ObjectiveTo explore the effects of the Tibetan medicine Sanwei Doukoutang （SWDK） on cognitive dysfunction in mice suffering from Alzheimer's disease （AD） and its related mechanism. MethodsFifty SPF 5 × FAD mice were randomly divided into model group， total ginsenoside group（0.04 g·kg^-1）， high-， medium-， and low-dose groups of SWDK （32.60， 16.30， 8.15 g·kg^-1）， with 10 mice in each group， and ten wild-type mice of the same age were used as the normal group， male and female in 1∶1. Gavage administration was performed once daily for 8 weeks. The Morris water maze test and contextual fear memory experiment were used to observe learning and memory function. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was utilized to observe the changes in the pathomorphology of brain tissue in mice. The levels of synaptophysin （SYP） and postsynaptic dense substance 95 （PSD95） in mice serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The positive expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor（BDNF） in the dentate gyrus （DG） region of mouse brain tissue was observed by immunohistochemistry （IHC）. The protein levels of BDNF， Wnt family member 3A（Wnt3a）， and β-catenin were detected in the hippocampus of mice by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group of mice， the model group of mice had significantly more complex swimming routes and lower swimming speed （P<0.01）， significantly lower percentage of time spent in the target quadrant （P<0.01）， and a significantly lower percentage of freezing time （P<0.05）. The number of neurons in the hippocampal region of mice was obviously reduced and unevenly arranged. The levels of SYP and PSD95（P<0.01） in the serum of mice were reduced， and the positive expression of BDNF in the DG region of the brain tissue of mice was reduced. The levels of hippocampal BDNF， Wnt3a， and β-catenin proteins in the hippocampus of mice were obviously reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the mice in the SWDK group and the total ginsenoside group had significantly shorter swimming routes， the high- and medium- dose SWDK groups significantly higher swimming speeds （P<0.01）， significantly higher percentage of time spent in the target quadrant （P<0.01）， obviously higher percentage of Freezing time （P<0.05）， and obviously more neurons in the hippocampal region of the mice with tighter arrangement. The mice had elevated levels of serum SYP （P<0.05， P<0.01）， PSD95 （P<0.01）， increased BDNF-positive cells in the DG region of brain tissue， and obviously elevated levels of BDNF， Wnt3a， and β-catenin proteins in the hippocampus of mice （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionSWDK can significantly improve the cognitive dysfunction of AD mice， and its mechanism may be related to regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway， which promotes BDNF expression and thereby enhances synaptic plasticity， allowing neuronal signaling to be restored.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of the Tibetan medicine Sanwei Doukoutang （SWDK） on cognitive dysfunction in mice suffering from Alzheimer's disease （AD） and its related mechanism. MethodsFifty SPF 5 × FAD mice were randomly divided into model group， total ginsenoside group（0.04 g·kg^-1）， high-， medium-， and low-dose groups of SWDK （32.60， 16.30， 8.15 g·kg^-1）， with 10 mice in each group， and ten wild-type mice of the same age were used as the normal group， male and female in 1∶1. Gavage administration was performed once daily for 8 weeks. The Morris water maze test and contextual fear memory experiment were used to observe learning and memory function. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was utilized to observe the changes in the pathomorphology of brain tissue in mice. The levels of synaptophysin （SYP） and postsynaptic dense substance 95 （PSD95） in mice serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The positive expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor（BDNF） in the dentate gyrus （DG） region of mouse brain tissue was observed by immunohistochemistry （IHC）. The protein levels of BDNF， Wnt family member 3A（Wnt3a）， and β-catenin were detected in the hippocampus of mice by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group of mice， the model group of mice had significantly more complex swimming routes and lower swimming speed （P<0.01）， significantly lower percentage of time spent in the target quadrant （P<0.01）， and a significantly lower percentage of freezing time （P<0.05）. The number of neurons in the hippocampal region of mice was obviously reduced and unevenly arranged. The levels of SYP and PSD95（P<0.01） in the serum of mice were reduced， and the positive expression of BDNF in the DG region of the brain tissue of mice was reduced. The levels of hippocampal BDNF， Wnt3a， and β-catenin proteins in the hippocampus of mice were obviously reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the mice in the SWDK group and the total ginsenoside group had significantly shorter swimming routes， the high- and medium- dose SWDK groups significantly higher swimming speeds （P<0.01）， significantly higher percentage of time spent in the target quadrant （P<0.01）， obviously higher percentage of Freezing time （P<0.05）， and obviously more neurons in the hippocampal region of the mice with tighter arrangement. The mice had elevated levels of serum SYP （P<0.05， P<0.01）， PSD95 （P<0.01）， increased BDNF-positive cells in the DG region of brain tissue， and obviously elevated levels of BDNF， Wnt3a， and β-catenin proteins in the hippocampus of mice （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionSWDK can significantly improve the cognitive dysfunction of AD mice， and its mechanism may be related to regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway， which promotes BDNF expression and thereby enhances synaptic plasticity， allowing neuronal signaling to be restored.

