Benign prostatic hyperplasia （BPH） is a common chronic progressive disease in middle-aged and elderly men， characterized by prostate enlargement and bladder outlet obstruction， leading to symptoms such as frequent urination， urgency， and difficulty urinating. The pathogenesis of BPH involves factors such as aging， hormonal metabolic abnormalities， inflammatory responses， and imbalances in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Currently， the main treatment methods for BPH include medication， physical therapy， and surgical intervention. However， medication may cause side effects like sexual dysfunction and hypotension， physical therapy has limited efficacy， and surgery carries risks and postoperative complications. Therefore， there is an urgent need to find safer and more effective treatment options. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with its focus on treatment based on syndrome differentiation and a holistic approach， offers therapeutic advantages through multiple pathways and mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that TCM regulates pathways such as phosphoinositide-3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt）， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， mitogen-activated protein kinases （MAPK）， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2/antioxidant response element （Nrf2/ARE）， androgen receptor （AR）， transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）/Smad， and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α/vascular endothelial growth factor （HIF-1α/VEGF） to inhibit oxidative stress and inflammatory response， reduce prostate cell proliferation， and promote apoptosis， thus exerting therapeutic effects. This article summarizes and analyzes the roles of these signaling pathways in the occurrence and development of BPH and the mechanisms of TCM intervention， aiming to provide scientific evidence for clinical treatment and drug development for BPH.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia （BPH） is a common chronic progressive disease in middle-aged and elderly men， characterized by prostate enlargement and bladder outlet obstruction， leading to symptoms such as frequent urination， urgency， and difficulty urinating. The pathogenesis of BPH involves factors such as aging， hormonal metabolic abnormalities， inflammatory responses， and imbalances in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Currently， the main treatment methods for BPH include medication， physical therapy， and surgical intervention. However， medication may cause side effects like sexual dysfunction and hypotension， physical therapy has limited efficacy， and surgery carries risks and postoperative complications. Therefore， there is an urgent need to find safer and more effective treatment options. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with its focus on treatment based on syndrome differentiation and a holistic approach， offers therapeutic advantages through multiple pathways and mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that TCM regulates pathways such as phosphoinositide-3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt）， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， mitogen-activated protein kinases （MAPK）， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2/antioxidant response element （Nrf2/ARE）， androgen receptor （AR）， transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）/Smad， and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α/vascular endothelial growth factor （HIF-1α/VEGF） to inhibit oxidative stress and inflammatory response， reduce prostate cell proliferation， and promote apoptosis， thus exerting therapeutic effects. This article summarizes and analyzes the roles of these signaling pathways in the occurrence and development of BPH and the mechanisms of TCM intervention， aiming to provide scientific evidence for clinical treatment and drug development for BPH.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the improvement effects and its mechanism of Bazheng powder on chronic urinary tract infection （CUTI） induced by Escherichia coli in rats. METHODS The rats were divided into normal control group， model group， levofloxacin group （45 mg/kg） and Bazheng powder group （4.95 g/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal control group， other groups were administered an intravesical injection of Escherichia coli suspension （1×10⁸ cfu/mL） via the urethra to establish CUTI model； at the same time， rats in each group were administered the corresponding medicinal solution or water by gavage once a day for 4 consecutive weeks. After the last medication， blood routine tests （white blood cell count and lymphocyte percentage）， the levels of serum inflammatory factors [interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-6， IL-8， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， and immune indicators [CD4， CD8， secretory immunoglobulin A （SIgA）]， renal function indicators [cystatin C （Cys-C）， α1- microglobulin （α1-MG）， urea and creatinine] were all determined； the pathological changes in renal and bladder tissues in rats were observed. The protein expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， and nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 （NLRP3） in rat bladder tissues were detected. RESULTS Compared with the normal control group， the levels of IL-1β， IL-6， IL-8， TNF-α， CD8， Cys-C， α1-MG， urea and creatinine in serum， as well as the protein expressions of TLR4， NF-κB and NLRP3 in bladder tissues， were significantly elevated in the model group （P＜0.05）. Conversely， the levels of CD4 and SIgA were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Pathological changes， such as extensive infiltration of inflammatory cells， were observed in both renal and bladder tissues. Compared with the model group， the above quantitative indicators in the Bazheng powder group were significantly improved （P＜0.05）， with no obvious inflammatory lesions observed in either renal or bladder tissues. CONCLUSIONS Bazheng powder can alleviate inflammatory reaction and improve the immune function of CUTI rats， and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB/ NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Objective Experimental animal facilities account for a significant proportion of the energy consumption by scientific research institutions;however,the energy consumption characteristics of these facilities differ from those of ordinary buildings,and thus require specialized monitoring and management.Methods A set of energy consumption monitoring systems was designed for experimental animal facilities and deployed in the specific pathogen-free-level experimental animal facility of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.Results The system achieved real-time collection and recording of the facility's electricity consumption data,and proposed energy-saving measures for three application scenarios.Conclusions This energy consumption monitoring system designed for experimental animal facilities is reliable,efficient,and user-friendly,and has the potential to guide and promote energy management programs at experimental animal facilities.

Objective To determine ferulic acid and paeoniflorin in Ankong Zhongzi Wan by HPLC under dual wavelength ultraviolet detection. Methods Ferulic acid and paeoniflorin were separated by Waters SymmetryShield-C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm) with gradient elution of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was 230 nm and 323 nm. Results The linear relationship of ferulic acid and paeoniflorin was good in the range of 0.058 2-0.582 4 μg (r=0.999 4) and 1.664-16.64 μg (r=0.999 6), and the average recovery rate was 97.77% (RSD=1.88%) and 98.84% (RSD=1.96%), respectively. Conclusion The method is accurate and quick for determining the two effective components in Ankong Zhongzi Wan, and can be used for its quality control.