The mechanism and experimental verification of Ixeris sonchifolia promoting apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma based on network pharmacology: Ixeris sonchifolia Induces Hepatocellular Carcinoma Apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT Pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ixeris sonchifolia alias Kudiezi, it was named Ixeris sonchifolia (Bunge) Hance, a synonym for Crepidiastrum sonchifolium (Bunge) Pak & Kawano in the https://www.iplant.cn/. And it was first published in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 13: 108 (1873), which was named Ixeris sonchifolia (Maxim.) Hance in the MPNS (http://mpns.kew.org). As a widely distributed medicinal and edible wild plant, it possesses unique bitter-cold characteristics and constituents with various pharmacological activities. Its main antitumor substances, same as artemisinin and paclitaxel, are classified as terpenoids and have become research foci in recent years. However, its specific biological activity and role in antitumor treatment remain largely unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to elucidate the molecular targets and potential mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma apoptosis induced by Ixeris sonchifolia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used network pharmacology methods to analyze and screen the active ingredients and possible underlying mechanisms of Ixeris sonchifolia in treating liver cancer and employed integrative time- and dose-dependent toxicity, transcriptomics, and molecular biology approaches to comprehensively verify the function of Ixeris sonchifolia extract (IsE) in human hepatoblastoma cell (HepG2) apoptosis and its potential mechanism. RESULTS: A total of 169 common targets were screened by network pharmacology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that IsE inhibited HepG2 cell activity in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis confirmed that IsE promoted HepG2 cell apoptosis by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and that the PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002 also substantially enhanced IsE-induced apoptosis. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway exhibited significant differences compared to that in the control group. CONCLUSION: Combining network pharmacology with experimental verification, IsE inhibited mitochondrial function and the PI3K/AKT pathway while inducing hepatoma cell apoptosis. IsE may have promising potential for liver cancer treatment and chemoprevention.

Deep learning-based characterization and redesign of major potato tuber storage protein.

Potato is one of the most important crops worldwide, to feed a fast-growing population. In addition to providing energy, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, potato storage proteins are considered as one of the most valuable sources of non-animal proteins due to their high essential amino acid (EAA) index. However, low tuber protein content and limited knowledge about potato storage proteins restrict their widespread utilization in the food industry. Here, we report a proof-of-concept study, using deep learning-based protein design tools, to characterize the biological and chemical characteristics of patatins, the major potato storage proteins. This knowledge was then employed to design multiple cysteines on the patatin surface to build polymers linked by disulfide bonds, which significantly improved viscidity and nutrient of potato flour dough. Our study shows that deep learning-based protein design strategies are efficient to characterize and to create novel proteins for future food sources.

Aggregation-Induced Emission via the Restriction of the Intramolecular Vibration Mechanism of Pinacol Lanthanide Complexes.

Pinacol lanthanide complexes PyraLn (Ln = Dy and Tb) with the restriction of intramolecular vibration were obtained for the first time via an in situ solvothermal coordination-catalyzed tandem reaction using cheap and simple starting materials, thereby avoiding complex, time-consuming, and expensive conventional organic synthesis strategies. A high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESI-MS) analysis confirmed the stability of PyraLn in an organic solution. The formation process of PyraLn was monitored in detail using time-dependent HRESI-MS, which allowed for proposing a mechanism for the formation of pinacol complexes via in situ tandem reactions under one-pot coordination-catalyzed conditions. The PyraLn complexes constructed using a pinacol ligand with a butterfly configuration exhibited distinct aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior, with the αAIE value as high as 60.42 according to the AIE titration curve. In addition, the PyraLn complexes in the aggregated state exhibit a rapid photoresponse to various 3d metal ions with low detection limits. These findings provide fast, facile, and high-yield access to dynamic, smart lanthanide complex emissions with bright emission and facilitate the rational construction of molecular machines for artificial intelligence.

The dependent correlation between soil multifunctionality and bacterial community across different farmland soils.

