Polycystic ovary syndrome（PCOS） and its resulting infertility is one of the common diseases of gynecology and reproductive endocrinology. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B（PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway is relatively well-studied in the development of intervention in PCOS， and the experiments on PCOS in rats conducted by traditional Chinese medicine through this signaling pathway is also the main direction of mechanistic research. In this paper， 20 articles published in academic journals in the past 5 years were selected through the corresponding criteria， and the objective situation and existing problems of the selected research projects were analyzed from five aspects， namely， baseline data， modeling and treatment， grouping， evaluative indexes， and pharmacodynamic indexes. It is found that there were different degrees of problems in each research project， such as the observation indicators of modeling， criteria for judging the success of the model， the treatment period， the calculation of dosage of prescription/active ingredients and specific dosage were not clearly defined， which could easily lead the bias of the results or reduce the validity of experimental data. Based on this， the list of PCOS rat experimental research operations was formed， involving five categories of experimental rats， model construction， study implementation， outcome measures and analysis and report with a total of 21 operation lists， with a view to provide a reference for the subsequent PCOS experiments related to scientific research and helping to form high-quality results.

AIM: To observe the changes of retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness and radial peripheral capillary(RPC)density in patients with unilateral branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO), and further analyze the correlation between RPC density and RNFL thickness.METHODS: Observational study. Totally 37 patients with unilateral BRVO diagnosed at the ophthalmology department of First Hospital of Qinhuangdao from October 2020 to January 2022 were selected, the 37 affected eyes were the unilateral BRVO group, and 37 fellow healthy eyes were the contralateral unaffected group, and 35 healthy individuals(35 right eyes were selected)without ocular diseases during the same period were selected as the normal control group. The best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior segment, fundus and optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)were examined in both eyes of all BRVO patients and healthy individuals. The central macular thickness(CMT), the RNFL thickness, and the optic disc-AV crossing distance(DAVD)were measured by built-in software of the OCTA equipment. The optimized U-net algorithm was used to eliminate the large blood vessels, and then the RPC density was calculated. The CMT, RNFL thickness and RPC density were compared among the three groups. And the correlations of the RPC density with the CMT, RNFL thickness, and the DAVD were investigated.RESULTS: Compared with the contralateral unaffected group and the normal control group, the CMT and the RNFL thickness were significantly thickened in the unilateral BRVO group(all P<0.05); there were no statistical differences in the CMT and the RNFL thickness between the contralateral unaffected group and the normal control group(all P>0.05). The RPC density in the unilateral BRVO group increased compared with the contralateral unaffected group and decreased compared with the normal control group, but there was no statistically difference(all P>0.05). However, the RPC density in the contralateral unaffected group decreased compared with the normal control group(P<0.05). The RPC density in the unilateral BRVO group was not correlated with the CMT(P=0.960), but positively correlated with the RNFL thickness(r=0.401, P=0.014)and negatively correlated with the DAVD(r=-0.339, P=0.040).CONCLUSION: The RNFL thickened significantly and the RPC density did not change significantly in the optic disc area of BRVO patients. The RPC density is positively correlated with the RNFL thickness, indicating that the RNFL thickness can be used as a monitoring indicator to analyze and study the damage degree of the RPC density.

