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.

ObjectiveTo observe the intervention effect of Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules on anxiety-like behaviors in the rat model of chronic restraint stress （CRS） and explore the mechanism underlying the anti-anxiety effect via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. MethodsRats were assigned into blank， model， positive drug （diazepam， 1 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （0.75， 1.5， 3 g·kg^-1， respectively） Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules groups. After 14 days of administration， the elevated plus maze test， open field test， light and dark box test， and marble burying test were performed. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe the pathological changes in the hippocampus and colon of rats， and Nissl staining was conducted to observe the damage of hippocampal neurons. The gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was employed to determine the mRNA levels of zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1） and occludin in the colon of rats. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-1β （IL-1β） in the colon， serum， and hippocampus were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of ZO-1， occludin， nuclear factor-κB p65 （NF-κB p65） in the colon tissue and NF-κB p65 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） in the hippocampal tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed reductions in the time and frequency ratio of rats entering the elevated plus maze， the time and frequency of rats entering the central area of the open field， the time of entering the open box， the times of passing through the light and dark box， and the number of unburied beads （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules ameliorated the anxiety of the model rats to varying degrees， and the high-dose group had the best effect， with increases in the proportions of time and frequency of rats entering the open arm in the elevated plus maze （P<0.05）， the number of rats entering the central area in the open field （P<0.05）， the time of entering the open box， the times of passing through the light and dark boxes， and the number of unburied beads （P<0.01）. Moreover， the high-dose group showed alleviated pathological damage of hippocampal neurons and colon. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the model group had increased relative abundance of Firmicutes， Deferribacterota， Romboutsia， and Phascolarctobacterium， while it had decreased relative abundance of Bavcteroidota and Lactobacillus. The drug administration groups showed increased relative abundance of Bavcteroidota， Bacteroides， norank f norank o Clostridia UCG-014， and Blautia and decreased relative abundance of Firmicutes and Deferribacterota. Compared with the blank group， the model group showed down-regulated protein and mRNA levels of ZO-1 and occludin in the colon （P<0.01）， elevated levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-β in the colon， serum， and hippocampus （P<0.01）， up-regulated protein level of NF-κB p65 in the colon and hippocampus （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein level of BDNF in the hippocampus （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， high-dose Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules up-regulated the mRNA levels of ZO-1 and occludin in the colon （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and IL-β in the colon， serum， and hippocampus （P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein levels of ZO-1 （P<0.01） and occludin （P<0.05） in the colon， down-regulated the protein level of NF-κB p65 in the colon and hippocampus （P<0.05）， and up-regulated the protein level of BDNF in the hippocampus. ConclusionFufang Kangjiaolv capsules can reduce the anxiety-like behaviors in the rat model of CRS by regulating the gut microbiota disturbance， up-regulating the expression of tight junction proteins in the colon， repairing intestinal mucosal mechanical barrier， and down-regulating NF-κB/BDNF signaling pathway， thereby reducing peripheral and central inflammation. This study proves the hypothesis that Fufang Kangjiaolv capsules play an anti-anxiety role via the microbiota-gut-brain axis， providing a new idea for further research.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Shouhui Tongbian capsules in treating constipation based on the research foundation of its active components combined with network pharmacology and animal experiments. MethodsThe drug components were imported into SwissTargetPrediction to predict the targets of Shouhui Tongbian capsules， and constipation-related targets were collected from disease databases. A protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed for the common targets shared by Shouhui Tongbian capsules and constipation to screen key targets， which was followed by gene ontology （GO） function and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analyses. A "bioactive component-target-pathway" network was constructed， and the core components of Shouhui Tongbian capsules in treating constipation were screened based on the topological parameters of this network. Molecular docking was employed to predict the binding affinity of core components to key targets. A mouse model of constipation was constructed to screen the key pathways and targets of the drug intervention in constipation. ResultsThe PPI network revealed six key constipation-related targets： protein kinase B （Akt1）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β）， cyclooxygenase-2 （PTGS2）， estrogen receptor 1 （ESR1）， and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/Akt signaling pathway was the most enriched. The topological parameter analysis of the "bioactive component-target-pathway" network screened out the top 10 core components： auranetin， isosinensetin， naringin， diosmetin， quercetin， apigenin， luteolin， hesperidin， isorhapontigenin， and chrysophanol. Molecular docking results showed that the 