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 investigate the protective effect of Rehmanniae Radix iridoid glycosides （RIG） on the kidney tissue of streptozotocin （STZ）-induced diabetic mice and explore the underlying mechanism. MethodsTwelve of 72 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining 60 mice were fed with a high-fat diet for six weeks combined with injection of 60 mg·kg^-1 STZ for 4 days to model type 2 diabetes mellitus. The successfully modeled mice were randomized into model， metformin （250 mg·kg^-1）， catalpol （100 mg·kg^-1）， low-dose RIG （RIG-L， 200 mg·kg^-1） and high-dose RIG （RIG-H， 400 mg·kg^-1） groups （n=11）. Mice in each group were administrated with corresponding drugs， while those in the normal group and model group were administrated with the same dose of distilled water by gavage once a day. After 8 weeks of intervention， an oral glucose tolerance test （OGTT） was performed， and the area under the curve （AUC） was calculated. After mice were sacrificed， both kidneys were collected. The body weight， kidney weight， and fasting blood glucose （FBG） were measured. Biochemical assays were performed to measure the serum levels of triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， serum creatinine （SCr）， and blood urea nitrogen （BUN）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to determine the serum level of fasting insulin （FINS）， and the insulin sensitivity index （ISI） and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） were calculated. The pathological changes in kidneys of mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson staining. The immunohistochemical method （IHC） was employed to assess the expression of interleukin-1 （IL-1）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）， transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）， and collagen-3 （ColⅢ） in the kidney tissue. The protein levels of TGF-β₁， cell signal transduction molecule 3 （Smad3）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， and ColⅢ in kidneys of mice were determined by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showcased decreased body weight and ISI （P<0.01）， increased kidney weight， FBG， AUC， FINS， HOMA-IR， TC， TG， SCr， and BUN （P<0.01）， glomerular hypertrophy， capsular space narrowing， and collagen deposition in the kidney， up-regulated protein levels of IL-1， IL-6， TNF-α， TGF-β₁， ColⅢ， and Smad3 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein level of MMP-9 （P<0.01） in the kidney tissue. Compared with the model group， the treatment groups had no significant difference in the body weight and decreased kidney weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The FBG level declined in the RIG-H group after treatment for 4-8 weeks and in the metformin， catalpol， and RIG-L groups after treatment for 6-8 weeks （P<0.01）. The AUC in the RIG-L， RIG-H， and metformin groups decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The levels of TC， SCr， and BUN in the serum of mice in each treatment group became lowered （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The level of TG declined in the RIG-L， RIG-H， and metformin groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The serum level of FINS declined in the catalpol， RIG-L， and metformin groups （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the treatment groups showed decreased HOMA-IR （P<0.01）， increased ISI （P<0.01）， alleviated pathological changes in the kidney tissue， and down-regulated expression of IL-1 and TGF-β₁. In addition， the protein levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and ColⅢ in the RIG-H and metformin groups and IL-6 and TNF-α in the RIG-L group were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the protein levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and ColⅢ in the catalpol group and ColⅢ in the RIG-L group showed a decreasing trend without statistical difference. The protein levels of TGF-β₁， Smad3， and ColⅢ in the RIG-H and metformin groups were down-regulated （P<0.01）. Compared with that in the model group， the protein level of MMP-9 was up-regulated in each treatment group （P<0.01）. ConclusionRIG can improve the renal structure and function of diabetic mice by regulating the TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway.

ObjectiveBased on literature data mining， this study explores the modeling elements of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （IBS-D） animal models in China and abroad， providing references and suggestions for improving modeling methods and evaluation indicators. MethodsRelevant literature on IBS-D animal experiments from 2014 to 2024 was retrieved through computer searches in databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang Data， VIP， Chinese Medical Journals Full-text Database， and PubMed. Information on experimental animal species， gender， body weight， modeling methods， modeling periods， intervention controls， modeling standards， and detection indicators was organized. Microsoft Excel 2021 software was used to establish a database and perform statistical analysis to examine the characteristics of IBS-D animal models. ResultsA total of 398 articles that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. The IBS-D animal models were predominantly established using SD rats， Wistar rats， and C57BL/6 mice. Male animals were more commonly used， with rats typically aged 6-8 weeks and mice aged 4-6 weeks. In terms of interventions， piverium bromide was the main Western medicine， Tongxieyaofang was the primary Chinese medicine， and electroacupuncture was the primary acupuncture method. Among the modeling methods， the multi-factor combined composite modeling approach was the most common. Modeling periods were mainly concentrated between 1-14 days and 15-30 days. The success criteria for modeling were mainly evaluated based on the animal's general condition， fecal appearance， visceral sensitivity， gastrointestinal motility， behavior， and pathology. Detection indicators included apparent indexes， pathological markers， biochemical indicators， oxidative stress， brain-gut peptides， neurotransmitters， inflammatory factors， immune function， intestinal permeability， autophagy， apoptosis， proteins related to relevant signaling pathways， intestinal microbiota and its metabolites， etc. ConclusionThere are various methods for establishing IBS-D animal models， but no unified and universally accepted method has been established. The operation of the same modeling methods and the evaluation standards of the models vary across studies. Based on the results of data mining， the authors suggest that the multi-factor combined composite modeling approach most closely reflects the pathophysiological processes of IBS-D， better simulating the complex clinical symptoms of IBS-D patients， such as abdominal pain and diarrhea， and has a high degree of clinical relevance. This method is relatively recommended. While animal models in general align with Western medicine standards， models incorporating traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes are relatively few. Therefore， one of the future directions for research is to establish IBS-D animal models that meet the combined clinical disease and syndrome requirements of both Western and Chinese medicine.