ObjectiveTo analyze the correlation between the clinical symptoms， signs， syndrome characteristics and laboratory indicators of cough variant asthma （CVA） and deepen the understanding of the treatment of this disease based on the theory of "Fu Feng". MethodsAn observational study was conducted. A total of 207 CVA patients who visited the respiratory department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from September 2022 to November 2023 were included. The information from the four diagnostic methods and the laboratory test results of patients were collected. Factor analysis was conducted on the information obtained through the four diagnostic methods in TCM， and the nature and location of CVA were extracted. Sample cluster analysis （Q clustering） and the K-means method were used for data clustering analysis to determine the syndrome types of CVA and analyze the syndrome characteristics and differences in laboratory indicators among different syndrome types. ResultsThe main symptom of CVA patients was cough， accompanied by symptoms such as itchy throat， foreign body sensation in the throat， dry throat， shortness of breath， dry mouth， chest tightness， hoarseness， bitter mouth， poor appetite， and skin itching. Factor analysis showed that the disease was located in the lung， involving the liver， spleen， and kidney. The pathological factors involved Yin deficiency， Yang deficiency， wind factor， dampness factor， Yin factor， and Qi stagnation. Cluster analysis revealed four syndrome types： Fengfu Yinshang syndrome， Shixie Neiyun syndrome， Tanyin Zufei syndrome， and Ganhuo Fanfei syndrome. Fengfu Yinshang syndrome accounted for the highest proportion， followed by Tanyin Zufei syndrome. There were no significant differences in eosinophil count and percentage， fractional nasal nitric oxide （FnNO） level， and pulmonary function indexes among the four syndromes. The levels of serum total IgE and fractional exhaled nitric oxide （FeNO） in patients with Fengfu Yinshang syndrome were significantly higher than those in patients with Shixie Neiyun syndrome and Tanyin Zufeisyndrome. ConclusionCough is the main symptom of CVA， accompanied by pharyngeal itching， foreign body sensation in the throat， dry throat， shortness of breath， dry mouth， and allergic manifestations. The disease involves the lung， liver， spleen， and kidneys. The essence of the pathogenesis lies in a latent dormant pathogen and a disorder of the pivot mechanism. The four common syndrome types are Fengfu Yinshang syndrome， Shixie Neiyun syndrome， Tanyin Zufei syndrome， and Ganhuo Fanfei syndrome. The TCM syndrome types are correlated with laboratory indexes. The serum total IgE and FeNO of patients with Fengfu Yinshang syndrome are worse.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential effect of ursodeoxycholic acid （UDCA） in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in patients with chronic hepatitis B. MethodsClinical data were collected from 324 patients with chronic hepatitis B who were treated in Beijing Ditan Hospital， Capital Medical University， from January to December 2022， and according to whether UDCA was administered， they were divided into UDCA group and control group. The propensity score matching （PSM） method was used to balance the confounding factors such as age， sex， and chronic complications， and the two groups were compared in terms of SARS-CoV-2 infection rate， symptoms， and recovery time after COVID-19. The two groups were also compared in terms of related laboratory markers （white blood cell count ［WBC］， hemoglobin ［Hb］， platelet count ［PLT］， alanine aminotransferase ［ALT］， aspartate aminotransferase ［AST］， albumin ［Alb］， alkaline phosphatase ［ALP］， total bilirubin ［TBil］， triglyceride ［TG］， and total cholesterol ［TC］）， vaccination， and the incidence rate of liver disease symptoms after COVID-19. 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 data with skewed distribution between the two groups； the chi-square test and the continuously corrected chi-square test were used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The binary Logistic regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses to investigate the influencing factors for COVID-19 after matching. ResultsThere were 87 patients in the UDCA group and 237 patients in the control group， and after PSM， there were 78 patients in the UDCA group and 137 patients in the control group， with good balance between the two groups. There was a significant difference in SARS-CoV-2 infection rate between the UDCA group and the control group ［82.1% （64/78） vs 95.6% （131/137）， χ²=10.847， P=0.001］. After COVID-19， compared with the control group， the UDCA group had a significantly lower proportion of the patients with chill （10.9% vs 38.9%， χ²=16.124， P<0.001） and cough （56.3% vs 74.8%， χ²=6.889， P=0.009）. There was a significant difference between the UDCA group and the control group in the proportion of the patients with a recovery time of ≤7 days after COVID-19 （79.7% vs 61.1%， χ²=6.760， P=0.009）. