Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause varying degrees of lung inflammation in children. Qingfei Oral Liquid (QF) is effective in treating childhood RSV-induced lung inflammation (RSV-LI) in clinics, but its pharmacological profiles and mechanisms remain unclear.Methods: This study combined network Pharmacology, lipidomics, pharmacodynamics, and pathway validation to evaluate the therapeutic mechanisms of QF. Using Cytoscape (v3.8.2) and enrichment analyses from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO), a global view of the putative compound-target-pathway network was created. The corresponding lipidomic profiles were then used to detect differently activated lipids, revealing the metabolic pathway, using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography linked to hybrid Quadrupole-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS). Meanwhile, the in vivo efficiency of QF, the enrichment pathway, and the excessive autophagy inhibition mechanisms were validated in RSV-infected mice models.Results: The network pharmacology results demonstrated 117 active compounds acted directly upon 101 core targets of QF against RSV-LI. The most significantly enriched pathway was the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway (p < 0.05). In addition, untargeted lipidomics were performed, and it was revealed that higher lung levels of DAG 30:0, DAG 30:5, DAG 32:0, DAG 16:0_18:0, DAG 17:0_17:0, DAG 34:1, DAG 36:0, DAG 36:1 in the RSV-LI group were decreased after QF administration (FDR < 0.05, FC > 1.2). Lipin-1, a key enzyme in DAG synthesis, was increased in the RSV-LI mouse model. Animal experiments further validated that QF inhibited the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, with lower lung levels of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT and mTOR, as well as its related proteins of lipin-1 and VPS34 (p < 0.01). Finally, pharmacodynamic investigations indicated that QF reduced airway inflammation caused by excessive autophagy by decreasing lung levels of RSV F and G proteins, Beclin-1, Atg5, and LC3B II, IL-1 and TNF-α (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Lipidomic-based network pharmacology, along with experimental validation, may be effective approaches for illustrating the therapeutic mechanism of QF in the treatment of RSV-LI.

Introduction: Idiopathic short stature (ISS) is a common paediatric endocrinological disorder defined by a height > two standard deviations (SDs) below the mean for age, sex, and ethnicity without an identifiable cause. This condition accounts for 60–80% of short stature cases in children and presents with complex and heterogeneous aetiology. ISS-related research has expanded rapidly over the past three decades; however, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis outlining its developmental trajectory and identifying emerging research priorities remains unavailable. Therefore, using network visualisation tools, we mapped 32 years of research to identify key trends, influential contributors, relevant journals, and emerging directions in ISS. Methods: Publications related to ISS in children, published between January 1993 and December 2024, were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric and visual analyses were conducted using CiteSpace 6.1.R6, VOSviewer 1.6.20 and R package Bibliometrix. The analysis examined multiple dimensions, including annual publication trends, country and institutional contributions, collaboration networks, influential authors and journals, keyword evolution, and co-cited references to map the global ISS research landscape. We retrieved clinical trials published between 1993 and 2024 from the PubMed database to analyze the clinical progress in this field. Results: A total of 1, 567 articles were included in the analysis. The volume of publications in the ISS field has steadily increased over time. The United States of America contributed the most publications. Leiden University in the Netherlands produced the highest number of institutional publications. Wit authored the greatest number of publications, whereas Ranke had the highest number of citations. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &amp; Metabolism ranked first in both publication count and citation frequency. Co-citation analysis identified foundational documents, including the 2008 expert consensus led by Cohen, and the 2016 clinical guidelines spearheaded by Grimberg. Recent keyword bursts such as “heterozygous mutation, “ “guideline, “ and “variant” suggest growing attention to genetic mechanisms and precision medicine. Discussion: This study systematically mapped the developmental trajectory and thematic evolution of ISS research over the past three decades using a comprehensive bibliometric analysis. The findings identified key contributors and research hotspots, providing valuable insights and reference points to guide future investigations.