ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the potential molecular biological mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction in treating hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis by network pharmacology and molecular docking technology and preliminarily verify the mechanism through animal experiments. MethodsThe active ingredients and targets in the Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction were obtained by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） and ETCM databases. The DisGeNET and GeneCards databases were utilized to acquire disease targets associated with hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. These disease targets were then intersected with drug targets to identify key targets. The R language ClusterProfiler package and Python were employed for conducting gene ontology（GO） enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes（KEGG） enrichment analysis. The regulatory network diagram of the drug-key target-function-pathway was visualized using Cytoscape 3.9.1 software， and the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network for key targets was depicted. Finally， the hub gene was determined through topological analysis. Auto Dock， PyMOL， and other software were used for molecular docking to explore the possible therapeutic mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction for hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. In animal experiments， a composite rat model of hyperuricemia induced by intraperitoneal injection of oteracil potassium combined with gouty arthritis induced by the modified Coderre method was established. Through hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， uric acid test， enzyme linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）， Western blot， and real-time polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）， the molecular mechanism and key targets of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction for treating hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis were observed. ResultsAfter screening and removing duplicate values， 76 active ingredients and 15 key targets were finally obtained. GO enrichment analysis yielded that the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis with Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction was significantly associated with acute inflammatory response， astrocyte activation， regulation of interleukin （IL）-8 production， nuclear receptor activity， and binding of growth factor receptor. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis obtained that the key target genes were significantly associated with the IL-17 signaling pathway， advanced glycosylation end/receptor of advanced glycation endproducts（AGE/RAGE） signaling pathway， anti-inflammatory， and other pathways. PPI network indicated that albumin（ALB）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ （PPAR-γ）， IL-6， IL-1β， and C-reactive protein（CRP） were the key protein targets. The molecular docking results showed that ALB had the strongest binding force with beta-carotene （β-carotene）. Biochemical results showed that blood uric acid decreased in the Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction groups. HE staining results showed that the low-dose （7.76 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， medium-dose （15.53 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and high-dose （31.05 g·kg^-1·d^-1） groups of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction had different degrees of remission， and the remission of the high-dose group was the most obvious. Fibroblastic tissue hyperplasia in synovial joints accompanied with inflammatory cell infiltration， as well as inflammatory cell infiltration in renal tissue of the high-dose group was significantly reduced， followed by the medium-dose and low-dose groups， and the expression of ALB， PPAR-γ， IL-6， IL-1β， and CRP was down-regulated to different degrees. ConclusionBy regulating the targets such as ALB， PPAR-γ， IL-6， IL-1β， and CRP， inhibiting the PPAR-γ/nuclear transcription factor （NF）-κB pathway， and reducing AGEs/RAGE-mediated inflammation， Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and activates blood circulation and diuresis in the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis.

The global burden of malignant tumors keeps increasing， and the increased morbidity and mortality make malignant tumors one of the major challenges to global health. Currently， malignant tumors are mainly managed by surgical resection， radiotherapy， chemotherapy， targeted therapy， and immunotherapy， which， however， usually cause serious adverse reactions， such as tissue damage， immune function inhibition， and multidrug resistance， affecting the prognosis and quality of life of the patients. Traditional Chinese medicine with low toxic and side effects and multi-target， multi-system， and multi-pathway therapeutic effects has shown positive therapeutic potential in cancer treatment. In particular， the traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of softening hardness and dissipating mass， which contains a variety of active ingredients， have shown strong inhibitory effects on tumor cells. Such medicine can not only directly attack tumor cells and inhibit their proliferation and invasion but also exert therapeutic effects by inducing apoptosis， blocking tumor-related signaling pathways， and inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. In addition， traditional Chinese medicine can improve the overall efficacy of cancer treatment by regulating the immune status of the body and reversing the drug resistance of tumor cells. Traditional Chinese medicine can exert the anti-tumor effect by regulating intracellular signaling pathways， which is one of the research hotspots in this field. Signaling pathways such as signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）， and mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） play a key role in the formation and development of tumors. Traditional Chinese medicine can regulate the growth， apoptosis， and metabolic process of tumor cells by affecting the activity of these signaling pathways， thus exerting the therapeutic effects on tumors. Based on these mechanisms， a large number of experimental studies and clinical trials have proved that traditional Chinese medicine has broad prospects in anti-tumor treatment. To further verify these research results and provide a basis for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine and the development of new drugs， a systematic review and integrated analysis of the research reports on the anti-tumor effect of traditional Chinese medicine was carried out to summarize the anti-tumor mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine. This review is expected to promote the wide application of traditional Chinese medicine in anti-tumor treatment worldwide and bring more hope and possibility to cancer patients.