10 core components had strong binding affinity with the 6 key targets. Animal experiments showed that after intervention with different doses of Shouhui Tongbian capsules， the time to the first black stool excretion was reduced and the fecal water content and small intestine charcoal propulsion rate of mice were improved. After treatment with Shouhui Tongbian capsules， the colonic mucosal injury and glandular arrangement were alleviated， and the muscle layer thickness was increased. Western blot results showed that Shouhui Tongbian capsules recovered the expression of apoptosis-related molecules mediated by the PI3K/Akt pathway in the colonic tissue of constipated mice. Terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling （TUNEL） results showed that the cell apoptosis rate of the colon significantly reduced after intervention with Shouhui Tongbian capsules. ConclusionThe results of network pharmacology and animal experiments confirmed that Shouhui Tongbian capsules can treat constipation through multiple targets and pathways. The capsules can effectively intervene in loperamide-induced constipation in mice by regulating the constipation indicators and reducing cell apoptosis in the colon tissue via activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Osteoporosis is a common senile bone metabolism disease， clinically characterized by decreased bone mass， destruction of bone microstructure， increased bone fragility， and easy fracture. It tends to occur in the elderly and postmenopausal women， seriously threatening the quality of life and physical and mental health of the elderly. At present， the treatment of osteoporosis is mainly based on oral western medicines， such as calcium， Vitamin D， and bisphosphonates. Still， there are drawbacks such as a long medication cycle and many adverse reactions. In recent years， due to the advantages of multi-component， multi-pathway， and multi-target， some traditional Chinese medicines and effective ingredients can regulate the osteogenic and osteoclastic differentiation process in both directions and are widely used in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Hippophae rhamnoides is a commonly used herbal medicine， and its fruits are rich in flavonoids， polyphenols， fatty acids， vitamins， and trace elements， which have been proven to have a good anti-osteoporosis effect. Isorhamnetin is the main effective ingredient of Hippophae rhamnoides fruits， which has many pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammation， anti-oxidative stress， anti-aging， and anti-tumor. Studies have shown that isorhamnetin can participate in the regulation of bone metabolism and has a good anti-osteoporosis effect. However， the pharmacological effects and related mechanisms of isorhamnetin against osteoporosis have not been systematically summarized. Therefore， this paper reviewed the pharmacological effects and related mechanisms of isorhamnetin against osteoporosis by referring to relevant literature to provide more basis for the development and application of isorhamnetin.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment in clinical. Currently, there are no effective treatments for AD. In recent years, a variety of therapeutic approaches from different perspectives have been explored to treat AD. Although the drug therapies targeted at the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) had made a breakthrough in clinical trials, there were associated with adverse events. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of AD. Continuous neuroinflammatory was considered to be the third major pathological feature of AD, which could promote the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. At the same time, these toxic substances could accelerate the development of neuroinflammation, form a vicious cycle, and exacerbate disease progression. Reducing neuroinflammation could break the feedback loop pattern between neuroinflammation, Aβ plaque deposition and Tau tangles, which might be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating AD. Traditional Chinese herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum and Curcuma were utilized in the treatment of AD due to their ability to mitigate neuroinflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and indomethacin had been shown to reduce the level of inflammasomes in the body, and taking these drugs was associated with a low incidence of AD. Biosynthetic nanomaterials loaded with oxytocin were demonstrated to have the capability to anti-inflammatory and penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively, and they played an anti-inflammatory role via sustained-releasing oxytocin in the brain. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells could reduce neuroinflammation and inhibit the activation of microglia. The secretion of mesenchymal stem cells could not only improve neuroinflammation, but also exert a multi-target comprehensive therapeutic effect, making it potentially more suitable for the treatment of AD. Enhancing the level of TREM2 in microglial cells using gene editing technologies, or application of TREM2 antibodies such as Ab-T1, hT2AB could improve microglial cell function and reduce the level of neuroinflammation, which might be a potential treatment for AD. Probiotic therapy, fecal flora transplantation, antibiotic therapy, and dietary intervention could reshape the composition of the gut microbiota and alleviate neuroinflammation through the gut-brain axis. However, the drugs of sodium oligomannose remain controversial. Both exercise intervention and electromagnetic intervention had the potential to attenuate neuroinflammation, thereby delaying AD process. This article focuses on the role of drug therapy, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, gut microbiota therapy, exercise intervention, and brain stimulation in improving neuroinflammation in recent years, aiming to provide a novel insight for the treatment of AD by intervening neuroinflammation in the future.