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that UDCA was an independent influencing factor for COVID-19 （odds ratio=0.21 and 0.17， both P<0.05）. ConclusionUDCA is an protective factor against COVID-19 in patients with chronic hepatitis B and can alleviate related symptoms to some extent and shorten the recovery time， and therefore， it has an important value in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of the assessment tools of Brief ICF Core Sets for Arthroplasty of Knee Osteoarthritis in Perioperative Period(ICSAKOPP). Methods From May,2022 to April,2023,320 patients undergoing knee arthroplasty were selected in Peking University Third Hospital,China-Japan Friendship Hospital,Peking University First Hospital and Chinese PLA General Hospital.Trained assessors used Brief ICSAKOPP to evaluate all enrolled patients before arthroplasty,three days(±one day)after arthroplasty,three weeks(±one week)after arthroplasty,and three months(±one month)after ar-throplasty.Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC)scores were recorded at the same time.Five professionals were asked to score all the items of Brief ICSAKOPP,and the content validity index(CVI)was caculated. Results A total of 64 cases were dropped down.CVI of all the items of the Brief ICSAKOPP were above 0.8,with a av-erage CVI of the scale of 0.938.The Cronbach's α coefficient of the Brief ICSAKOPP was 0.813.There was a moderate correlation(r=0.681,P<0.001)between the overall Brief ICSAKOPP and WOMAC scores,as well as body functional dimension score(r=0.668,P<0.001)and activities and participation dimension score(r=0.657,P<0.001). Conclusion Brief ICSAKOPP is good in content validity,internal consistency reliability and criterion validity.

Objective To investigate the correlations of the expression levels of plasma long non-coding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (LncRNA PVT1) and microRNA-143-3p (miR-143-3p) with disease activity and prognosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods A total of 129 RA patients admitted to our hospital from April 2021 to April 2023 were selected as disease group. According to the 28-joint disease activity scores (DAS28), the patients were divided into stable disease group (n=28), mildly active group (n=42), moderately active group (n=35), and severely active group (n=24). According to the prognosis of the patients after 6 months of treatment, they were divided into good prognosis group (n=88) and poor prognosis group (n=41), and 110 healthy people who underwent physical examinations in our hospital during the same period were included as control group. The expression levels of plasma LncRNA PVT1 and miR-143-3p were detected using quantitative real-time fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The targeting relationship between LncRNA PVT1 and miR-143-3p was predicted using the Target Scan Human website. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the factors influencing the prognosis of RA patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to assess the predictive value of plasma LncRNA PVT1 and miR-143-3p for the prognosis of RA patients. Results The plasma LncRNA PVT1 level in the disease group was higher than that in the control group, while the plasma miR-143-3p level was lower (P < 0.05). The plasma LncRNA PVT1 levels decreased sequentially in the severe activity, moderate activity, mild activity, and disease stable groups, while the plasma miR-143-3p levels increased sequentially (P < 0.05).The proportion of patients positive for human leukocyte antigen-DR4 (HLA-DR4), DAS28, and plasma LncRNA PVT1 expression level were higher in the poor prognosis group than in the good prognosis group, while the plasma miR-143-3p level was lower (P < 0.05). Plasma LncRNA PVT1, miR-143-3p expression, HLA-DR4 positivity, and DAS28 were factors influencing the prognosis of RA patients (P < 0.05). LncRNA PVT1 and miR-143-3p had targeted binding sites, and there was a negative correlation between them (P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) for the combined prediction of plasma LncRNA PVT1 and miR-143-3p for prognosis of RA patients was 0.914, which was superior to the individual diagnosis of LncRNA PVT1 or miR-143-3p (Z=2.159, P=0.031; Z=2.108, P=0.035). The sensitivity and specificity of the combined diagnosis were 95.12% and 78.41%, respectively. Conclusion The plasma LncRNA PVT1 level gradually increases, while the plasma miR-143-3p level gradually decreases with increasing RA disease activity. The combined detection of the two biomarkers has high predictive value for the prognosis of RA patients.

