Jiegengtang is a basic formula for treating sore throat and cough. By means of bibliometrics， this study conducted a textual research and analysis on the key information such as formula origin， decocting methods， and clinical application of Jiegengtang. After the research， it can be seen that Jiegengtang is firstly contained in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease， which is also known as Ganjietang， and it has been inherited and innovated by medical practitioners of various dynasties in later times. The origins of Chinese medicines in this formula is basically clear， Jiegeng is the dried roots of Platycodon grandiflorum， Gancao is the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis， the two medicines are selected raw products. The dosage is 27.60 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and 13.80 g of Platycodonis Radix， decocted with 600 mL of water to 200 mL， taken warmly after meals， twice a day， 100 mL for each time. In ancient times， Jiegengtang was mainly used for treating Shaoyin-heat invasion syndrome， with cough and sore throat as its core symptoms. In modern clinical practice， Jiegengtang is mainly used for respiratory diseases such as pharyngitis， esophagitis， tonsillitis and lung abscess， especially for pharyngitis and lung abscess with remarkable efficacy. This paper can provide literature reference basis for the modern clinical application and new drug development of Jiegengtang.

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy （IgAN） is the primary glomerulonephritis with the highest incidence rate in the world. It is also the main cause of end-stage renal disease （ESRD） in China， which has brought heavy economic burden to the society and patient families. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has certain advantages in treating IgAN. In TCM， IgAN is classified into consumptive disease， hematuria， and edema categories， with the location in the kidney and involving the lung， liver， and spleen. Professor Ren Jixue， a master of TCM， believes that kidney deficiency and spleen deficiency are the root causes of IgAN， and the throat is the source of the disease. He proposed the theory of throat-kidney correlation and used the method of tonifying kidney and invigorating spleen as well as detoxifying and relieving sore-throat to treat IgAN， achieving significant therapeutic effects. Studies have shown that IgAN is closely related to mucosal immune defense. IgAN patients often experience recurrent and gradually worsening symptoms due to mucosal infections， and polymeric Ig receptor （PIgR） is an important component of mucosal defense function. The lack of PIgR leads to the accumulation of IgA molecules in the mucosal lamina propria， and the molecules enter the bloodstream in large quantities and ultimately deposit in the kidneys， causing kidney damage. Complement regulatory protein complement receptor type 1 （CR1） exists on red blood cells and glomeruli and has the function of inhibiting the activation and differentiation of B cells， clearing immune complexes， and inhibiting excessive activation of the complement system. Therefore， regulating the immune defense function through the mucosal-renal axis mediated by PIgR-CR1 will be an important target for preventing and treating IgAN. Based on the theory of throat-kidney correlation， this article explores the effects and molecular mechanisms of tonifying kidney and invigorating spleen as well as detoxifying and relieving sore-throat in preventing and treating IgAN by regulating the mucosal-kidney axis mediated by PIgR-CR1. It provides effective theoretical support and a scientific basis for TCM prevention and treatment of IgAN based on the theory of throat-kidney correlation.

To systematically review randomized controlled trials （RCTs） of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） intervention in ulcerative colitis （UC）， and analyze the characteristics of these studies and their outcome indicators， thereby providing references for the design of future RCTs of TCM intervention in UC and offering evidence supporting the clinical application of TCM in UC. A computerized search was conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang Data， VIP， SinoMed， PubMed， Cochrane Library， EMbase， and Web of Science databases for RCTs of TCM intervention in UC published from January 2021 to August 2024. The risk of bias was assessed， and outcome indicators were qualitatively analyzed. A total of 555 RCTs were included， with a sample size of 44 853 participants. The largest sample size was 218 cases， and the smallest was 28 cases， with most studies focusing on 60-100 participants. Of the 386 RCTs that explicitly reported TCM syndrome types， the top three were large intestine dampness-heat syndrome （31.05%）， spleen and kidney yang deficiency syndrome （12.47%）， and spleen deficiency with dampness syndrome （9.17%）. The interventions， ranked by frequency of use， included internal Chinese medicine compounds/preparations （64.5%）， Chinese medicine compounds/preparations with retained enema （18.2%）， internal Chinese medicine compounds/preparations + external TCM treatment （5.95%）， and external TCM treatment alone （4.86%）. The treatment duration was mainly 4-8 weeks （64.86%）， with 61 studies （10.99%） reporting follow-up time. A total of 157 outcome indicators were used， with a frequency of 3 460 occurrences， classified into six domains： TCM syndromes and symptoms （346 occurrences， 10%）， symptoms/signs （541 occurrences， 15.64%）， physical and chemical examinations （2 119 occurrences， 61.24%）， quality of life （107 occurrences， 3.09%）， long-term prognosis （61 occurrences， 1.76%）， and safety events （284 occurrences， 8.21%）. The analysis reveals several limitations in the outcome indicators of TCM intervention in UC， including the lack of a basis for sample size calculation， non-standardized TCM syndrome classification， absence of trial design and registration， inadequate blinding and allocation concealment， adherence issues with interventions， imbalanced selection of surrogate and endpoint indicators， inconsistency in the timing of outcome measurements， design issues that require standardization， and ethical and safety concerns. It is recommended that future studies actively construct a set of core indicators for UC that include standardized TCM syndrome classification， clear efficacy evaluation indicators， key endpoint indicators， and reasonable measurement time points. Long-term prognostic impacts， comprehensive assessments of patients' quality of life， and consideration of economic benefits should be emphasized， providing a basis for the clinical practice of TCM in the treatment of UC.