Taxifolin (Tax) has been proved to be a medicinal edible substance with protective effects against alcoholic liver injury, however, its poor hydrophilicity and permeability have hindered the clinical application of Tax. In this study, we prepared taxifolin-phosphatidylcholine/sodium deoxycholate/PVP-K30 micells (Tax-MLs). Box-Behnken test was used to obtain the optimal preparation process, and Tax-MLs were characterised by transmission electron microscopy and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Physicochemical parameters such as proximate micelle concentration, equilibrium solubility and oil-water partition coefficient were determined, and the release pattern of Tax-MLs was investigated by in vitro digestion simulation. Alcoholic liver injury model to explore the in vivo efficacy of Tax-MLs. The results showed that the average particle size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential of Tax-MLs were 36.90 ± 4.57 nm, 0.194 ± 0.01 and -32.6 ± 0.35 mV, respectively, and the uniform size and distribution of Tax-MLs were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The formation of Tax-MLs was proved by differential scanning calorimetry and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In terms of physicochemical properties, the solubility of Tax-MLs in water increased by 92.02 times compared with Tax, and its oil-water partition coefficient in water increased from 0.43 to 1.14, which proved that Tax-MLs could improve its solubility and permeability. The in vivo pharmacodynamic results showed that compared with the Tax group, Tax-MLs low, medium and high dose groups showed a significant reduction in liver indices and serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (P < 0.05), and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), and lowered the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) more significantly in the hepatic tissues. Tax-MLs effectively improved drug solubility and permeability, and enhanced the protective effect against alcoholic liver injury. Animal experiments were conducted with approval from the Animal Ethics Committee of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval number: 2023601).

In order to explore the possible role and molecular mechanism of the combined action of leech and bear bile in liver and gallbladder diseases, this study first used network pharmacology methods to screen the components and targets of leech and bear bile, as well as the related target genes of liver and gallbladder diseases. The selected key genes were subjected to interaction network and GO/KEGG enrichment analysis. Then, using sodium oleate induced HepG2 cell lipid deposition model and DL-ethionine induced mouse fatty liver model, the activity of leech and bear bile alone and in combination in reducing liver fat was evaluated in vitro and in vivo, and the expression of key pathway related proteins suggested by network pharmacology was detected by Western blot. The results of network pharmacology analysis showed that the active ingredients of leech and bear bile have 295 intersecting targets with liver and gallbladder related diseases, involving more than 200 signaling pathways, including the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and phospholipase D signaling pathway closely related to glucose and lipid metabolism. The results of in vitro validation experiments showed that both leech and bear bile, alone and in combination, can significantly inhibit the lipid deposition induced by sodium oleate in human liver cells, reduce the triacylglycerol level in cell culture supernatant, and inhibit the lipid content in liver cells. The observation results of Nile red staining confocal microscopy showed that the combination of leech and bear bile had better activity in reducing lipid deposition in liver cells compared to using them alone. In a mouse fatty liver model, the combination of leech and bear bile can better reduce elevated organ indices, blood lipids, and liver lipid levels, as well as lower the levels of serum liver injury biomarkers. The animals used in this experiment and related disposal meet the requirements of animal welfare. Before the experiment, it was reviewed and approved by IACUC, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The Western blot experiment results showed that the combination of leech and bear bile can significantly upregulate the expression levels of p-PI3K and p-Akt proteins, and increase the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt ratios, which is consistent with the predicted results of network pharmacology. The combination of leech and bear bile has great potential for treating fatty liver disease, and activating the PI3K/Akt pathway may be one of the important mechanisms for reducing lipid deposition in liver cells.

