic peptide(NT⁃proBNP), serum sodium, cardiac resynchronization therapy( CRT) or implantable cardioverter defibrillator(ICD)implantation, β blockers, aldosterone receptor antagonists, positive inotropic drugs and vasodilators were all factors influencing the hospitalization of HF patients. In the HFpEF, HFmrEF, and HFrEF groupsCRT/ICD implantation, positive inotonic drugs, and vasodilator use were suggested to be common factors affecting length of hospital stay in all three groups. Conclusion LVEF, pneumonia, NT⁃proBNP, serum sodium, CRT or ICD implantation, β blockers, aldosterone receptor antagonists, positive inotropic drugs and vasodilators are the influencing factors of hospitalization time in HF patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of lead exposure on inflammatory damage of hippocampus and cognitive impairment in diabetic rats. METHODS: The specific pathogen free(SPF) male healthy Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group and lead-exposed group. The SPF male Goto-Kakisaki Wistar rats rats were randomly divided into diabetes group and diabetes lead-exposed group, with 10 rats in each group. Rats in lead-exposed group and diabetes lead-exposed group were continuously exposed to lead acetate water with a mass fraction of 0.025% for 9 weeks. Rats in control group and diabetes group were given distilled water. The body weight and blood glucose level of rats were measured before lead exposure and at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 weeks after exposure. After the exposure, Morris water maze test was used to evaluate the learning and memory ability of rats. The lead levels in whole blood and hippocampal tissues were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the expression of mRNA and protein expression of inflammatory factors in hippocampal tissues of rats were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunoadsorption, respectively. RESULTS: At the end of lead exposure, the difference of body mass of rats in the diabetes group and the diabetes lead-exposed group was not statistically significant compared with that in the same group before exposure(all P values were >0.05); but the body mass of rats in these two groups was lower than that of the control group and the lead-exposure group(all P values were <0.05). The blood glucose levels of rats were higher in the diabetic group and the diabetes lead-exposed group than that in the control group and the lead-exposed group, respectively(all P values were <0.05). Morris water maze test showed that the escape latency of rats in the 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd day were longer in diabetes group and the diabetes lead-exposed group than that in the control group and the lead-exposed group(all P values were <0.05). The number of times of crossing platforms were less in the lead-exposed group and the diabetes group than that of the control group(all P values were <0.05). The number of times of crossing platforms was more in the diabetes lead-exposed group than that in the other 3 groups(all P values were <0.05). The levels of lead in blood and hippocampus of rats were higher in the lead-exposed group than those in the control group(all P values were <0.05), and those in the diabetes lead-exposed group were higher than that in the other 3 groups(all P values were <0.05). The relative expression of mRNA of interferon-γ(ifn-γ) and interleukin(il)-6 in hippocampal tissues of rats was higher in the lead-exposed group and the diabetes group than that of the control group(all P values were <0.05). The relative expression of mRNA of tumour necrosis factor-α(tnf-α) and il-1β in the hippocampal tissues of rats was higher in the diabetes group than that of the control group and the lead-exposed group, respectively(all P values were <0.05). The relative expression of mRNA of ifn-γ, tnf-α, il-1β and il-6 in hippocampal tissues of rats was higher in the diabetes lead-exposed group than that of the other 3 groups(all P values were <0.05). The relative protein expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-6 in hippocampal tissues of rats was higher in lead-exposed group than that of the control group(all P values were <0.05). The relative protein expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in hippocampal tissues of rats was higher in diabetes group than that of the control group(all P values were <0.05). The relative protein expression of IFN-γ, IL-1β and IL-6 in hippocampal tissues of rats was higher in diabetes group than that of the other 3 groups(all P values were <0.05). CONCLUSION: Diabetes can promote the lead accumulation in the blood and hippocampus of rats. The combined effect of lead exposure and diabetes can up-regulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampal tissues of rats, aggravate the inflammatory response, and have a synergistic effect on the cognitive impairment in rats.

Objective To study the mechanism of differentiation of high glucose induced M2 macrophages used by high glucose medium stimulation. Methods Raw264.7 (murine macrophage cell line)was cultured and stimulated by 4. 25% glucose medium, and mannitol medium was used as osmotic pressure control. Cells were harvested at 0h,4h,8h and 12h to examine the expression of CD206 and Arg-1 and the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. After blocking the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by LY294002(the specific inhibitor of PI3K),the expression of Arg-1 was examined by western blot. Results The expression of Arg-1 was increased from 8h while CD206 reached the peak at 12h induced by high glucose which indicated the activation of M2 in a time-dependent manner. Akt was phosphorylated at 8h stimulated by high glucose medium. The specific inhibitor of PI3K reduced the expression of Arg-1 by blocking the phosphorylation of Akt. Conclusion High glucose, rather than high osmotic pressure,induced macrophages polarized into M2 via activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Objective To study the pharmacokinetic features of ferulaic acid, senkyunolide A and ligustilide in Buyang Huanwu associated prescriptions (Buyang HuanwuDecoction andNaojianTablets).MethodsHPLC-DAD was applied for simultaneous determination plasma concentration of three ingredients with jugular venous cannula rats after intragastric administration ofBuyang Huanwu associated prescriptions. The pharmacolinetic parameters of each ingredient was calculated by DAS2.0, and then the total quantum statistical moment (TQSM) standard similarity was used to measure the overall pharmacokinetics behaviors.Results There were great differences in the three ingredients after the administration of two prescriptions, while the total quantum statistical parameters were very closely. The TQSM pharmacokinetic parameters of the three components inBuyang HuanwuDecoction andNaojian Tablets showed that AUC, MRT, VRT were 240.6 and 133.0, 3.192 min and 3.259 min, 21.59 min2and 19.75 min2, respectively.The similarity was up to 0.977 8.Conclusion The metabolic processes in vivo ofBuyang Huanwu Decoction andNaojianTablets have similarities. The efficacy of Chinese herbal compounds mostly depends on the multi-components overall contributions.