Introduction: Microorganisms play a critical role in soil biogeochemical cycles, but it is still debated whether they influence soil biogeochemical processes through community composition and diversity or not. This study aims to investigate variation in bacterial community structure across different soils and its correlation to soil multifunctionality. Soil samples were collected from five typical farmland zones along distinct climatic gradients in China. Methods: The high-throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) of 16S rRNA genes was employed to analyze bacterial community composition in each soil sample. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the difference in soil properties, microbial community and functioning, and their interactions. Results: Cluster and discrimination analysis indicated that bacterial community composition was similar in five tested soil samples, but bacterial richness combined with soil enzyme activities and potential nitrification rate (PNR) contributed most to the differentiations of soil samples. Mantel test analysis revealed that bacterial community composition and richness were more significantly shaped by soil nutrient conditions and edaphic variables than bacterial diversity. As for soil multifunctionality, soil microbial community level physiological profiles were little affected by abiotic and biotic factors, while soil enzymes and PNR were also significantly related to bacterial community composition and richness, in addition to soil N and P availability. Conclusion: Cumulatively, soil enzymes' activities and PNR were greatly dependent on bacterial community composition and richness not diversity, which in turn were greatly modified by soil N and P availability. Therefore, in the future it should be considered for the role of fertilization in the modification of bacterial community and the consequent control of nutrient cycling in soil.

Decorating Metal Nitrate with a Coplanar Bipyridine Moiety: A Simple and General Method for Fabricating Photochromic Complexes.

As a significant class of photochromic materials, crystalline hybrid photochromic materials (CHPMs) have attracted widespread attention of researchers because of their possibilities for generating other photoresponsive properties and advantages in understanding the underlying relationship between structure and photoresponsive performance. The predesign of suitable ligands plays a major role in generating desirable CHPMs. Hitherto, most CHPMs have been built from photodeformable or photoresponsive tectons. However, the synthesis of these ligands is usually time-consuming and expensive, and this greatly restricts their large-scale preparation and practical application. Therefore, it is necessary to explore new families of CHPMs besides the existing CHPMs. Herein, a simple and general method for constructing CHPMs by decorating metal nitrate with a coplanar bipyridine moiety, namely 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), is reported. The resulting products exhibit photocoloration in response to Xe-lamp irradiation. The electron transfer (ET) from the coplanar NO3 - species (as π-electron donors, π-EDs) to coplanar phen moieties (as π-electron acceptors, π-EAs) is responsible for the resulting photochromism. The influence of the coordination environment and central metal ion on the photochromism was also studied. This work demonstrates that the introduction of coplanar organic tectons as π-EAs to metal nitrates as π-EDs with the collaboration of ET and coordination-assembly strategies is a simple and general method to manufacture CHPMs.

Metal-dependent photochromic performance in two isostructural supramolecular chains.

The combination of a conjugated coplanar dipyridine moiety 1,10-phenanthroline (1,10-phen) with a metal carboxylate system produces two isostructural supramolecular chains [M(HBTA)(1,10-phen)2] (M = Zn for 1, M = Cd for 2) (H3BTA = benzene-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid). Both 1 and 2 feature monomeric units as molecular building blocks (MBBs), which further connect with each other to form a supramolecular chain via forming hydrogen bonds with adjacent units. The coordinate linkage of 1,10-phen as π-electron acceptors (π-EAs) and tricarboxylate as electron donors (EDs) results in the electron transfer (ET)-induced photochromic functionality of 1 and 2 in response to Xe-lamp irradiation under ambient conditions. Distinct from the plenty of previous photochromic compounds derived from photosensitive moieties such as pyridinium-derivatives and photodeformable molecules, the photochromism in 1 and 2 is driven by the photoinduced ET between tricarboxylate and non-photochromic 1,10-phen units. Because of the coplanar characteristics of 1,10-phen, the photoactivated samples feature good stability under ambient conditions. More importantly, the resulting photochromism of isostructural 1 and 2 could be modulated by the category of metal ions, which is totally different from the previous works with focus on the design of organic ligands. Considering the great varieties of carboxylate ligands, this work offers a general method for the construction of photochromic complexes via integrating coplanar 1,10-phen units with metal-carboxylate systems under the guidance of the ET mechanism and MBB assembly strategy and modulating the photochromism of the resultant isostructural products via tuning the category of metal ions.

Facile cyclization of sodium aminodiboranate to construct a boron-nitrogen-hydrogen ring.

A facile and efficient cyclization of sodium aminodiboranate to construct a boron-nitrogen-hydrogen ring is presented. This new strategy can be developed into a general method to prepare aminodiborane and its derivatives. Theoretical calculations show that a one-step cyclization mechanism is favored, where the dihydrogen bond plays an important role.

Coordinate bond- and hydrogen bond-assisted electron transfer strategy towards the generation of photochromic metal phosphites.