ObjectiveThe human angiotensin converting enzyme2 （hACE2） transgenic mouse model was used to clarify the antiviral efficacy of BD-77 against a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and explore the action mechanism of BD-77 against SARS-CoV-2. MethodSARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variant strains-infected VeroE6 cell models were established and administered with BD-77 to observe the antiviral effect of BD-77 in vitro. A kit was used to detect the effect of BD-77 in vitro on the binding of spike S protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus （Delta/Omicron） to angiotensin converting enzyme2 （ACE2）. Chromatography was adopted to detect the binding of BD-77 to the S protein and N protein of the novel coronavirus. hACE2 transgenic C57BL/6 mice were divided into a blank control group， SARS-CoV-2 infection group， BD-77 administration groups of 37.5 mg·kg^-1 and 75 mg·kg^-1， with eight mice in each group. The pneumonia model of SARS-CoV-2-infected hACE2 transgenic mice was built to observe the survival of the mice， detect the virus titer of the lung tissue of the mice， and observe the lesions in the lung tissue. ResultBD-77 had a certain inhibitory effect on Omicron and Delta variant strains in vitro， with median inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） of 526.3 mg·L^-1 and 653.0 mg·L^-1， respectively. BD-77 had no significant inhibitory effect on the binding of the S protein of WT， Omicron， and Delta variant strains of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE2 and had no binding effect with the S protein and N protein of the novel coronavirus. No mice in the blank group died， while the mortality rate of SARS-CoV-2-infected mice was 75%. There was a large amount of virus replication in the lung tissue of the mice and large areas of inflammatory infiltration in the lung tissue and interstitium. Compared with the model group， BD-77 administration groups of 37.5 mg·kg^-1 and 75 mg·kg^-1 could reduce the mortality of mice， significantly lower the virus titer in the lung tissue of mice （P<0.05）， and improve lung lesions. ConclusionBD-77 demonstrated significant inhibitory effects against SARS-CoV-2 virus in vitro and in vivo. However， its mechanism of action did not involve direct inhibition of the virus itself or intervention in the virus-host binding process. This finding suggests that the mechanism of action of BD-77 needs to be thoroughly investigated and elucidated by further experiments.

ObjectiveTo observe the therapeutic effect of BD-77 by nebulized inhalation on animal models of various respiratory viral infections and investigate the mechanism of broad-spectrum antiviral action of BD-77 using proteomics. MethodThe influenza virus H1N1/FM1 experiment used ICR mice and divided them into a normal group， model group， Tamiflu group， and BD-77 groups of 75 and 37.5 g·L^-1 for inhalation of 20 min and 25 min. Human coronavirus 229E and OC43 experiment divided the BALB/c mice into a normal group， model group， chloroquine phosphate group， and BD-77 groups of 75， 37.5， 18.75， and 9.375 g·L^-1， with 10 mice in each group. Influenza virus H1N1/FM1 and human coronaviruses 229E and OC43 infection-induced pneumonia models were used to detect mouse lung index， and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the viral load in lung tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect related inflammatory factors in lung tissue， and proteomics analysis was performed on the lung tissue of OC43-infected mice. ResultCompared with that in the normal group， the lung index of mice in each infection group was significantly increased （P<0.01）， and viral nucleic acid could be detected in the lung tissue of mice infected with human coronaviruses 229E and OC43. The levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-10， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the lung tissue of mice infected with human coronavirus 229E were all significantly increased （P<0.01）. BD-77 could significantly reduce the lung index of mice infected with influenza virus H1N1/FM1 and human coronaviruses 229E and OC43 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， cut down the viral load in the lungs of mice infected with human coronaviruses 229E and OC43 （P<0.01）， and lower the contents of IL-6， IL-10， and TNF-α in the lung tissue of mice infected with human coronavirus 229E （P<0.01）. Proteomics analysis of the lung tissue of OC43-infected mice showed that BD-77 regulated the AMPK signaling pathway， TNF signaling pathway， NOD-like signaling pathway， IL-17 signaling pathway， Forkhead box protein O （FoxO） signaling pathway， transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β） signaling pathway， and other signaling pathways. ConclusionNebulized inhalation of BD-77 is effective in treating pneumonia caused by influenza virus H1N1/FM1 and human coronaviruses 229E and OC43 infection in mice and may exert its antiviral effects by regulating the balance of cellular metabolism， enhancing the immune function of the host， and attenuating inflammatory responses.