Huopo Xialingtang is a famous classical formula for treating dampness and warmth， which is included in the Catalogue of Ancient Famous Classical Formulas（The First Batch）. In this paper， bibliometric methods was used to collect the literature related to Huopo Xialingtang， and 16 items of related literature were retrieved， involving five medical books， which were used to textual research on the origin， name， composition， drug dosage， preparation method， processing and main treatment symptoms of this formula. The results indicated that Huopo Xialingtang was originated from Yiyuan written by Shi Funan in the Qing dynasty， and and was later named and extended by He Lianchen. The composition of the proposed formula was consistent with the record of Yiyuan， and the origin of each Chinese materia medica was basically clear. Houpo was the dried bark and root bark of Magnolia officinalis， Zexie was the dried tubers of Alisma orientale， Kuxingren was the dried mature seeds of Prunus armeniaca， Doukou was the dried mature fruits of Amomum kravanh， the origin of Tuhuoxiang was consistent with the 2018 edition of Shanghai Standards of Processing Chinese Crud Drugs， and the origins of the remaining Chinese medicines were consistent with the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The converted dose of each Chinese medicine was 7.46 g for Agastache rugosa， 3.73 g for Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex， 8.39 g for Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine， 11.19 g for Poria， 11.19 g for Armeniacae Semen Amarum， 14.92 g for Coicis Semen， 2.61 g for Amomi Fructus Rotundus， 5.60 g for Polyporus， 5.60 g for Alismatis Rhizoma， 14.92 g for Tetrapanacis Medulla. Huopo Xialingtang was initially used for the treatment of dampness and warmth at the beginning of the disease， and was later expanded to treat dampness obstruction， dampness-warming dysentery and so on， but always with the dampness-heat in the lungs and spleen as the pathogenesis. In modern times， the clinical application is more extensive， used in digestive， respiratory， endocrine， nervous system and other types of diseases， especially for chronic gastritis， stomach pain and fever. By combing the ancient literature of Huopo Xialingtang， we verified the origin of the formula and determined the key information of the prescription， which can provide literature reference for the clinical application and drug development of this formula.

ObjectiveTo establish the self-reported core outcome set （COS） for patients with an example of a community study on heat-sensitive moxibustion for primary hypertension （PH）， to provide a reference for the selection of effectiveness evaluation indicators in community study on heat-sensitive moxibustion. MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted to collect outcomes used in randomized controlled trials and systematic review of heat-sensitive moxibustion for PH （Jan 2021）， and additional outcomes were added through patient and expert questionnaires （Feb 2021） to create a pool of outcome entries. A multidisciplinary expert Delphi survey was conducted to screen outcomes applicable to patient self-reporting （Apr 2021）， and the importance of outcome indicators was rated on a 5-Point Likert Scale. Finally， patient self-reported COS was determined through a consensus conference （June 2021）. ResultsA pool of patient self-reported indicators in the community study of heat-sensitive moxibustion treatment for PH was generated by standardizing and combining the outcome indicators based on the results of the literature search and the questionnaire survey， which consisted of totally 100 measurement tools or contents， excluding 51 indicators or measurement tools required measurement by specialized physicians or hospital equipment， and 49 items were retained to enter the initial list of indicator entries. For the first round of Delphi survey， the mean score for expert familiarity was 0.819， the mean score for basis of judgment was 0.710， and the expert authority coefficient was 0.765， with a total of 21 indicator measurement tools or contents deleted （significance score ≤ 75 or coefficient of variation ＞ 0.25）， 28 retained， and 3 new expert-added indicator entries added. In the second round of Delphi survey， the average score for expert familiarity was 0.859， the average score for basis for judgment was 0.763， and the expert authority coefficient was 0.811， with a total of 11 indicator measurement tools or contents deleted and 20 retained involving 5 domains. Following an expert consensus meeting， 8 outcome indicators were finalized for inclusion in the patient self-reported COS， including 6 indicators of effectiveness evaluation such as quality-of-life scores， blood pressure， traditional Chinese medicine symptom scores， cost-benefit， cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events， and adverse reactions/events， and 2 indicators of factors influencing effectiveness such as sensation of heat-sensitive moxibustion， and adherence. ConclusionIn this study， we initially established a criteria for evaluating the effectiveness in the community study on heat-sensitive moxibustion by constructing patient self-reported COS in the community study on heat-sensitive moxibustion for PH， which can provide a scientific research paradigm for the subsequent development of the community study on heat-sensitive moxibustion.