Grafting conjugated dipyridine derivatives, BPB (1,4-bis(pyrid-4-yl)benzene) and BPBP (4,4'-di(pyridin-4-yl)-1,1'-biphenyl), to a metal phosphite system yields two hybrid zincophosphites [Zn2(HPO3)2(BPB)]·0.5DMF (1, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) and [H2BPBP]3·[Zn5Cl8(HPO3)4]·2H2O (2). 1 shows a hybrid layer with the inorganic zincophosphite chains as building blocks. 2 shows isolated pentanuclear Zn clusters in which four phosphite moieties as a bridging ligand, together with eight chloride ions as terminal ligands, bond with five Zn ions to produce anionic inorganic clusters. The negative charge was compensated by the protonated dipyridine derivative species, which was located in the intercluster voids and interplays with the adjacent clusters via N-HO-P hydrogen bonds. Interestingly, 1 and 2 show photochromism driven by the coordinate bond- and hydrogen bond-assisted electron transfer (ET) under the stimulus of Xe lamp irradiation in ambient conditions. Although 1 and 2 had similar constituents in terms of electron donors (EDs) and electron acceptors (EAs), they exhibited distinct photochromic mechanism with ligand-to-ligand ET (LLET) for 1 and proton-coupled ET (PCET) for 2. Unlike the majority of previous hybrid photochromic materials supported by photo-responsive species, the photochromism in 1 and 2 was based on the ET between phosphite and non-photochromic dipyridine derivative units. Our work provides a general strategy towards the design of photochromic hybrid phosphites by integrating conjugated dipyridine- or polypyridine derivative units with metal phosphites.

In Situ Seed-Mediated Growth of Polymer-Grafted Gold Nanoparticles.

We report a facile yet general in situ seed-mediated method for the synthesis of polymer-grafted gold nanoparticles with narrow size distributions (<10%), accurately tunable sizes, and excellent colloidal stability. This method can be extended to a broad range of types and molecular weights of polymer ligands. Nanoparticles with different shapes can also be prepared by using preformed shaped nanoparticles directly as the seeds.

[Effect of Increasing Tidewater Inundation on Porewater Geochemistries and CO2 and CH4 Effluxes in the Tidal Freshwater Marshes of the Minjiang River Estuary, Southeast China].

While the effect of increasing tidewater inundation caused by sea-level rise on carbon cycling had been well studied in saltmarshes, little is known about the effect of increasing tidewater inundation on CO2 and CH4 effluxes in the tidal freshwater marsh soils. Herein, the effects of tide inundation on porewater geochemistries (NH4+, NO3-, DOC, dissolved CH4, and DIC) and CH4 and CO2 effluxes were examined in the soils of tidal freshwater marshes in the Minjiang River Estuary, East China Sea. By applying "mesocosm" and a simulated tide pool, the tide inundation height increased by 15 cm and 30 cm over the control (CK). The CO2 effluxes decreased by 28.53% and 36.56%, and the dissolved CH4 concentrations increased by 47.83% and 73.91%, in treatments (CK+15 cm) and (CK+30 cm), respectively. The CH4 effluxes did not change significantly in the treatment (CK+15 cm), but increased by 29.27% in treatment (CK+30 cm). The increasing tidewater inundation had no significant impact on DOC concentrations, but increased NH4+ concentrations and decreased DIC and NO3- concentrations. Increasing tide inundation also reduced the temperature sensitivity of CH4 and CO2 effluxes. The study highlighted that the sea level rise-induced increase in tidewater inundation would decrease the annual global warming potential of tidal freshwater wetlands by 28% and 35% in the next 50 and 100 years, respectively.

Long noncoding RNA SBF2-AS1 act as a ceRNA to modulate cell proliferation via binding with miR-188-5p in acute myeloid leukemia.

LncRNA SBF2-AS1 has been reported to be implicated in the deterioration of multiple human cancers. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms of SBF2-AS1 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are still unclear. In the present study, the online GEPIA database showed that SBF2-AS1 expression was significantly increased in AML samples. QRT-PCR results showed that SBF2-AS1 expression was upregulated in AML cells. CCK-8 assay revealed that SBF2-AS1 inhibition decreased AML cells proliferation ability in vitro. Flow cytometry assays showed that SBF2-AS1 inhibition induced AML cells apoptosis and arrested AML cells in G0/G1 phase. Mechanistically, miR-188-5p was identified as a direct target of SBF2-AS1. SBF2-AS1 upregulated the expression level of ZFP91 by sponging miR-188-5p. And the effects of SBF2-AS1 suppression on AML cells progression could be abolished by miR-188-5p inhibitors. Moreover, we found that SBF2-AS1 inhibition reduced tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, our findings elucidated that SBF2-AS1 could act as a miRNA sponge in AML progression, and provided a potential therapeutic strategy for AML treatment.

Phosphine Oxide Ligand Based Tetrahedral CoII Complexes with Field-induced Slow Magnetic Relaxation Behavior Modified by Terminal Ligands.