The medicinal use of Malvae Semen has a long history. In this paper， by consulting the ancient materia medica， prescription， agronomy， literature and other aspects of the classics， the name， origin， evolution of scientific name， quality， harvesting and processing， functions and indications and others of Malvae Semen were systematically sorted out and verified， so as to provide a basis for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this herb. According to the textual research， Shennong Bencaojing began to use Dongkuizi as the correct name， which was used in the past dynasties， and there were also aliases such as Kuicaizi， Huacai， and Kuizi. Through the original research， it can be seen that Kuicai is the mainstream original plant of Malvae Semen， that is， Malva verticillata var. crispa， the Alcea rosea and M. cathayensis are also used. In modern times， the seeds of Abutilon theophrasti have been passed off as Malvae Semen， while the seeds of M. verticillata var. crispa have rarely been used in medicine. And Abutili Semen has been another medicinal material with different efficacy since the collection of Newly Revised Materia Medica in the Tang dynasty. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties， the cultivation of Kuicai has been decreasing， while A. theophrasti is more common and easy to obtain， and Abutili Semen and Malvae Semen are similar in morphology and confused， which should be corrected. In addition， Malvae Fructus is a Mongolian customary medicinal herb， which is different from the traditional use of seeds in traditional Chinese medicine. Kuicai， as an important vegetable in history， was widely cultivated and gradually shrunk after the Song dynasty， it is now mainly produced in southern provinces. The quality evaluation of Malvae Semen is better for those with dry bodies， full grain， grayish brown color， no mud， and no impurities. The harvesting is generally in the autumn and winter. After drying， it is seeded， sieved peel and impurities， mashed， or slightly stir-fried to yellow-white color with gentle fire. It is sweet， cold and slippery in nature and taste， with the main effects of laxation， diuresis， lactation and elimination of swelling. The efficacy of Abutili Semen is clearing heat and removing toxicity， promoting diuresis and removing nebula， the efficacy is quite different from that of Malvae Semen. Based on the results of textual research， it is suggested that M. verticillata var. crispa should be used as the medicinal source of Malvae Semen in the development of famous classical formulas， the corresponding processing methods should be selected according to the requirements of drug processing in the formulas， while the raw products are recommended to be used if the processing is not specified.

Ischemic stroke is a common cerebrovascular disease， characterized by hypoxia and nutritional deficiency in local brain tissue due to insufficient blood supply. Angiogenesis， the formation of new vascular networks on the basis of existing blood vessels， is of great significance for increasing blood flow in the ischemic area of brain tissue， restoring blood and oxygen supply， and improving disease prognosis. This complex process is regulated by various factors， including cytokines， growth factors， and signaling pathways. Among these， the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway is considered a key regulatory pathway. It not only plays an important role in anti-apoptosis and promoting cell survival， but also regulates cell growth， differentiation， migration， and survival， while deeply participating in the regulation of angiogenesis. Chinese medicine offers unique advantages with its multi-component， multi-target， and multi-pathway approach in the treatment of stroke， showing significant potential in treating ischemic stroke. In recent years， it has been found that Chinese medicine can promote angiogenesis after ischemic stroke through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. This paper focuses on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway as the research entry point， and explores in-depth the mechanisms by which Chinese medicine monomers， active components， extracts， derivatives， drug pairs， and Chinese medicine compounds promote angiogenesis after ischemic stroke. The research discusses the regulation of microRNAs （miRNA）， endothelial progenitor cells （EPCs）， apoptosis， upstream pro-angiogenic factors， and downstream target molecules. The paper also elaborates on related research progress， aiming to reveal how Chinese medicine can exert its potential utility in ischemic stroke treatment through this key signaling pathway， providing a theoretical basis for clinical treatment.