ObjectiveTo study the effect of Taikong Yangxin Pills on the metabolism of simulated weightless rats based on metabolomics and discuss the metabolism mechanism. MethodsIn the simulated space capsule environment on the ground， the rat model of simulated weightlessness was established by the tail suspension method. Rats were randomly grouped as follows： out-of-capsule control， in-capsule control， model， and high （3.0 g·kg^-1） and low （1.5 g·kg^-1） doses of Taikong Yangxin Pills， and they were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage for 28 days. The serum levels of endogenous metabolites in rats were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF/MS）. The obtained data were processed by principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） to screen for differential metabolites and potential biomarkers. MetaboAnalyst 5.0 was used for pathway enrichment analysis to explain the metabolic regulation mechanism of the drug. ResultsCompared with the out-of-capsule control group， the in-capsule control group showed elevated levels of thirteen metabolites， including 14-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid， linoleic acid， and α-linolenic acid （P<0.05）， which suggested that the space capsule environment mainly affected the metabolism of α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid in the rats. Compared with the in-capsule control group， the model group showed lowered levels of fourteen metabolites， including 4-imidazolone-5-propionic acid， isocitric acid/citric acid， and L-tyrosine （P<0.05）， which were recovered after the treatment with Taikong Yangxin pills （P<0.05）. The pathway enrichment analysis revealed that weightlessness induced by tail suspension and drug intervention mainly involved the phenylalanine， tyrosine， and tryptophan biosynthesis， tyrosine metabolism， histidine metabolism， and citric acid cycle. ConclusionThe simulated space capsule environment and simulated weightlessness induced by tail suspension can both affect the metabolism level of rats. Taikong Yangxin pills can ameliorate the metabolic abnormality in the rat model of weightlessness by regulating various amino acids and energy metabolism-related pathways.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria. In addition to the manifestations of systemic inflammatory response syndrome and primary infection lesions， critical cases often have manifestations of organ hypoperfusion. The morbidity and mortality of sepsis have remained high in recent years， which seriously affect the quality of life of the patients. The pathogenesis of sepsis is complicated， in which uncontrollable inflammation is a key mechanism. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway plays a key role in mediating inflammation in sepsis. The available therapies of sepsis mainly include resuscitation， anti-infection， vasoactive drugs， intensive insulin therapy， and organ support， which show limited effects of reducing the mortality. Therefore， finding new therapeutic drugs is a key problem to be solved in the clinical treatment of sepsis. In recent years， studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） can regulate the PI3K/Akt pathway via multiple pathways， multiple effects， and multiple targets to inhibit inflammation and curb the occurrence and development of sepsis， which has gradually become a hot spot in the prevention and treatment of sepsis. Moreover， studies have suggested that TCM has unique advantages in the treatment of sepsis. TCM can regulate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to inhibit inflammation， reduce oxidative stress， and control apoptosis in the prevention and treatment of sepsis. Despite the research progress， a systematic review remains to be performed regarding the TCM treatment of sepsis by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. After reviewing relevant papers published in recent years， this study systematically summarizes the relationship between PI3K/Akt pathway and sepsis and the role of TCM in the treatment of sepsis， aiming to provide new ideas for the potential treatment of sepsis and the development of new drugs.

Objective To systematically evaluate the risk prediction models for anastomotic leakage (AL) in patients with esophageal cancer after surgery. Methods A computer-based search of PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database, VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed and CNKI was conducted to collect studies on postoperative AL risk prediction model for esophageal cancer from their inception to October 1st, 2023. PROBAST tool was employed to evaluate the bias risk and applicability of the model, and Stata 15 software was utilized for meta-analysis. Results A total of 19 literatures were included covering 25 AL risk prediction models and 7373 patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.670-0.960. Among them, 23 prediction models had a good prediction performance (AUC>0.7); 13 models were tested for calibration of the model; 1 model was externally validated, and 10 models were internally validated. Meta-analysis showed that hypoproteinemia (OR=9.362), postoperative pulmonary complications (OR=7.427), poor incision healing (OR=5.330), anastomosis type (OR=2.965), preoperative history of thoracoabdominal surgery (OR=3.181), preoperative diabetes mellitus (OR=2.445), preoperative cardiovascular disease (OR=3.260), preoperative neoadjuvant therapy (OR=2.977), preoperative respiratory disease (OR=4.744), surgery method (OR=4.312), American Society of Anesthesiologists score (OR=2.424) were predictors for AL after esophageal cancer surgery. Conclusion At present, the prediction model of AL risk in patients with esophageal cancer after surgery is in the development stage, and the overall research quality needs to be improved.

