ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of modified Shaofu Zhuyutang in antagonizing cellular pyroptosis and fibrosis in ectopic endometrial tissues of endometriosis through the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB/NOD-like receptor protein 3 （TRL4/NF-κB/NLPR3） signaling pathway. MethodsSeventy-two SPF-grade female SD rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated group （n = 12） and a modeling group （n = 60）. The rats in the sham-operated group underwent a caesarean section， while the rats in the modeling group were used to establish an endometriosis model through the auto-transplantation method. After successful modeling， the animals were randomly divided into the model group， progesterone group （0.25 mg·kg^-1）， and modified Shaofu Zhuyutang low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （7.5， 15， 30 g·kg^-1）， with 12 animals in each group. After 4 weeks of drug administration， voluntary activity and heat pain latency were observed. The rats were sacrificed for tissue collection， and Masson staining were used to observe histopathological changes in the endometrial tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to measure serum levels of interleukin-18 （IL-18）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the protein expression area of tumor necrosis factor-related factor 6 （TRAF6） and NLPR3 in the endometrial tissues. Immunofluorescence （IF） was used to detect the relative fluorescence intensity of Caspase-1 and gasdermin D （GSDMD） in the endometrial tissues. Western blot was employed to measure the relative expression of TRL4， myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）， TRAF6， NF-κB p65， phosphorylated NF-κB p65 （p-NF-κB p65）， and NLPR3 proteins in endometrial tissues. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， NF-κB， and NLPR3 in the endometrial tissues. ResultsCompared with the sham-operated group， rats in the model group showed reduced voluntary activity and shorter heat pain latency. Serum levels of IL-18， IL-1β， TNF-α， and TGF-β were elevated. The relative expression areas of TRAF6 and NLPR3 proteins were increased， and the relative fluorescence intensity of Caspase-1 and GSDMD was enhanced. The relative expression of TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65， and NLPR3 proteins， along with the expression of TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， NF-κB， and NLPR3 mRNA， were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， rats in the progesterone group and the modified Shaofu Zhuyutang medium- and high-dose groups exhibited improved voluntary activity， longer heat pain latency， the fibrosis of endometrial tissue is alleviated. Serum levels of IL-18， IL-1β， TNF-α， and TGF-β were decreased. The relative expression areas of TRAF6 and NLPR3 proteins decreased， and the relative fluorescence intensity of Caspase-1 and GSDMD weakened. The relative expression of TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， p-NF-κB p65， NLPR3 proteins， and TRL4， MyD88， TRAF6， NF-κB， and NLPR3 mRNA expression were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Shaofu Zhuyutang may play a therapeutic role in endometriosis by interfering with key proteins in the TRL4/NF-κB/NLPR3 signaling pathway， reducing NLRP3 inflammasome-induced cellular pyroptosis， antagonizing the fibrosis process in ectopic endometrial tissues， improving the inflammatory microenvironment in the pelvic cavity， and alleviating pain.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of modified Shaofu Zhuyutang on key proteins of the epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway in SD rats with endometriosis. MethodsAfter successful establishment of an endometriosis model in 60 female SD rats of SPF grade via the auto-transplantation method， the rats were randomly divided into a model group， modified Shaofu Zhuyutang high-， medium-， and low-dose groups， and a gestrinone group， with another 12 rats serving as a blank group. The blank and model groups were administered 10 mL·kg^-1 normal saline， while the high-， medium-， and low-dose groups received 30， 15， and 7.5 g·kg^-1 modified Shaofu Zhuyutang， respectively. The gestrinone group was administered 0.25 mg·kg^-1 gestrinone suspension. After four weeks of treatment， uterine contractions were induced with 2 U of oxytocin， and the writhing response of rats was observed. After 24 h， the rats were euthanized， and the weight and volume of ectopic endometrial tissue were recorded. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological changes in endometrial tissues， while the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling （TUNEL） assay was used to evaluate the apoptosis rate of endometrial tissues. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the relative expression areas of the B-cell lymphoma-2 gene-associated promoter （Bad） and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） proteins in endometrial tissues. Serum levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， epidermal growth factor （EGF）， and EGFR were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The relative protein expression levels of EGFR， PI3K， phosphorylated PI3K （p-PI3K）， Akt， and phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt） in endometrial tissues were analyzed by Western blot. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of EGFR， PI3K， and Akt. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed endometrial thickening， glandular and mesenchymal hyperplasia， a significant decrease in the relative expression area of Bad in ectopic endometrial tissues， a significant increase in the relative expression area of Bcl-2， and a significant reduction in the apoptosis rate as indicated by TUNEL staining. Serum levels of IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， EGF， and EGFR were significantly elevated （P<0.01）. The relative protein expression levels of EGFR， PI3K， p-PI3K， Akt， and p-Akt， as well as the mRNA expression levels of EGFR， PI3K， and Akt， were also significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the high- and medium-dose groups of modified Shaofu Zhuyutang and the gestrinone group exhibited reduced glandular and mesenchymal hyperplasia to varying degrees， with dilated glandular lumens. The number of writhing responses was significantly reduced， the latency to writhing response was significantly prolonged， and the weight and volume of ectopic endometrial tissue were significantly decreased. The relative expression area of Bad in ectopic endometrial tissue was significantly increased， the relative expression area of Bcl-2 was significantly decreased， and the apoptosis rate was significantly elevated as shown by TUNEL staining. Serum levels of IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， EGF， and EGFR were significantly reduced， and the relative protein expression levels of EGFR， PI3K， p-PI3K， Akt， and p-Akt， as well as the mRNA expression levels of EGFR， PI3K， and Akt， were significantly decreased （P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Shaofu Zhuyutang may exert therapeutic effects on endometriosis by interfering with key proteins of the EGFR/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and inducing apoptosis in ectopic endometrial tissue.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of modified Shaofu Zhuyutang in inducing ferroptosis in ectopic endometrial tissues of rats with endometriosis through the murine double minute 4 （MDM4）/tumor suppressor p53/glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） signaling pathway. MethodsSeventy SPF-grade female SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group （n = 10）， a sham-operated group （n = 10）， and a modeling group （n = 50）. The sham-operated group underwent laparotomy， while the modeling group was subjected to the autotransplantation method to establish an endometriosis model. After successful modeling， the animals were randomly assigned to the model group， progesterone group （0.25 mg·kg^-1）， and modified Shaofu Zhuyutang high-， medium-， and low-dose groups （30， 15， and 7.5 g·kg^-1， respectively）， with 10 rats per group. After four weeks of drug administration， the rats were euthanized for sample collection. The weight and volume of ectopic endometrial tissues were recorded for each group. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） was employed to observe ultrastructural changes in endometrial tissues， while Prussian blue staining was used to assess iron ion deposition. Serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The relative levels of Fe²⁺， malondialdehyde （MDA）， and glutathione （GSH） in endometrial tissues were determined by colorimetric assay. Immunofluorescence （IF） was used to detect the relative fluorescence intensities of GSH and GPX4 in endometrial tissues. The relative expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）， phosphorylated PI3K （p-PI3K）， protein kinase B （Akt）， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， MDM4， p53， and GPX4 proteins were detected by Western blot. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to assess the mRNA expression of PI3K， Akt， MDM4， p53， and GPX4. ResultsCompared with the blank and sham-operated groups， the model group exhibited reduced ferroptotic damage in ultrastructural observations， decreased ferroptotic aggregates and positive iron ion expression area on Prussian blue staining， elevated serum IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α levels， reduced Fe²⁺ and MDA content， increased GSH content in endometrial tissues， and enhanced GSH and GPX4 fluorescence intensities （P<0.01）. The protein and mRNA expression levels of PI3K， p-PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， MDM4， and GPX4 were elevated， while those of p53 were decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， in the progesterone group and the modified Shaofu Zhuyutang high- and medium-dose groups， ferroptotic damage in ultrastructural observations was exacerbated to varying degrees by TEM， and ferroptotic aggregates and positive iron ion expression areas were increased on Prussian blue staining. Serum IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α levels decreased， Fe²⁺ and MDA content increased， and GSH content decreased in endometrial tissues. GSH and GPX4 fluorescence intensities weakened， while the protein and mRNA expression levels of PI3K， p-PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， MDM4， and GPX4 decreased， and those of p53 increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Conclusionmodified Shaofu Zhuyutang may exert therapeutic effects in endometriosis by inducing ferroptosis in ectopic endometrial tissues， alleviating inflammatory responses， and modulating key proteins in the MDM4/p53/GPX4 signaling pathway.