Diabetic kidney disease （DKD） is one of the more common chronic kidney diseases，and its causes are complex. DKD is very easy to progress to end-stage renal disease，and the current therapeutic effect still needs to be improved. As an important excretive organ of the human body， the kidney has physiological functions such as discharging metabolic waste， regulating fluid balance， and maintaining the stability of the body's internal environment. These highly complex biochemical processes all depend on the energy support provided by mitochondria. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key factor causing kidney injury， and the imbalance of mitochondrial homeostasis is an important link leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. The occurrence and development of DKD are often accompanied by the imbalance of mitochondrial homeostasis in renal cells. Mitochondrial autophagy， as a means of regulating mitochondrial homeostasis， is very important for the prevention and treatment of DKD. The PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkin pathway is one of the most classical pathways to regulate mitochondrial autophagy. Recent studies have found that some drugs can regulate the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway to target mitochondrial homeostasis and exert renoprotective effects. In particular， traditional Chinese medicine has a significant effect on early and middle stage DKD by regulating PINK1/Parkin pathway-mediated mitochondrial autophagy. This article discussed the mechanism of PINK1/Parkin pathway in mitochondrial autophagy and DKD and reviewed the effect of PINK1/Parkin pathway-mediated mitochondrial autophagy on DKD. At the same time， it explored the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese and western medicine on DKD mediated by PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy， aiming to broaden the ideas of traditional Chinese and western medicine for the prevention and treatment of DKD from the perspective of PINK1/Parkin regulating mitochondrial autophagy.

BackgroundPatients with depressive disorder often exhibit impaired decision-making functions. However， the relationship between decision-making abilities and depressive and anxiety symptoms in these patients remains unclear. ObjectiveTo explore the characteristics of decision-making behavior in patients with depressive disorder， and to analyze its relationship with clinical symptoms. MethodsA total of 48 patients diagnosed with depressive disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fourth edition （DSM-IV） were recruited from the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine of the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from October 2020 to May 2023. Concurrently， 52 healthy individuals matched for age and gender were recruited from Luzhou as the control group. Beck Depression Inventory （BDI） and Beck Anxiety Inventory （BAI） were used for assessment， and decision-making behavior was evaluated using Probabilistic Reversal Learning （PRL） task. Indicators assessed included the number of trials to criterion， perseverative errors， win-stay rate and lose-shift rate. Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation between BDI and BAI scores and PRL task indicators. ResultsThe depression group showed a significantly higher lose-shift rate compared with the control group （t=3.684， P<0.01）. There were no statistically significant differences between two groups in trials to criterion， perseverative errors and win-stay rate （t=0.329， 0.132， 0.609， P>0.05）. In depression group， BDI and BAI scores were positively correlated with the win-stay rate（r=0.450， 0.398， P<0.01）. ConclusionPatients with depressive disorder are more likely to change their decision-making strategies following negative outcomes. Furthermore， the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms is associated with a greater propensity to maintain existing decisions after receiving positive feedback. ［Funded by 2019 Joint Project of Luzhou Science and Technology Bureau-Southwest Medical University （number， 2019LZXNYDJ39］

BackgroundAggressive behavior in schizophrenic patients could result in legal disputes and public safety concerns. In patients with illness episodes of different numbers， there may exist differences in the association between levels of novel inflammatory indicators and aggressivity. ObjectiveTo investigate the differences in the correlation between levels of novel inflammatory indicators and aggressivity in patients with first-episode and recurrent schizophrenia， in order to search for inflammatory biomarkers to assess aggression level in schizophrenic patients. MethodsA total of 168 schizophrenic patients were selected as subjects， who were hospitalized for acute disease onset in Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University from October 2022 to April 2024 as well as met the diagnostic criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5）. Patients were divided into first-episode group （n=58） and recurrent group （n=110）. Meanwhile， 110 healthy controls from community who matched in age and gender with the patient group were recruited. All patients were evaluated with Modified Overt Aggression Scale （MOAS） and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale （PANSS）. All subjects went through examination of the levels of novel inflammatory indicators， including neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio （NLR）， monocyte/lymphocyte ratio （MLR）， platelet/lymphocyte ratio （PLR）， neutrophil/high-density lipoprotein ratio （NHR）， monocyte/high-density lipoprotein ratio （MHR） and platelet/high-density lipoprotein ratio （PHR）. Spearman correlation analysis was adopted to investigate the correlation between levels of novel inflammatory indicators and the total score of MOAS in patients with first-episode and recurrent schizophrenia. ResultsThe levels of NLR， MLR， PLR， NHR， MHR and PHR in first-episode group were higher than those in control group （adjusted P<0.01）. The levels of NLR， MLR， NHR， MHR and PHR in recurrent group were higher than those in control group （adjusted P<0.01）. No significant difference was observed in the comparison in the levels of six novel inflammatory indicators between first-episode group and recurrent group （adjusted P>0.05）. Spearman correlation analysis showed， the MOAS total score of recurrent group was positively correlated with the levels of NLR， MLR and PLR （r=0.234， 0.192， 0.243， P<0.05）. There was no statistical significance in the correlation between MOAS total score and levels of six novel inflammatory indicators in first-episode group （P>0.05）. ConclusionAmong patients with first-episode and recurrent schizophrenia， the correlation between levels of novel inflammatory indicators and aggressivity could differ. NLR， MLR and PLR might be the biomarkers for assessing aggression level in recurrent schizophrenic patients. ［Funded by Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation （number， 2108085MH275）］