Objective To analyze the disease burden of chronic kidney diseases (CKD) attributed to high body mass index (BMI) in China from 1992 to 2021 and predict the disease burden for the next decade, and to provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of CKD. Methods Using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database and the Joinpoint model, the average annual percentage rate change (AAPC) of the mortality rate and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rate was calculated to describe and analyze the CKD disease burden attributed to high BMI in China from 1992 to 2021. The ARIMA model was employed to predict and analyze the change trend of the CKD disease burden. Results From 1992 to 2021, the mortality rate and DALY rate attributed to high BMI-induced chronic kidney disease showed an upward trend. Compared to 1992, the attributed number of deaths increased by 324.38%, and DALYs increased by 268.56%; the mortality rate increased by 64.00%, and the DALY rate grew by 51.62%. From 1992 to 2021, the mortality rate and DALY rate for males were lower than those for females, but the growth rate for males exceeded that of females. From 1992 to 2021, the mortality rate and DALY rate of chronic kidney disease attributed to high BMI in China increased with age. The average annual change rate of chronic kidney disease attributed to high BMI in China from 1992 to 2021 (mortality rate: 1.40 per 100,000 (95% CI: 1.04–1.76), DALY rate: 1.43 per 100 000 (95% CI: 1.17–1.70)) was higher than thHuaiyin Normal University, Huai'anher social demographic index (SDI) regions. The ARIMA model predicted that the age-standardized mortality rate increased from 2.91 per 100 000 in 2022 to 3.05 per 100 000 in 2026, and the age-standardized DALY rate increased from 69.65 per 100 000 in 2022 to 73.58 per 100 000 in 2026. Conclusion Chronic kidney disease attributed to high BMI in China is on the rise, and it will continue to grow in the future. The focus of CKD prevention and control should be on males and the elderly, while active measures should be taken to reduce the occurrence and progression of chronic kidney disease.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of ferroptosis mediated by long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4 （ACSL4） signalling pathway in rats with coronary heart disease with blood stasis syndrome and the intervention effect of Xuefu Zhuyutang. MethodsSPF male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group， sham-operation group， model group， trimetazidine group （5.4 mg·kg^-1）， low-， medium-， and high-dose group （3.51， 7.02，14.04 g·kg^-1） of Xuefu Zhuyutang. The coronary artery left anterior descending ligation method was used to prepare a model of coronary heart disease with blood stasis syndrome， and continuous treatment for 7 d was conducted， while the sham-operation group was only threaded and not ligated. The general macroscopic symptoms of the rats were observed， and indicators such as electrocardiogram， echocardiography， and blood rheology were detected. The pathological morphology of myocardial tissue was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， and the changes in mitochondria in myocardial tissue were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The level of iron deposition in myocardial tissue was observed by Prussian blue staining. The levels of 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid （12-HETE） and 15-HETE were detected in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A biochemical colourimetric assay was used to detect the levels of Fe²⁺， lipid peroxidation （LPO）， glutathione （GSH）， and T-GSH/glutathione disulfide （GSSG） in myocardial tissue. DCFH-DA fluorescence quantitative assay was employed to detect the levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS）. Western blot and Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was adopted to detect the protein and mRNA expressions of glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）， ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）， ACSL4， and ly-sophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase3 （LPCAT3） in myocardial tissue. ResultsCompared with those in the normal group， the rats in the model group were poor in general macroscopic symptoms. The electrocardiogram showed widened QRS wave amplitude and increased voltage， bow-back elevation of the ST segments， elevated T waves， J-point elevation， and accelerated heart rate. Echocardiography showed a significant reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） and left ventricular fraction shortening （LVFS） （P<0.01）. Blood rheology showed that the viscosity of the whole blood （low， medium， and high rate of shear） was significantly increased （P<0.01）. HE staining showed an abnormal structure of myocardial tissue. There was a large area of myocardial necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration and a large number of connective tissue between myocardial fibers. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the mitochondria were severely atrophy or swelling. The cristae were reduced or even broken， and the matrix was flocculent or even vacuolated. Prussian blue staining showed that there were a large number of iron-containing particles， and the iron deposition was obvious. The content of 12-HETE and 15-HETE in the serum was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The content of Fe²⁺， LPO， and ROS in myocardial tissue was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The content of GSH was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and T-GSH/GSSG was decreased （P<0.01）. The protein and mRNA expressions of GPX4 and FTH1 in myocardial tissue were both significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while those of ACSL4 and LPCAT3 increased significantly （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the general macroscopic symptoms and electrocardiogram results of rats in low-， medium- and high-dose groups of Xuefu Zhuyutang were alleviated， and the differences in LVEF/LVFS ratios were all significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The differences in whole-blood viscosity （low， medium， and high rate of shear） were all significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The results of HE staining and transmission electron microscopy showed that the morphology， structure， and mitochondria of cardiomyocytes were improved. The content of 12-HETE and 15-HETE in serum was reduced to different degrees in low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of Xuefu Zhuyutang （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The content of Fe²⁺， LPO， and ROS was significantly reduced in the medium- and high-dose groups of Xuefu Zhuyutang （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the content of GSH and T-GSH/GSSG was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The protein and mRNA expressions of GPX4 and FTH1 were significantly increased to varying degrees in the medium- and high-dose groups of Xuefu Zhuyutang （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and ACSL4 and LPCAT3 were decreased to different degrees in the low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of Xuefu Zhuyutang （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionXuefu Zhuyutang can regulate iron metabolism and anti-lipid oxidation reaction to mediate ferroptosis through the ACSL4 signalling pathway， thus exerting a protective effect on rats with coronary heart disease with blood stasis syndrome.