Two isostructural mononuclear CoII complexes, [Co(xantpo)(NCE)2 ] (E=S (1) and O (2); xantpo=9,9-dimethyl-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphoryl) xanthene), supported by a bidentate phosphine oxide ligand are reported. The cobalt complexes exhibit characteristic tetrahedral structures coordinated with two oxygen and two nitrogen atoms. Magnetic property measurements show their similar static magnetic behaviours but very different dynamic magnetic behaviours. Both complexes show field-induced slow magnetic relaxation behaviours, but the relaxation of 2 is much slower than that of 1. Fittings to the magnetic data and ab initio CASSCF calculations reveal significant changes in the zero field splitting (ZFS) parameters (D and E), which can be attributed to the small geometrical changes of the Co ions and the different ligand field strength of the two terminal ligands.

[Parallel Factor Analysis of Fluorescence Excitation Emission Matrix Spectroscopy of CDOM from the Mid-culture Period of Shrimp Ponds in a Subtropical Estuary].

Components of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) from eight coastal land-based shrimp ponds in the Minjiang, Mulan, and Jiulong rivers of subtropical southeastern China were determined by fluorescence excitation emission matrix spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis (EEMs-PARAFAC). Four separate fluorescence components, including two protein-like components (C1, C4) and two humic-like components (C2, C3), were identified as the dominant components of the CDOM in these shrimp ponds. The fluorescence indices (FI, BIX, and HIX) suggest that the CDOM of shrimp ponds shows low humification and is mainly derived from spontaneous sources. The protein-like and humic-like components have similar sources and exhibit a similar geochemical behavior. The salinity is negatively correlated with all CDOM fractions, whereas the DOC concentrations show only a positive correlation with the humic fractions of the CDOM. This study provides a scientific basis for the photochemical properties of CDOM in shrimp ponds.

Development of a centrally vascularized tissue engineering bone graft with the unique core-shell composite structure for large femoral bone defect treatment.

Great effort has been spent to promote the vascularization of tissue engineering bone grafts (TEBG) for improved therapeutic outcome. However, the thorough vascularization especially in the central region still remained as a major challenge for the clinical translation of TEBG. Here, we developed a new strategy to construct a centrally vascularized TEBG (CV-TEBG) with unique core-shell composite structure, which is consisted of an angiogenic core and an osteogenic shell. The in vivo evaluation in rabbit critical sized femoral defect was conducted to meticulously compare CV-TEBG to other TEBG designs (TEBG with osteogenic shell alone, or angiogenic core alone or angiogenic core+shell). Microfil-enhanced micro-CT analysis has been shown that CV-TEBG could outperform TEBG with pure osteogenic or angiogenic component for neo-vascularization. CV-TEBG achieved a much higher and more homogenous vascularization throughout the whole scaffold (1.52-38.91 folds, p < 0.01), and generated a unique burrito-like vascular network structure to perfuse both the central and peripheral regions of TEBG, indicating a potential synergistic effect between the osteogenic shell and angiogenic core in CV-TEBG to enhance neo-vascularization. Moreover, CV-TEBG has generated more new bone tissue than other groups (1.99-83.50 folds, p < 0.01), achieved successful bridging defect with the formation of both cortical bone like tissue externally and cancellous bone like tissue internally, and restored approximately 80% of the stiffness of the defected femur (benchmarked to the intact femur). It has been further observed that different bone regeneration patterns occurred in different TEBG implants and closely related to their vascularization patterns, revealing the potential profound influence of vascularization patterns on the osteogenesis pattern during defect healing.

Pd supported on carbon containing nickel, nitrogen and sulfur for ethanol electrooxidation.

Carbon material containing nickel, nitrogen and sulfur (Ni-NSC) has been synthesized using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as precursor by annealing treatment with a size from 200 to 300 nm. Pd nanoparticles supported on the Ni-NSC (Pd/Ni-NSC) are used as electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. Due to the synergistic effect between Pd and Ni, S, N, free OH radicals can form on the surface of Ni, N and S atoms at lower potentials, which react with CH3CO intermediate species on the Pd surface to produce CH3COO- and release the active sites. On the other hand, the stronger binding force between Pd and co-doped N and S is responsible for enhancing dispersion and preventing agglomeration of the Pd nanoparticles. The Pd(20 wt%)/Ni-NSC shows better electrochemical performance of ethanol oxidation than the traditional commercial Pd(20 wt%)/C catalyst. Onset potential on the Pd(20 wt%)/Ni-NSC electrode is 36 mV more negative compared with that on the commercial Pd(20 wt%)/C electrode. The Pd(20 wt%)/Ni-NSC in this paper demonstrates to have excellent electrocatalytic properties and is considered as a promising catalyst in alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells.