BackgroundAlcohol dependence patients are prone to relapse after their attempts to quit drinking， which poses a considerable threat to their physical and mental health and creates a heavy burden on their families. Currently， empowerment education is increasingly being utilized in the rehabilitation management of chronic diseases， but there remains a striking lack of empirical research on the application of "Internet +" empowerment education based on timing it right in alcohol dependence patients. ObjectiveTo explore the impact of "Internet +" empowerment education based on timing it right on patients with alcohol dependence， in order to maximize the reduction in relapse rates， craving for alcohol and severity of anxiety symptoms. MethodsA total of 120 patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Addiction Medicine， Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center from May 2022 to April 2023 and met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence in the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） were enrolled， and they were classified into study group （n=62） and control group （n=58） using random number table methods. Both groups received standard medication and routine care. Additionally， study group underwent a 6-month "Internet +" empowerment education based on timing it right. At baseline， all subjects were assessed using Penn Alcohol Craving Scale （PACS） and Self-rating Anxiety Scale （SAS）. Three months and six months after intervention， assessments were conducted using PACS， SAS and Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test （MAST）. ResultsThe relapse rates after three and six months of intervention were both lower in study group than those in control group， with statistically significant differences （χ²=8.575， 8.828， P<0.01）. ANOVA with repeated measures on PACS total score and scores of each item revealed a significant time effect， group effect and time×group interaction effect （F=159.714~837.751， 84.645~393.606， 24.302~137.896， P<0.01）. And significant time effect， group effect and time×group interaction effect were also reported on SAS scores （F=166.237， 65.325， 24.724， P<0.01）. Conclusion"Internet +" empowerment education based on timing it right may help reduce relapse rates， alcohol cravings and severity of anxiety symptoms among patients with alcohol dependence. ［Funded by 2023 Annual Hebei Provincial Medical Scientific Research Project Plan （number， 20231537）］

BackgroundSleep disorder in the first trimester is a fairly common health problem， and previous studies have mainly reflected the overall sleep quality through scale assessments， which may not accurately capture the differences among various subtypes. ObjectiveTo explore the latent profiles of sleep quality in first-trimester pregnant women and identify the physiological， psychological and social factors， in order to provide practical references for the development of personalized interventions for sleep disorders in first-trimester pregnant women. MethodsA total of 1 066 first-trimester pregnant women who visited the obstetric outpatient clinic of a tertiary A hospital in Shenzhen from October 2021 to October 2022 were investigated using the general information questionnaire， Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI）， Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale （EPDS）， Chinese version of short International Physical Activity Questionnaire （IPAQ-S-C） and Social Capital Assessment Tool in Pregnancy for Maternal Health （SCAT-MH）. Then the sleep profiles were identified through latent profile analysis， and the robust mixture regression model was employed to determine the influencing factors of sleep profiles. ResultsA 3-profile solution showed the best fit： 732 cases （68.67%） of good sleep quality group， 87 cases （8.16%） of low sleep efficiency group， and 247 cases （23.17%） of daytime dysfunction group. In comparison with subjects in good sleep quality group， first-trimester pregnant women in low sleep efficiency group were at a younger age （OR=0.951， 95% CI： 0.922~0.980）， held a Bachelor's degree or above （OR=1.869， 95% CI： 1.260~2.773） and exhibited lower levels of social capital （OR=0.962， 95% CI： 0.951~0.973）， while those in daytime dysfunction group were at an older age （OR=1.072， 95% CI： 1.027~1.120） and had higher levels of depression （OR=1.166， 95% CI： 1.115~1.218）. Pregnant women who were workers （OR=0.507， 95% CI： 0.293~0.876） were less likely to report daytime dysfunction. ConclusionThree latent profiles with significant heterogeneity are derived from the sleep quality of first-trimester pregnant women， and levels of depression and social capital are the main influencing factors of sleep quality. ［Funded by Industry-University-Research Innovation Fund for Chinese Universities （number， 2023HT018）］