ObjectiveBidirectional and two-sample Mendelian randomization（MR） method was used to investigate the bidirectional causal relationship between constipation and pneumonia and to understand the potential relationship between the two diseases from a new perspective， providing new targets for future treatment strategies. MethodConstipation and pneumonia datasets were selected from the genome-wide association study（GWAS） website for the European population in 2021. The data related to constipation included 411 623 samples， and the single nucleotide polymorphism（SNP） data were 24 176 599. The pneumonia data contained 480 299 samples with a number of SNPs of 24 174 646. In this study， inverse variance weighting（IVW） was adopted as the main analysis method of MR， supplemented by weighted median method， simple model， weighted model and MR-Egger regression analysis results， and sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the robustness of the results. ResultSeventeen SNPs highly correlated with constipation and 12 SNPs highly correlated with pneumonia were finally included. IVW analysis results of forward MR analysis showed that constipation increased the risk of pneumonia｛odds ratio（OR）=1.143， 95% confidence interval（CI）［1.045， 1.249］， P=0.003｝， MR-Egger regression， simple model， weighted model and weighted median analysis all supported the result（P<0.05）. IVW analysis by reverse MR analysis showed that pneumonia did not increase the risk of constipation｛OR=1.138， 95%CI［0.974， 1.329］， P=0.103｝， MR-Egger regression， simple model， weighted model and weighted median analysis also supported this result. ConclusionThe bidirectional and dual-sample MR analysis method is used to confirm the causal relationship between constipation and pneumonia from the perspective of genetic variation， while there is no obvious causal relationship on the contrary. This study will be helpful for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of constipation and pneumonia， and provide a reference for the study of the pathogenesis between the two.

Shufeng Jiedu capsules， a Chinese patent medicine composed of Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix， Forsythiae Fructus， etc.， has shown positive effects in the clinical treatment of upper respiratory tract infections， pharyngitis， acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （AECOPD）， and coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19）. The available evidence suggests that Shufeng Jiedu capsules can modulate the proportions of immune cells and the concentrations of inflammatory cytokines， thereby easing symptoms and enhancing cure rates. The existing reviews predominantly focus on the clinical applications of Shufeng Jiedu capsules， while the comprehensive review of the immunomodulatory effect of this medicine remains to be carried out. This review delineates the immune responses triggered by respiratory tract infections， and then summarizes the clinical application of Shufeng Jiedu capsules and its main chemical components. Principally， this review summarizes the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms， mainly focusing on various immune cells including macrophages， neutrophils， natural killer （NK） cells， and lymphocytes. In addition， this paper discusses the influences of Shufeng Jiedu capsules and its main chemical components on signaling pathways， secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines， and antibody production. In terms of innate immunity， the intervention effects of Shufeng Jiedu capsules are highlighted by its capacity to inhibit the activation of nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB） and interferon regulatory factor 3 （IRF3） pathways. Additionally， Shufeng Jiedu capsules have been shown to reduce the expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 Ⅱ （LC3Ⅱ）， thereby suppressing the inflammation and autophagy of macrophages. Furthermore， the influence of this medicine extends to altering the proportions of neutrophils and nature killer（NK） cells. Regarding adaptive immunity， Shufeng Jiedu capsules can increase the proportion of T cells in peripheral blood and restore the balance of B cells. This review aims to provide directions for the further research and clinical application of Shufeng Jiedu capsules.