Chronic heart failure （CHF） is the final stage of cardiovascular diseases. It is a complex syndrome， with dyspnea and edema as the main clinical manifestations， and it is characterized by complex disease conditions， difficult cure， and high mortality. Ferroptosis， a new type of programmed cell death， is different from other types of programmed cell death. Ferroptosis is iron-dependent， accompanied by lipid peroxide accumulation and mitochondrial shrinkage， becoming a hot research topic. Studies have confirmed that ferroptosis plays a key role in the occurrence and development of CHF. The regulation of ferroptosis may become a potential target for the treatment of CHF in the future. The theory of Qi deficiency and stagnation refers to the pathological state of original Qi deficiency and abnormal transportation and distribution of Qi， blood， and body fluid， which has guiding significance for revealing the pathogenesis evolution of some chronic diseases. We believe that Qi deficiency and stagnation is a summary of the pathogenesis of ferroptosis in CHF. Deficiency of Qi （heart Qi） is the root cause of CHF， and stagnation （phlegm turbidity and blood stasis） is the branch of this disease. The two influence each other in a vicious circle to promote the development of this disease. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） plays an important role in the treatment of CHF， improving the prognosis and quality of life of CHF patients. This paper explores the correlation between the theory of Qi deficiency and stagnation and the mechanism of ferroptosis in CHF. Furthermore， this paper reviews the mechanism of Chinese medicines and compound prescriptions in preventing and treating CHF by regulating ferroptosis according to the principles of replenishing Qi and dredging to remove stagnation， aiming to provide new ideas and methods for the treatment of CHF with TCM.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of serum containing Zhenwutang on myocardial mast cell apoptosis induced by angiotensin Ⅱ （AngⅡ） and the mechanism of the correlation between apoptosis and mitochondrial autophagy. MethodsIn this experiment， AngⅡ and serum containing Zhenwutang with different concentrations were used to interfere with H9C2 cardiomyocytes for 24 h， and the survival rate of H9C2 cardiomyocytes was detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） to screen the optimal concentration for the experiment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the content of B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP） in cell culture supernatant， and immunofluorescence was used to detect the cell surface area to verify the construction of the myocardial mast cell model. Subsequently， the experiment was divided into a blank group （20% blank serum）， a model group （20% blank serum + 5×10^-5 mol·L^-1 AngⅡ）， low-， medium-， and high-dose （5%， 10% and 20%） serum containing Zhenwutang groups， an autophagy inhibitor group （1×10^-4 mol·L^-1 3-MA）， and autophagy inducer group （1×10^-7 mol·L^-1 rapamycin）. The apoptosis level of H9C2 cells and the changes of mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by flow cytometry. The lysosomal probe （Lyso Tracker） and mitochondrial probe （Mito Tracker） co-localization was employed to detect autophagy. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect Caspase-3， Caspase-9， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-related X protein （Bax）， and cytochrome C （Cyt C） in apoptosis-related pathways and the relative mRNA expression of ubiquitin ligase （Parkin）， phosphatase and tensin homolog （PTEN）-induced kinase 1 （PINK1）， and p62 protein in mitochondrial autophagy-related pathways. Western blot was used to detect cleaved Caspase-3， cleaved Caspase-9， Bax， Bcl-2， and Cyt C in apoptosis-related pathways， phosphorylated ubiquitin ligase （p-Parkin）， phosphorylated PTEN-induced kinase 1 （p-PINK1）， p62， and Bcl-2 homology domain protein Beclin1 in mitochondrial autophagy-related pathways， and the change of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3） Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio. ResultsCCK-8 showed that when the concentration of AngⅡ was 5×10^-5 mol·L^-1， the cell activity was the lowest， and there was no cytotoxicity. At this concentration， the surface area of cardiomyocytes was significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the content of BNP in the supernatant of culture medium was significantly increased （P<0.05）. Therefore， AngⅡ with a concentration of 5×10^-5 mol·L^-1 was selected for the subsequent modeling of myocardial mast cells. Compared with the blank group， the model group and the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA group had a significantly increased apoptosis rate （P<0.01） and significantly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential （P<0.01）. The results of immunofluorescence co-localization showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had a significantly decreased number of red and green fluorescence spots. The results of Real-time PCR showed that compared with that in the blank group， the relative mRNA expression of Bax， Caspase-3， Caspase-9， Cyt C， and p62 in the model group was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）， while the relative mRNA expression of Bcl-2， Parkin， and PINK1 was significantly down-regulated （P<0.01）. In addition， the relative protein expression of Bax， cleaved Caspase-3， cleaved Caspase-9， Cyt C， and p62 was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. The LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ was significantly decreased， and the relative protein expression of Bcl-2， p-Parkin， p-PINK1， and Beclin1 was significantly down-regulated （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum containing Zhenwutang groups and the autophagy inducer group had significantly decreased apoptosis rate （P<0.01）， and the decrease ratio of mitochondrial membrane potential is significantly lowered （P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally， both red and green fluorescence spots became more in these groups. In the 3-MA group， the number of red and green fluorescence spots decreased significantly. The relative mRNA expression of Bax， Caspase-3， Caspase-9， Cyt C， and p62 was significantly down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while that of Bcl-2， Parkin， and PINK1 was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. In the serum containing Zhenwutang groups， the relative protein expression levels of Bax， cleaved Caspase-3， cleaved Caspase-9， Cyt C， and p62 were significantly down-regulated （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ was significantly increased， and the relative protein expression levels of Bcl-2， p-Parkin， p-PINK1， and Beclin1 were significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe serum containing Zhenwutang can reduce the apoptosis of myocardial mast cells and increase mitochondrial autophagy. This is related to the inhibition of intracellular Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 apoptosis pathway and regulation of Parkin/PINK1 mitochondrial autophagy pathway.

The Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Qinbaohong Zhike Oral Liquid in Treatment of Acute Bronchitis and Acute Attack of Chronic Bronchitis （GS/CACM 337-2023） was released by the China Association of Chinese Medicine on December 13^th， 2023. This expert consensus was developed by experts in methodology， pharmacy， and Chinese medicine in strict accordance with the development requirements of the China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） and based on the latest medical evidence and the clinical medication experience of well-known experts in the fields of respiratory medicine （pulmonary diseases） and pediatrics. This expert consensus defines the application of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid in the treatment of cough and excessive sputum caused by phlegm-heat obstructing lung， acute bronchitis， and acute attack of chronic bronchitis from the aspects of applicable populations， efficacy evaluation， usage， dosage， drug combination， and safety. It is expected to guide the rational drug use in medical and health institutions， give full play to the unique value of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid， and vigorously promote the inheritance and innovation of Chinese patent medicines.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of angle and original moisture content on the moisture distribution， migration and contents of effective components in the drying process of sliced Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma（SMRR）. MethodsSet the slicing angles of SMRR at 30°， 45°， and 90°. Cut the fresh samples， 1/3 dehydrated samples， and 2/3 dehydrated samples， dry them in an oven at 40 ℃ and take samples at the set time points. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance（LF-NMR） and magnetic resonance imaging（MRI） were used to analyze the changes in transverse relaxation time（T₂） of SMRR samples in 9 treatment groups at specific times， as well as the distribution and migration of water in the samples. The contents of tanshinone Ⅱ_A， tanshinone Ⅰ， cryptotanshinone， and salvianolic acid B in samples from 9 different treatment groups were determined by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）， and the best processing technology of SMRR was screened by combining with One-way ANOVA， Duncan multiple comparison and principal component analysis（PCA）. ResultsThe moisture content of dry basis of SMRR in each treatment group decreased with the extension of drying time. The drying rate of fresh cut group decreased slowly at first， while the drying rate of water loss group showed a trend of increasing at first and then decreasing. The internal water of SMRR could be divided into three states， including bound water， non flowing water and free water. During the drying process， the water migration law showed that the free water of fresh cut group disappeared after drying for 12 h， the content of bound water gradually decreased， and the overall fluidity deteriorated. In the water loss group， part of the free water was transformed into more cohesive and non flowing water after drying for 3 h， and the three kinds of water basically disappeared after drying for 12 h. The MRI results showed that the entire dehydration process slowly moved from the outer side to the center， and the internal water eventually dissipated. In terms of the contents of active ingredients， the order of the effect of slicing angle on the total content of active ingredients in SMRR was 30°>45°>90°. The content of tanshinones was ranked as 1/3 dehydrated group>2/3 dehydrated group>fresh cut group， and the content of salvianolic acid B was ranked as 1/3 dehydrated group>fresh cut group>2/3 dehydrated group. Combined with the results of PCA and comprehensive scoring results， the overall level of effective component content in SMRR was the highest when cut at 30° after 1/3 of water loss. ConclusionAfter comprehensive evaluation， SMRR can be sliced at 30° after 1/3 of water loss. It is not only easy to cut， but also the surface and cross-sectional colors remain basically unchanged after drying， which is similar to the color under traditional processing， and the effective ingredients are preserved the highest. This study can provide a basis for the optimization of processing technology of SMRR.