Prescription optimization is a crucial aspect in the study of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） compounds. In recent years， the introduction of mathematical methods， data mining techniques， and artificial neural networks has provided new tools for elucidating the compatibility rules of TCM compounds. The study of TCM compounds involves numerous variables， including the proportions of different herbs， the specific extraction parts of each ingredient， and the interactions among multiple components. These factors together create a complex nonlinear dose-effect relationship. In this context， it is essential to identify methods that suit the characteristics of TCM compounds and can leverage their advantages for effective application in new drug development. This paper provided a comprehensive review of the cutting-edge optimization experimental design methods applied in recent studies of TCM compound compatibilities. The key technical issues， such as the optimization of source material selection， dosage optimization of compatible herbs， and multi-objective optimization indicators， were discussed. Furthermore， the evaluation methods for component effects were summarized during the optimization process， so as to provide scientific and practical foundations for innovative research in TCM and the development of new drugs based on TCM compounds.

ObjectiveTo explore the dose-effect relationship and safety of high， medium， and low doses of raw Astragali Radix in the modified Huangqi Chifengtang （MHCD） for treating proteinuria in immunoglobulin A （IgA） nephropathy， and to provide scientific evidence for the clinical use of high-dose Astragali Radix in the treatment of proteinuria in IgA nephropathy. MethodsA total of 120 patients with IgA nephropathy， diagnosed with Qi deficiency and blood stasis combined with wind pathogen and heat toxicity， were randomly divided into a control group and three treatment groups. The control group received telmisartan combined with a Chinese medicine placebo， while the treatment groups were given telmisartan combined with MHCD containing different doses of raw Astragali Radix （60， 30， 15 g）. Each group contained 30 patients， and the treatment period was 12 weeks. Changes in 24-hour urinary protein （24 hUTP）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， effective rate， and renal function were observed before and after treatment. Safety was assessed by monitoring liver function and blood routine. ResultsAfter 12 weeks of treatment， 24 hUTP significantly decreased in the high， medium， and low-dose groups， as well as the control group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The TCM syndrome scores in the high， medium， and low-dose groups also significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Comparisons between groups showed that the 24 hUTP in the high-dose group was significantly lower than in the medium， low-dose， and control groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the 24 hUTP in the medium-dose group was significantly lower than in the control group （P<0.05）. The TCM syndrome scores in the high and medium-dose groups were significantly lower than in the low-dose and control groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The total effective rates for proteinuria in the high， medium， low-dose， and control groups were 92.59% （25/27）， 85.19% （23/27）， 60.71% （17/28）， and 57.14% （16/28）， respectively. The effective rates in the high and medium-dose groups were significantly higher than in the low-dose and control groups （χ²=13.185， P<0.05， P<0.01）. The effective rates for TCM syndrome scores in the high， medium， low-dose， and control groups were 88.89% （24/27）， 81.48% （22/27）， 71.43% （20/28）， and 46.43% （13/28）， respectively. The efficacy of TCM syndrome scores in the high and medium-dose groups was significantly higher than in the control group （χ²=14.053， P<0.01）. Compared with pre-treatment values， there was no statistically significant difference in eGFR and serum creatinine in the high and medium-dose groups. However， eGFR significantly decreased in the low-dose and control groups after treatment （P<0.05）， and serum creatinine levels increased significantly in the control group （P<0.05）. No statistically significant differences were observed in urea nitrogen， uric acid， albumin， total cholesterol， triglycerides， liver function， and blood routine before and after treatment in any group. ConclusionThere is a dose-effect relationship in the treatment of IgA nephropathy with high， medium， and low doses of raw Astragali Radix in MHCD. The high-dose group exhibited the best therapeutic effect and good safety profile.

Objective To compare the imaging characteristics and surgical methods of pulmonary nodules in the external 1/3 group and internal 2/3 group. Methods A retrospective analysis of clinical data from patients who underwent thoracoscopic preoperative CT-guided lung nodule localization at the Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from September 2020 to April 2022 was conducted. Results A total of 215 patients were enrolled (247 pulmonary nodules), including 70 males and 145 females, with a median age of 48 years. Based on the location of the nodules under CT guidance, those located in the external 1/3 area of the lung were classified into an external 1/3 group, while those located in the middle 1/3 and inner 1/3 areas were classified into an internal 2/3 group. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of general clinical data, nature of pulmonary nodules, distribution of pulmonary nodules in lobes, localization time, or localization complications (P>0.05). However, there were statistical differences in the distance of pulmonary nodules from the pleura [0.6 (0.0-1.9) cm vs. 1.8 (0.0-4.5) cm, P<0.001], size of pulmonary nodules [0.7 (0.2-1.8) cm vs. 1.0 (0.2-2.0) cm, P<0.001], and surgical methods (P=0.002). In the external 1/3 group, 92.1% of nodules underwent thoracoscopic wedge resection, while fewer patients underwent other procedures; in the internal 2/3 group, 77.1% of nodules underwent thoracoscopic wedge resection, and 19.3% underwent segmentectomy. Conclusion The diameter of pulmonary nodules, the distance of pulmonary nodules from the pleura, and surgical methods differ between the external 1/3 group and internal 2/3 group. Thoracic surgeons can develop more precise surgical plans based on the location and size of pulmonary nodules.