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the improvement effect and potential mechanism of Qingxue xiaozhi jiangtang formula on insulin resistance （IR） in type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） rats. METHODS T2DM rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg streptozotocin combined with high-fat and high-sugar diet. The rats were randomly divided into normal control group， model group， Qingxue xiaozhi jiangtang formula low-dose and high-dose groups （6.525， 13.05 g/kg， calculated by raw material） and metformin group （positive control， 0.18 g/kg）， with 8 rats in each group. Administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically； normal control group and model group were given constant volume of normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for consecutive 6 weeks. Body mass and fasting blood glucose （FBG） were determined， and oral glucose tolerance test was conducted. Serum fasting insulin （FINS） level was measured to calculate the insulin resistance index （HOMA-IR） and insulin sensitivity index （ISI）. Additionally， the level of serum lipids， liver function， oxidative stress indicators and inflammatory factors were assessed. The phosphorylation levels of kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （PERK） and forkhead box O1 （FOXO1） protein in liver tissue of rats were determined. RESULTS Compared with model group， the body weight， ISI， the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and superoxide dismutase were increased significantly in Qingxue xiaozhi jiangtang formula high-dose group and metformin group （P＜0.05）； FBG， blood glucose level at 120 minutes of glucose loading， area under the curve of glucose， FINS， HOMA-IR， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol， total cholesterol， triglyceride， alanine transaminase， aspartate transaminase， alkaline phosphatase， malondialdehyde， interleukin-6， tumor necrosis factor-α， and C-reactive protein levels were significantly reduced （P＜ Δ0.05）； the pathological damage of liver tissue had significantlyimproved， and the phosphorylation levels of PERK and FOXO1 proteins in liver tissue were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Qingxue xiaozhi jiangtang formula can regulate glucose and lipid metabolism， inflammation factor and oxidative stress levels， and alleviate insulin resistance in T2DM rats. Its mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of the PERK/FOXO1 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and potential mechanism of persimmon leaf （PL） extract against ferroptosis induced by H2O2 in IEC-6 cells. METHODS Using IEC-6 cells as object， the effects of ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 on IEC-6 cell viability induced by H2O2 were investigated； IEC-6 cells were divided into control group， H2O2 group， H2O2+PL 25 μg/mL group and H2O2+PL 50 μg/mL group. The levels of oxidant stress indexes [content of malondialdehyde （MDA）， activity of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS）]， mitochondrial membrane potential （MMP） as well as mRNA and protein expressions of nuclear factor-erythroid-2 related factor 2 （Nrf2）， heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1）， NADPH/quinone oxidoreductase-1 （NQO-1）， cystine/glutamate anti-porter （xCT）， glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） and ferritin heavy chain （FTH） were detected. RESULTS Ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 could significantly increase the survival rate of H2O2-induced cells （P＜ 0.01）. Compared with the control group， MDA content， ROS level， mRNA expressions of Nrf2 and NQO-1 as well as protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were increased or up-regulated significantly， while SOD activity， MMP， mRNA expressions of xCT， GPX4 and FTH as well as protein expressions of GPX4 and FTH were decreased or down-regulated significantly （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）. Compared with the H2O2 group， oxidative stress Δ indexes of H2O2+PL 25， 50 μg/mL groups were reversed to different extents， MMP level was increased significantly， as well as mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2， HO-1， NQO-1，xCT， GPX4 and FTH were up-regulated to different extents；there were statistical significances in some indexes between groups （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS PL extract can alleviate mitochondrial membrane damage and abnormal accumulation of ROS caused by H2O2， which may be related to the inhibition of ferroptosis by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and safety of ivabradine in the treatment of end-stage renal disease patients with chronic heart failure （CHF） during maintenance hemodialysis （MHD）. METHODS End-stage renal disease patients with CHF during MHD who were treated in our hospital from May 2021 to September 2023 and met the inclusion criteria were selected as the study subjects. They were randomly divided into control group and observation group， with 60 cases in each group， using a random number table method. Both groups of patients received MHD three times a week for 4 hours each time and were anticoagulated with low-molecular weight heparin sodium. At the same time， they were treated with CHF conventional therapy； based on the above treatment， observation group was orally administered Ivabradine tablets 5 mg， twice a day （if the resting heart rate was above 60 beats/min after 2 weeks， the drug dose was increased to 7.5 mg， twice a day）. Both groups of patients were treated continuously for 6 