Objective: To explore the therapeutic effects of different surgical methods for temporomandibular joint disc reduction and anchoring surgery, providing reference for optimizing this surgical procedure. Method: The study was approved by the hospital ethics committee. 173 patients (195 joints) who underwent temporomandibular joint disc repositioning and anchoring surgery were selected for retrospective analysis. Patients were categorized into groups A (traditional preauricular incision-scalpel/tissue scissors anterior attachment release), 35 patients (40 joints), B (traditional preauricular incision-plasma bipolar radiofrequency electrode anterior attachment release), 42 patients (46 joints), C (revised tragus incision - scalpel/tissue scissors anterior attachment release), 50 patients (58 joints), and D (revised tragus incision-plasma bipolar radiofrequency electrode anterior attachment release), 46 patients (51 joints). After a 6-month postoperative follow-up, the differences in maximum mouth opening (MMO), visual analogue scale (VAS), effective rate of joint disc reduction, incidence of preauricular numbness, obvious scars among patients in each group at 1, 3, and 6 months were compared postoperatively. Results: After surgery, the MMO of all four groups of patients initially shrunk and then gradually increased compared to before surgery. At the 1-month follow-up after surgery, the plasma bipolar radiofrequency release (B+D) group had a smaller impact on the patient’s MMO compared to the surgical knife/tissue scissors release (A+C) group (P < 0.05). Postoperative VAS scores for all four groups showed a gradual decrease from pre-operative levels, with the (B+D) group scoring significantly lower in the first month post-surgery compared to the (A+C) group (P < 0.05). Six months post-surgery, the rate of joint disc reduction of the four groups were higher than 95%, with no significant differences observed between the groups (P > 0.05). Patients in the revised tragus incision (C+D) group experienced a lower rate of preauricular numbness compared to those in the traditional preauricular incision (A+B) group (4.59% vs. 12.79%, P < 0.05), The incidence of obvious scars in the (C+D) group was significantly lower than that in the (A+B) group (3.67% vs. 23.26%, P < 0.05). Conclusion The revised tragus incision is superior to traditional preauricular incision in terms of protecting the auriculotemporal nerve and the scars were more inconspicuous. Further, the plasma bipolar radiofrequency electrode is superior to the scalpel/tissue scissors in terms of mouth opening recovery and pain control. For temporomandibular joint disc reduction and anchoring surgery, a modified tragus incision combined with plasma bipolar radiofrequency electrode to release the anterior attachment of the joint disc can be recommended as a surgical option.

The Pharmacopeia of the People’s Republic of China 2025 Edition (referred to as the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition, ChP 2025) will be promulgated and implemented. This article introduces the process of development of ChP 2025 Edition (Volume Ⅱ), including the selection, the revision of general notices,the addition and revision of drug monographs, etc., and provides some analysis and examples to illustrate,which can facilitate the readers to understand and implement the ChP 2025 Edition (Volume Ⅱ).

ObjectiveTo study the mechanism of Shexiang Tongxin Dripping pills-containing serum （STDP） in ameliorating angiotensinⅡ （AngⅡ）-induced cell phenotype transformation， proliferation， migration， and dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells. MethodsAn AngⅡ-induced proliferation and migration model of vascular smooth muscle cells was established. The cells were treated with STDP at 5%， 10%， and 20% for 24 h. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to detect the expression of α smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） and matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2）. The cell-counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine （EdU） staining were employed to detect the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells， and the scratch assay was employed to detect the migration of the cells. Western blot was employed to determine the expression levels of pathway proteins such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 （ACE2）， angiotensin Ⅱ type 2 （AT2）， angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 （AT1）， as well as proliferation and migration proteins such as typeⅠ collagen （ColⅠ） and osteopontin （OPN）. ResultsCompared with the model group， STDP increased the expression of α-SMA， reduced the expression of MMP-2， and inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells （P<0.05）. Furthermore， STDP up-regulated the expression levels of ACE2， AT2， and MAS1， while down-regulating the expression level of AT1， PCNA， ColⅠ， MMP-9， Rock1， Rock2， and SRF （P<0.05）. Compared with the STDP group， the ACE2 inhibitor reversed the regulatory effects of STDP. ConclusionSTDP inhibits the phenotype transformation， proliferation， and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells and regulates the expression of cell proliferation and migration-related proteins to ameliorate the dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells. It exerts the effects by up-regulating the expression of proteins in the ACE2-AT2/MAS pathway and down-regulating the expression of proteins in the AT1-Rock signaling pathway.

The chemical constituents in dried roots of Atractylodes macrocephala were investigated in this study. Through utilizing normal-phase silica gel and ODS column chromatography, TLC, and semi-preparative HPLC, 4 new sesquiterpenoids were purified from the ethyl acetate extract of A. macrocephala. By various spectroscopic techniques, such as 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV, and CD, their structures were identified as atractylmacron A (1), 9β-hydroxyasterolide (2), atractylenolide H (3), atractylenolide J (4). Compound 1 possesses a rare 6/7 bicyclic skeleton.