AIM: To evaluate the repeatability and accuracy of iCare IC100 tonometer in measuring intraocular pressure(IOP)by comparing the correlation and difference with Goldmann applanation tonometry(GAT)and non-contact tonometer(NCT), and to compare the correlation of the three types of IOP measurement with the central corneal thickness(CCT).METHODS: Prospective study. A total of 90 outpatients(90 eyes)in Liaoning Aier Eye Hospital from March 2019 to May 2019 were randomly selected as study subjects. All patients were measured IOP using iCare IC100, NCT, and GAT. The interclass correlation coefficient(ICC)was used to evaluate the repeatability of IOP measured 3 times consecutively using an intraocular tonometer. The correlation and consistency of iCare IC100, GAT and NCT were compared by one-way ANOVA, Pearson linear correlation analysis and Bland-Altman analysis. The linear regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation of the three tonometers with CCT.RESULTS: The mean IOP measured with iCare IC100, GAT and NCT was 19.74±6.90, 19.88±7.07 and 18.47±6.31 mmHg, respectively(F=1.180, P=0.309). The measurements of iCare IC100 with GAT, iCare IC100 with NCT and GAT with NCT were all positively correlated(r=0.930, 0.946, 0.918, all P<0.05), the Bland-Altman analysis showed that the mean differences between iCare IC100 and GAT, iCare IC100 and NCT, GAT and NCT were -0.142±2.61, 1.27±2.24, and 1.41±2.81 mmHg, respectively, with 97%(87/90), 96%(86/90), and 97%(87/90)IOP differences distributed within their 95% confidence intervals. The IOP measured with iCare IC100 and CCT, GAT and CCT and NCT and CCT were all positively correlated(r=0.426, 0.353, 0.451, all P<0.01). The linear regression equations between iCare IC100, GAT and NCT measurement and CCT were iCare IC100 IOP=-19.62+0.074×CCT; GAT IOP=-13.54+0.063×CCT; NCT IOP=-19.65+0.072×CCT; that is, for every 10 μm increase in CCT, iCare IC100 measurement increased by 0.74 mmHg, GAT measurement increased by 0.63 mmHg, and NCT measurement increased by 0.72 mmHg.CONCLUSION: The iCare IC100 tonometer has good repeatability and accuracy in measuring IOP, and the CCT has a greater impact on the measurement of iCare IC100 than the GAT and NCT.

AIM: To evaluate the repeatability and accuracy of iCare IC100 tonometer in measuring intraocular pressure(IOP)by comparing the correlation and difference with Goldmann applanation tonometry(GAT)and non-contact tonometer(NCT), and to compare the correlation of the three types of IOP measurement with the central corneal thickness(CCT).METHODS: Prospective study. A total of 90 outpatients(90 eyes)in Liaoning Aier Eye Hospital from March 2019 to May 2019 were randomly selected as study subjects. All patients were measured IOP using iCare IC100, NCT, and GAT. The interclass correlation coefficient(ICC)was used to evaluate the repeatability of IOP measured 3 times consecutively using an intraocular tonometer. The correlation and consistency of iCare IC100, GAT and NCT were compared by one-way ANOVA, Pearson linear correlation analysis and Bland-Altman analysis. The linear regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation of the three tonometers with CCT.RESULTS: The mean IOP measured with iCare IC100, GAT and NCT was 19.74±6.90, 19.88±7.07 and 18.47±6.31 mmHg, respectively(F=1.180, P=0.309). The measurements of iCare IC100 with GAT, iCare IC100 with NCT and GAT with NCT were all positively correlated(r=0.930, 0.946, 0.918, all P<0.05), the Bland-Altman analysis showed that the mean differences between iCare IC100 and GAT, iCare IC100 and NCT, GAT and NCT were -0.142±2.61, 1.27±2.24, and 1.41±2.81 mmHg, respectively, with 97%(87/90), 96%(86/90), and 97%(87/90)IOP differences distributed within their 95% confidence intervals. The IOP measured with iCare IC100 and CCT, GAT and CCT and NCT and CCT were all positively correlated(r=0.426, 0.353, 0.451, all P<0.01). The linear regression equations between iCare IC100, GAT and NCT measurement and CCT were iCare IC100 IOP=-19.62+0.074×CCT; GAT IOP=-13.54+0.063×CCT; NCT IOP=-19.65+0.072×CCT; that is, for every 10 μm increase in CCT, iCare IC100 measurement increased by 0.74 mmHg, GAT measurement increased by 0.63 mmHg, and NCT measurement increased by 0.72 mmHg.CONCLUSION: The iCare IC100 tonometer has good repeatability and accuracy in measuring IOP, and the CCT has a greater impact on the measurement of iCare IC100 than the GAT and NCT.