Objective: To analyze the change trends in the body shape indicators and proportions of students in Harbin from 2010 to 2024, and to investigate ergonomic compatibility of functional dimensions of school desks and chairs with current student shape indicators, so as to provide a reference for revising furniture standards of desks and chairs. Methods: Between September and November of both 2010 and 2024, a combination of convenience sampling and stratified cluster random sampling was conducted across three districts in Harbin, yielding samples of 6 590 and 6 252 students, respectively. Anthropometric shape indicators cluding height, sitting height, crus length, and thigh length-and their proportional changes were compared over the 15-year period. The 2024 data were compared with current standard functional dimensions of school furniture. The statistical analysis incorporated t-test and Mann-Whitney U- test. Results: From 2010 to 2024, average height increased by 1.8 cm for boys and 1.5 cm for girls; sitting height increased by 1.5 cm for both genders; crus length increased by 0.3 cm for boys and 0.4 cm for girls; and thigh length increased by 0.5 cm for both genders. The ratios of sitting height to height, and sitting height to leg length increased by less than 0.1 . The difference between desk chair height and 1/3 sitting height ranged from 0.4-0.8 cm. Among students matched with size 0 desks and chairs, 22.0% had a desk to chair height difference less than 0, indicating that the desk to chair height difference might be insufficient for taller students. The differences between seat height and fibular height ranged from -1.4 to 1.1 cm; and the differences between seat depth and buttock popliteal length ranged from -9.8 to 3.4 cm. Among obese students, the differences between seat width and 1/2 hip circumference ranged from -20.5 to -8.7 cm, while it ranged from -12.2 to -3.8 cm among non obese students. Conclusion Current furniture standards basically satisfy hygienic requirements; however, in the case of exceptionally tall and obese students, ergonomic accommodations such as adaptive seating allocation or personalized adjustments are recommended to meet hygienic requirements.

Biomolecular condensates are formed through phase separation of biomacromolecules such as proteins and RNAs. These condensates exhibit liquid-like properties that can futher transition into more stable material states. They form complex internal structures via multivalent weak interactions, enabling precise spatiotemporal regulations. However, the use of inconsistent and non-standardized terminology has become increasingly problematic, hindering academic exchange and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the terminology related to biomolecular condensates in order to clarify concepts, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, enhance research efficiency, and support the healthy development of this field.

[Objective] To compare the efficacy and safety of deglycerolized red blood cells (DRBC) and suspended red blood cells (SRBC) based on the propensity score matching (PSM) method, so as to provide evidence for the rational use of DRBC resources in clinical practice. [Methods] A total of 89 patients who received DRBC transfusion and 2 916 patients who received SRBC transfusion in our hospital from January 2023 to September 2024 were included. A 1∶1 nearest neighbor PSM was used to balance covariates such as gender, age, and body mass index (BMI). The changes of hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC) count, hematocrit (HCT), and inflammatory markers such as white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil (NE) count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and Interleukin-6(IL-6) in the last 72 hours after transfusion were analyzed by SPSS 26.0 and R software to evaluate clinical efficacy and transfusion safety. [Results] The baseline of the two groups was balanced after PSM (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the total effective rate between the DRBC group (80.9%) and the SRBC group (86.5%) (P>0.05). In the SRBC group, WBC (×10 /L) increased from 9.634±6.742 to 10.147±6.835, CRP (mg/dL) increased from 5.468±4.647 to 6.174±6.114, and IL-6(pg/mL) decreased from 213.733±587.191 to 157.255±552.626. In the DRBC group, WBC (×10 /L) decreased from 11.123±7.880 to 11.011±8.549, CRP (mg/dL) decreased from 5.729±4.761 to 5.326±4.466, and IL-6(pg/mL) decreased from 238.806±639.060 to 152.255±266.558. Compared with the before treatment, the differences between the SRBC group and DRBC group were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Among all patients included in the statistics, the overall incidence of transfusion adverse reactions was 0.205% (6/2 916) in the SRBC group, and no adverse reactions occurred in the DRBC group. The incidence in the SRBC group was higher than that in the DRBC group. [Conclusion] Based on PSM analysis, there was no significant difference in the efficacy and safety of DRBC transfusion compared with SRBC transfusion, which can provide evidence-based support for routine application.