Background Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the role of amino acids in PAH-induced MS remains unclear. Objective To explore the impact of PAHs exposure on the incidence of MS among coking workers, and to determine potential modifying effect of amino acid on this relationship. Methods Unmatched nested case-control design was adopted and the baseline surveys of coking workers were conducted in two plants in Taiyuan in 2017 and 2019, followed by a 4-year follow-up. The cohort comprised 667 coking workers. A total of 362 participants were included in the study, with 84 newly diagnosed cases of MS identified as the case group and 278 as the control group. Urinary levels of 11 PAH metabolites and plasma levels of 17 amino acids were measured by ultrasensitive performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between individual PAH metabolites and MS. Stratified by the median concentration of amino acids, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model was employed to assess the mixed effects of PAHs on MS. Due to the skewed data distribution, all PAH metabolites and amino acids in the analysis were converted by natural logarithm ln (expressed as lnv). Results The median age of the 362 participants was 37 years, and 83.2% were male. Compared to the control group, the case group exhibited higher concentrations of urinary 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OHPhe), 9-hydroxyphenanthrene (9-OHPhe), and hydroxyphenanthrene (OHPhe) (P=0.005, P=0.049, and P=0.004, respectively), as well as elevated levels of plasma branched chain amino acid (BCAA) and aromatic amino acid (AAA) (P<0.05). After being adjusted for confounding factors, for every unit increase in lnv_2-OHPhe in urine, the OR (95%CI) of MS was 1.57 (1.11, 2.26), and for every unit increase in lnv_OHPhe, the OR (95%CI) of MS was 1.82 (1.16, 2.90). Tyrosine, leucine, and AAA all presented a significant nonlinear correlation with MS. At low levels, tyrosine, leucine, and AAA did not significantly increase the risk of MS, but at high levels, they increased the risk of MS. In the low amino acid concentration group, as well as in the low BCAA and low AAA concentration groups, it was found that compared to the PAH metabolite levels at the 50th percentile (P₅₀), the log-odds of MS when the PAH metabolite levels was at the 75th percentile (P₇₅) were 0.158 (95%CI: 0.150, 0.166), 0.218 (95%CI: 0.209, 0.227), and 0.262 (95% CI: 0.241, 0.282), respectively, However, no correlation between PAHs and MS was found in the high amino acid concentration group. Conclusion Amino acids modify the effect of PAHs exposure on the incidence of MS. In individuals with low plasma amino acid levels, the risk of developing MS increases with higher concentrations of mixed PAH exposure. This effect is partly due to the low concentrations of BCAA and AAA.

AIM: To provide references for the non-clinical evaluation of therapeutic targets or drugs for retinoblastoma, fluorescently labeled Y79 cells are injected into the vitreous body of BALB/c-nu mice to establish a retinoblastoma model, and the Melphalan treatment group is used as a positive control, which is verified by fluorescence imaging technology.METHODS: BALB/c-nu mice were intravitreous injected with GFP transfected Y79 cells(1.0×107 cell/mL, 3 μL)to establish the model. On the 27th day, the mice were randomly divided into model control group and different doses of Melphalan groups(1, 3, 10 μg/eye groups)according to the fluorescence value of in vivo imaging, with vitreous body single administrated and ocular symptoms observed daily. Slit-lamp examination was performed at 12, 20, 29, 35, 42, 48, 55, 76, and 83 d after modeling. In vivo imaging was performed on 12, 20, 27, 41, 48, 55, 62, 69, 76, and 83 d. At the last treatment, the eyeball, brain and cerebellum tissues were removed for histopathological examination.RESULTS: From the sixth day of modeling, cloud-like substances could be seen in the eyes of the animals, and the cloud-like substances occupied the whole eyeball of the mice in the model control group at the later stage, accompanied by irregular growth of blood vessels. After 27 days of modeling, the fluorescence value was detected in all the animals, and the fluorescence value continued to increase with the extension of modeling time. The fluorescence value of the tumor reached the peak after 69-83 days of modeling. Histological examination showed severe proliferation of intraocular tumor cells in the model control group, and tumor cells were observed in the brain of 1 model animal. In the 10 μg/eye Melphalan group, the fluorescence value was significantly decreased at 17 d after administration. The fluorescence value of the 3 μg/eye Melphalan group was significantly inhibited at 59 d after administration. No tumor cells were found in the brain tissue of animals in all Melphalan groups.CONCLUSION: After vitreous injection of Y79/pCDH-LUC-copGFP cells in BALB/c-nu mice, significant ocular lesions and proliferation of tumor cells were observed in the eyes. Meanwhile, Melphalan intervention significantly inhibited tumor cells in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that the mouse model of retinoblastoma was successfully constructed.