With the continuous development of China's aging society and the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles, the incidence of cardiovascular disease in China has been increasing in recent years. Among them, atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia disease. In recent years, pulsed field ablation (PFA) has been continuously applied to AF treatment as a novel treatment. This paper first introduces the principle of PFA applied to AF treatment, and introduces the research progress of PFA in different directions, such as the comparison of different ablation methods, the study of physical parameters, the study of ablation area, the study of tissue specificity and clinical research. Then, the clinical prior research of PFA is discussed, including the use of simulation software to obtain the simulation effect of different parameters, the evaluation of ablation effect during animal research, and finally the current AF treatment. Various prior studies and clinical studies are summarized, and suggestions are made for the shortcomings found in the study of AF treatment and the future research direction is prospected.

Liver fibrosis is the common pathological process in the progression of various chronic liver diseases to liver cirrhosis， and it greatly affects the prognosis of patients with chronic liver diseases. As a novel adipokine， Chemerin participates in the metabolism of glucose and lipids and inflammation， and various studies have shown that the expression level of Chemerin is correlated with the degree of liver fibrosis， suggesting that Chemerin may be involved in the process of liver fibrosis by regulating metabolism and inflammation. Chemerin has shown certain potential in the auxiliary diagnosis of liver fibrosis and the intervention against the progression of liver fibrosis. This article reviews the potential role and mechanism of action of Chemerin in the process of liver fibrosis， in order to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of liver fibrosis.

[Objective] To establish a cryopreservation protocol for small-volume (≤1 mL) red blood cells (RBCs) and to evaluate the reactivity and stability of blood group antigens after cryopreservation, so as to explore its potential application in immunohematology reference laboratories. [Methods] Small-volume RBCs were cryopreserved for 120 days, followed by thawing and deglycerolization to restore the RBC components. The quality of the RBCs was assessed. Serum antibodies were serially diluted and reacted with RBCs before and after cryopreservation, and agglutination scores were recorded to quantitatively evaluate the reactivity and stability of blood group antigens such as Rh, Duffy, Lewis, Kidd, M, and H. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the percentage and mean fluorescence intensity of ABO antigen expression on RBCs before and after cryopreservation to assess the usability of cryopreserved RBCs in flow immunophenotyping and blood group subtype studies. [Results] The hemolysis rate of thawed and deglycerolized RBCs was (0.27±0.10)%, with a supernatant free hemoglobin level of (0.52±0.14) g/L, and the RBC recovery rate was (69.12±7.91)%. The direct antiglobulin test (DAT) was negative for all thawed RBCs. There was no difference in the reactivity of blood group antigens before and after cryopreservation, and no difference in the percentage and mean fluorescence intensity of A and B antigen expression on RBCs before and after cryopreservation. [Conclusion] The small-volume RBC cryopreservation protocol can be applied to immunohematology analysis in reference laboratories and is expected to be widely used in blood group identification, antibody screening, identification, and blood group-related research.

Lung transplantation is the optimal treatment for end-stage lung diseases and can significantly improve prognosis of the patients. However, postoperative complications such as infection, rejection, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and other challenges (like shortage of donor lungs) , limit the practical application of lung transplantation in clinical practice. Chinese research teams have been making continuous efforts and have achieved breakthroughs in basic research on lung transplantation by integrating emerging technologies and cutting-edge achievements from interdisciplinary fields, which has strongly propelled the development of this field. This article will comprehensively review the academic progress made by Chinese research teams in the field of lung transplantation in 2024, with a focus on the achievements of Chinese teams in basic research on lung transplantation. It aims to provide innovative ideas and strategies for key issues in the basic field of lung transplantation and to help China's lung transplantation cause reach a higher level.

Objective: To investigate the environmental contamination of norovirus in nurseries and primary/secondary schools, so as to provide a scientific basis for effective prevention and control measures. Methods: A total of 483 external environmental samples were collected from 34 cluster outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis in kindergartens and primary/secondary schools in Linhai City from 2021 to 2024. Pathogen detection was conducted using a rapid nucleic acid extraction kit and realtime fluorescence RT-PCR, and the results were analyzed using the χ2 test or Fishers exact test. Results: Among the collected external environmental samples, the total positive rate of surface contamination was 13.66%. The positive rates in kindergartens and primary/secondary schools were 12.20% and 15.82%, respectively. In kindergartens, the five surfaces with the highest detection rates were desks/chairs (23.33%), toilet stool troughs (20.69%), urinal troughs (12.00%), washbasins/sinks (11.11%), and toilet mops (9.38%). In primary/secondary schools, the top five were toilet stool troughs (38.30%), urinal troughs (23.53%), toilet door handles (13.04%), toilet mops (12.50%), and drinking cups (11.11%). The difference in positive detection rates among different external environments in primary/secondary schools was statistically significant (Fishers exact probability test, P<0.01). The positive detection rate in sanitary toilets was higher than that in classroom environments (χ2=17.38), while the positive detection rate in classroom environments of kindergartens was higher than that in primary/secondary schools (χ2=5.42)(P<0.05). Conclusions Norovirus exhibits a high contamination rate in nurseries and schools, particularly in restroom areas. Strengthening sanitation and disinfection in highrisk environments, and improving hygiene awareness among children and staff, are essential for the effective prevent and control of norovirus.

ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics and distribution of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes in the patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）. MethodsAn electronic questionnaire was developed to collect the general data and four examination information of ESCC patients treated in 10 areas with high incidence of esophageal cancer in China from June 2020 to March 2021. Multiple analyses including frequency analysis， factor analysis， and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to analyze the potential syndrome elements， disease location， and common syndromes of ESCC. ResultsA total of 2 027 patients with ESCC were included. Statistical analysis was performed on 113 symptoms， physical signs， 33 tongue manifestation variables， and 23 pulse manifestation variables of the patients’ four examination information. Factor analysis was performed on 55 variables with frequency>10%， extracting 19 common factors. According to clinical experience and expert opinions， the main lesions of patients with ESCC were in the spleen and stomach， and the main syndrome elements were Qi stagnation， blood stasis， phlegm， dampness， and Qi deficiency， with the syndrome element combination of phlegm obstruction + Qi stagnation + blood stasis being the most common. The syndromes can be classified into four categories of liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction， kidney-spleen dysfunction + combined phlegm and stasis， spleen-kidney Yang deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis， and liver-kidney Yin deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis. The main syndrome of ESCC was liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction in the early stage， liver-spleen dysfunction + combined phlegm and stasis in the middle stage， and spleen-kidney Yang deficiency + obstinate phlegm and blood stasis in the late stage. ConclusionESCC mainly has main pathological features of internal deficiency and external excess and combined deficiency and excess， with the key syndrome elements being phlegm obstruction， Qi stagnation， and blood stasis. The main disease locations are in the spleen and stomach， involving the liver， kidney， chest and diaphragm， heart， and lung. The main syndrome is liver-stomach disharmony + combined phlegm and Qi obstruction. In clinical practice， it is necessary to grasp the pathogenesis dynamics of the disease and use prescriptions according to patients’ syndromes.

Objective: To understand the incidence risk and risk factors of tuberculosis (TB) among middle school students in Chongqing, so as to provide a basis for formulating TB prevention and control strategies. Methods: From September to December 2022, 32 181 middle school students were selected as the study cohort from 15 administrative districts in Chongqing by using the stratified cluster random sampling method. All cohort members were screened with the tuberculin skin test (TST), and relevant information was collected from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024. On the basis of active screening, the follow up data of the participants were compared with the National Tuberculosis Management Information System to obtain the incidence status of the study subjects. The Log rank test was used to compare the TB incidence rates among students with different characteristics, and a Cox proportional hazards model was established to analyze the incidence risk and risk factors of TB. Results: The TST screening rate of the cohort members was 93.0%. During the 2 year follow up period, a total of 36 TB cases occurred, with a cumulative incidence rate of 111.87/100 000 and an incidence density of 55.95/100 000. Among them, the cumulative incidence rate of students from public schools (170.44/ 100 000 ) was higher than that of students from private schools (41.16/100 000), the cumulative incidence rate of students in schools located in high epidemic areas (153.95/100 000) was higher than that in medium epidemic areas (69.00/100 000), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ 2=11.49, 4.73, both P <0.05). The Log-rank test for different TST results showed that the difference in TB comulative incidence rate between students with strongly positive TST results (216.55/ 100 000 ) and those with negative TST results (81.40/100 000) was statistically significant ( χ 2=5.85, P <0.05). Univariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model revealed that the risk of TB was lower in students from private schools ( HR=0.25, 95% CI = 0.10-0.59) and students in medium epidemic areas ( HR=0.46, 95%CI =0.23-0.94); whereas the risk of TB was increased in students with strongly positive TST results ( HR=1.39, 95%CI =1.05-1.84) (all P <0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the risk of TB in students from private schools was lower than that of students from public schools ( HR=0.23, 95%CI=0.08-0.62, P <0.05). Conclusions The annual average incidence rate of TB among middle school students in Chongqing is at a relatively high level. It is necessary to strengthen the management and intervention for student groups, including those in public schools, those in schools located in high epidemic areas, and those with strongly positive TST results, so as to reduce the incidence rate of TB.