months. The clinical efficacy of 2 groups was compared as well as vital signs， cardiac function， the levels of heart failure- related biomarkers and inflammatory factors before and after treatment， and the incidences of dialysis-related hypotension and adverse drug reactions. RESULTS The effective rate of the observation group （92.45%） was significantly higher than that of the control group （76.47%）， and the incidence of dialysis-related hypotension （20.75%） was significantly lower than that of the control group （41.18%） （P＜0.05）. The heart rate， the levels of left ventricular end-systolic diameter， left ventricular end-diastolic diameter， serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide， cancer antigen 125， tumor necrosis factor-α， interleukin-6， and hypersensitive C-reactive protein in observation group after treatment were significantly lower than those of control group （P＜0.05）； the left ventricular ejection fraction and cardiac output were significantly higher than those in the control group （P＜0.05）. There was no statistically significant difference in the diastolic blood pressure， systolic blood pressure， or the total incidence of adverse drug reactions between the two groups after treatment （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Ivabradine can significantly improve cardiac function， inhibit ventricular remodeling， down-regulate serum levels of serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and cancer antigen 125， decrease body inflammation levels and the incidence of dialysis-related hypotension in end-stage renal disease patients with CHF during MHD， with significant clinical effects and good safety.

Investigator-initiated clinical trials （IIT） are an important part of scientific and technological activities involving human study participants. Among them， high-quality IIT can be used to support the marketing and registration application of drugs， medical devices， and other products when conditions permit. Currently， there is a huge gap between IIT and industry-initiated clinical trials. The use of unlisted products in IIT has problems， such as lack of regulatory support， insufficient research funding support， the need to improve the ability of clinical research management departments， the weakness of professional clinical research teams， and the difficulty of ethics review to match the demands. The challenges could be addressed by improving regulations and conducting pilot trials on a small scale， guaranteeing adequate research funding， strengthening the construction of clinical research management systems， building professional clinical research teams， ensuring the quality of ethical reviews and strict follow-up reviews， shifting from ethical reviews to a system for protecting research participants， and reinforcing training for researchers. Ethics committees should strictly review key points， such as the risk-benefit ratio， informed consent， research funding， compensation for damages， qualifications and equipment of research team members， and management of conflict of interest.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) inhibitor Stattic on the rejection of mouse heart allograft. Methods BALB/c mice (donors) were used to transplant skin onto C57BL/6 mice (recipients). Four weeks later, memory CD4⁺ T cells (CD4⁺Tm) were isolated from the recipient mice's spleens. Mixed lymphocyte reaction experiment was conducted with C57BL/6 mouse splenocytes and CD4⁺Tm, and the EdU method was used to detect the effect of Stattic on CD4⁺Tm cell proliferation. A C57BL/6 mouse heart transplant (HTx) model was constructed, and the experiment was divided into four groups: Non-HTx group, HTx group, Tm/HTx group, and Tm/HTx+Stattic group. The survival of heart allografts in mice was observed daily. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the histopathology of the heart allografts. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) messenger RNA (mRNA) in the heart allografts. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-10, and TGF-β1 in the serum. Flow cytometry was used to detect the levels of CD4⁺Tm (CD4⁺CD44⁺CD62L⁺) in splenic lymphocytes. And Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of STAT3 and p-STAT3 proteins in the heart allografts. Results When the concentration of Stattic exceeded 2.5 μmol/L, it could inhibit the proliferation of CD4⁺Tm cells. Compared with the HTx group, the Tm/HTx group showed shorter survival time of heart grafts, more severe histopathological damage, increased serum IFN-γ and IL-2 levels, decreased IL-10 and TGF-β1 levels, increased relative expression of IFN-γ and IL-2 mRNA, decreased relative expression of IL-10 and TGF-β1 mRNA in the heart allografts, increased proportion of CD4⁺Tm in splenic lymphocytes, and increased p-STAT3/STAT3 ratio in the heart allografts (all P<0.05). Compared with the Tm/HTx group, the Tm/HTx+Stattic group showed longer survival time of heart grafts, less severe histopathological damage, decreased serum IFN-γ and IL-2 levels, increased IL-10 and TGF-β1 levels, decreased relative expression of IFN-γ and IL-2 mRNA, increased relative expression of IL-10 and TGF-β1 mRNA in the heart allografts, decreased proportion of CD4⁺Tm in splenic lymphocytes, and decreased p-STAT3/STAT3 ratio in the heart allografts (all P<0.05). Conclusions Stattic may prolong the survival time of mouse heart allografts, and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of CD4⁺Tm- mediated acute rejection.