Acute lung injury （ALI） is one of the most common and critical diseases in clinical practice， with extremely high morbidity and mortality， seriously threatening human life and health. The pathogenesis of ALI is complex， in which the inflammatory response is a key factor. Studies have shown that NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasomes are involved in ALI through mechanisms such as inflammation induction， increased microvascular permeability， recruitment of neutrophils， oxidative stress， and pyroptosis， playing a key role in the occurrence and progression of ALI. Therefore， regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes and inhibiting the release of inflammatory factors can alleviate the damage in ALI. At present， ALI is mainly treated by mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy， which have problems such as high costs and poor prognosis. In recent years， studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） can reduce the inflammatory response and the occurrence of oxidative stress and pyroptosis by regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome， thus alleviating the damage and decreasing the mortality of ALI. Based on the relevant literature in recent years， this article reviews the research progress in TCM treatment of ALI by regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes， discusses how NLRP3 inflammasomes participate in ALI， and summarizes the active ingredients， extracts， and compound prescriptions of TCM that regulate NLRP3 inflammasomes， aiming to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of ALI and the development of relevant drugs.

AIM:To detect the expression levels of miR-744-5p and E3 ubiquitin protein ligase(PELI3)in conjunctival epithelial cells of perimenopausal patients with dry eye, and analyze their correlation with sex hormone level, inflammatory factor level and tear secretion function.METHODS: A total of 60 perimenopausal patients with dry eye admitted to our hospital from February 2020 to February 2022 were selected as the observation group, in addition, 60 perimenopausal subjects with no abnormal eye examination were included as a control group. The tear film break-up time(BUT), Schirmer I test(SⅠt)and corneal fluorescein staining(FL)scores of perimenopausal patients with dry eye were collected. The conjunctival epithelial cells of the two groups were obtained by impression cytology, the expression level of miR-744-5p was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR), the PELI3 levels of conjunctival epithelial cells and serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone(FSH), estradiol(E2), luteinizing hormone(LH), interleukin-1(IL-1), interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; correlation analysis was conducted by Pearson and Spearman methods.RESULTS: The expression level of miR-744-5p in conjunctival epithelial cells of patients in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the expression level of PELI3 was lower than that in the control group(all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression levels of FSH, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in serum of patients increased in the observation group, and the expression levels of E2 and LH in serum decreased(all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that miR-744-5p was negatively correlated with PELI3 in conjunctival epithelial cells of perimenopausal dry eye patients(r=-0.476, P<0.01); miR-744-5p was negatively correlated with LH, E2, BUT and SⅠt(all P<0.05), while it was positively correlated with FSH, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α and FL scores(all P<0.05); PELI3 was negatively correlated with FSH, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α and FL scores, while it was positively correlated with E2, BUT and SⅠt(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The level of miR-744-5p increased and PELI3 decreased in conjunctival epithelial cells of perimenopausal patients with dry eye. PELI3 and miR-744-5p were closely related to the sex hormones level, inflammatory factor level and the function of tear secretion in perimenopausal patients with dry eye.

AIM:To detect the expression levels of miR-744-5p and E3 ubiquitin protein ligase(PELI3)in conjunctival epithelial cells of perimenopausal patients with dry eye, and analyze their correlation with sex hormone level, inflammatory factor level and tear secretion function.METHODS: A total of 60 perimenopausal patients with dry eye admitted to our hospital from February 2020 to February 2022 were selected as the observation group, in addition, 60 perimenopausal subjects with no abnormal eye examination were included as a control group. The tear film break-up time(BUT), Schirmer I test(SⅠt)and corneal fluorescein staining(FL)scores of perimenopausal patients with dry eye were collected. The conjunctival epithelial cells of the two groups were obtained by impression cytology, the expression level of miR-744-5p was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR), the PELI3 levels of conjunctival epithelial cells and serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone(FSH), estradiol(E2), luteinizing hormone(LH), interleukin-1(IL-1), interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; correlation analysis was conducted by Pearson and Spearman methods.RESULTS: The expression level of miR-744-5p in conjunctival epithelial cells of patients in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the expression level of PELI3 was lower than that in the control group(all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression levels of FSH, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in serum of patients increased in the observation group, and the expression levels of E2 and LH in serum decreased(all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that miR-744-5p was negatively correlated with PELI3 in conjunctival epithelial cells of perimenopausal dry eye patients(r=-0.476, P<0.01); miR-744-5p was negatively correlated with LH, E2, BUT and SⅠt(all P<0.05), while it was positively correlated with FSH, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α and FL scores(all P<0.05); PELI3 was negatively correlated with FSH, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α and FL scores, while it was positively correlated with E2, BUT and SⅠt(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The level of miR-744-5p increased and PELI3 decreased in conjunctival epithelial cells of perimenopausal patients with dry eye. PELI3 and miR-744-5p were closely related to the sex hormones level, inflammatory factor level and the function of tear secretion in perimenopausal patients with dry eye.