Immobilized enzyme-based enzyme electrode biosensors, characterized by high sensitivity and efficiency, strong specificity, and compact size, demonstrate broad application prospects in life science research, disease diagnosis and monitoring, etc. Immobilization of enzyme is a critical step in determining the performance (stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility) of the biosensors. Random immobilization (physical adsorption, covalent cross-linking, etc.) can easily bring about problems, such as decreased enzyme activity and relatively unstable immobilization. Whereas, directional immobilization utilizing amino acid residue mutation, affinity peptide fusion, or nucleotide-specific binding to restrict the orientation of the enzymes provides new possibilities to solve the problems caused by random immobilization. In this paper, the principles, advantages and disadvantages and the application progress of enzyme electrode biosensors of different directional immobilization strategies for enzyme molecular sensing elements by specific amino acids (lysine, histidine, cysteine, unnatural amino acid) with functional groups introduced based on site-specific mutation, affinity peptides (gold binding peptides, carbon binding peptides, carbohydrate binding domains) fused through genetic engineering, and specific binding between nucleotides and target enzymes (proteins) were reviewed, and the application fields, advantages and limitations of various immobilized enzyme interface characterization techniques were discussed, hoping to provide theoretical and technical guidance for the creation of high-performance enzyme sensing elements and the manufacture of enzyme electrode sensors.

Collagen is a major structural protein in the matrix of animal cells and the most widely distributed and abundant functional protein in mammals. Collagen’s good biocompatibility, biodegradability and biological activity make it a very valuable biomaterial. According to the source of collagen, it can be broadly categorized into two types: one is animal collagen; the other is recombinant collagen. Animal collagen is mainly extracted and purified from animal connective tissues by chemical methods, such as acid, alkali and enzyme methods, etc. Recombinant collagen refers to collagen produced by gene splicing technology, where the amino acid sequence is first designed and improved according to one’s own needs, and the gene sequence of improved recombinant collagen is highly consistent with that of human beings, and then the designed gene sequence is cloned into the appropriate vector, and then transferred to the appropriate expression vector. The designed gene sequence is cloned into a suitable vector, and then transferred to a suitable expression system for full expression, and finally the target protein is obtained by extraction and purification technology. Recombinant collagen has excellent histocompatibility and water solubility, can be directly absorbed by the human body and participate in the construction of collagen, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, cell growth, wound healing and site filling, etc., which has demonstrated significant effects, and has become the focus of the development of modern biomedical materials. This paper firstly elaborates the structure, type, and tissue distribution of human collagen, as well as the associated genetic diseases of different types of collagen, then introduces the specific process of producing animal source collagen and recombinant collagen, explains the advantages of recombinant collagen production method, and then introduces the various systems of expressing recombinant collagen, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, and finally briefly introduces the application of animal collagen, focusing on the use of animal collagen in the development of biopharmaceutical materials. In terms of application, it focuses on the use of animal disease models exploring the application effects of recombinant collagen in wound hemostasis, wound repair, corneal therapy, female pelvic floor dysfunction (FPFD), vaginal atrophy (VA) and vaginal dryness, thin endometritis (TE), chronic endometritis (CE), bone tissue regeneration in vivo, cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer (BC) and anti-aging. The mechanism of action of recombinant collagen in the treatment of FPFD and CE was introduced, and the clinical application and curative effect of recombinant collagen in skin burn, skin wound, dermatitis, acne and menopausal urogenital syndrome (GSM) were summarized. From the exploratory studies and clinical applications, it is evident that recombinant collagen has demonstrated surprising effects in the treatment of all types of diseases, such as reducing inflammation, promoting cell proliferation, migration and adhesion, increasing collagen deposition, and remodeling the extracellular matrix. At the end of the review, the challenges faced by recombinant collagen are summarized: to develop new recombinant collagen types and dosage forms, to explore the mechanism of action of recombinant collagen, and to provide an outlook for the future development and application of recombinant collagen.

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.