Chiral Plasmonic Nanochains via the Self-Assembly of Gold Nanorods and Helical Glutathione Oligomers Facilitated by Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide Micelles.

Gold nanorods are excellent anisotropic building blocks for plasmonic chiral nanostructures. The near-infrared plasmonic band of nanorods makes them highly desirable for biomedical applications such as chiral bioimaging and sensing, in which a strong circular dichroism (CD) signal is required. Chiral assemblies of gold nanorods induced by self-associating peptides are especially attractive for this purpose as they exhibit plasmonic-enhanced chiroptical activity. Here, we showed that the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles in a gold nanorod solution promoted the self-association of l-/d-glutathione (GSH) and significantly enhanced the chirality of the resulting plasmonic nanochains. Chiroptical signals for the ensemble in the presence of CTAB micelles were 20 times greater than those obtained below the critical micelle concentration of CTAB. The strong optical activity was attributed to the formation of helical GSH oligomers in the hydrophobic core of the CTAB micelles. The helical GSH oligomers led the nanorods to assemble in a chiral, end-to-end crossed fashion. The CD signal intensities were also proportional to the fraction of nanorods in the nanochains. In addition, finite-difference time-domain simulations agreed well with the experimental extinction and CD spectra. Our work demonstrated a substantial effect from the CTAB micelles on gold nanoparticle assemblies induced by biomolecules and showed the importance of size matching between the inorganic nanobuilding blocks and the chiral molecular templates (i.e., the GSH oligomers in the present case) in order to attain strong chiroptical activities.

An early biomarker and potential therapeutic target of RUNX 3 hypermethylation in breast cancer, a system review and meta-analysis.

Runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) methylation plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of breast cancer (BC). However, the association between RUNX3 hypermethylation and significance of BC remains under investigation. The purpose of this study is to perform a meta-analysis and literature review to evaluate the clinicopathological significance of RUNX3 hypermethylation in BC. A comprehensive literature search was performed in Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library Database, CNKI and Google scholar. A total of 10 studies and 747 patients were included for the meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) were evaluated and summarized respectively. RUNX3 hypermethylation was significantly correlated with the risk of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), OR was 50.37, p < 0.00001 and 22.66, p < 0.00001 respectively. Interestingly, the frequency of RUNX3 hypermethylation increased in estrogen receptor (ER) positive BC, OR was 12.12, p = 0.005. High RUNX3 mRNA expression was strongly associated with better relapse-free survival (RFS) in BC patients. In summary, RUNX3 methylation could be a promising early biomarker for the diagnosis of BC. High RUNX3 mRNA expression is correlated to better RFS in BC patients. RUNX3 could be a potential therapeutic target for the development of personalized therapy.

Danhong injection attenuates isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy by regulating p38 and NF-κb pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Danhong injection (DHI), derived from Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., Labiatae, Danshen in Chinese) and Flos Carthami (Carthamus tinctorius L., Compositae, Salvia militiorrhiza Bunge), is an extensively-used Chinese material standardized clinical product for treatment of cardiovascular diseases. AIM OF THE STUDY: Cardiac hypertrophy (CH) is an adaptive response of cardiomyocytes. Long-lasting cardiac hypertrophy results in the loss of compensation by cardiomyocytes which could ultimately develop into heart failure. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect and exact mechanisms of DHI on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced CH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: H9c2 cells and male Wistar rats were stimulated by ISO in the present study to establish CH models in vitro and in vivo. CCk-8 assay, Western blot, real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and Echocardiography were used in the present study. RESULTS: DHI significantly attenuated ISO-induced CH of H9c2 cells (p<0.01). DHI decreased ISO-induced atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) elevation both at the mRNA and protein levels (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). Western blot showed that DHI down-regulated the phosphorylation of p38. Furthermore, we found that DHI inhibited the nuclear translocation and activation of NF-κb. Echocardiography from ISO-induced CH rats showed that DHI significantly decreased left ventricle (LV) mass, the thickness of the LV end-systolic posterior wall (LVPWs), and the LV end-diastolic posterior wall (LVPWd) elevated by ISO (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that DHI might exert anti-cardiac hypertrophic effects by regulating p38 and NF-κb pathway.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Chinese herbal medicine granules for the treatment of menopausal symptoms by stages.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Chinese herbal medicine granules Danzhi Qing'e formula (DZQE), Erzhi formula (EZ), and their combination (Combined formula) in the treatment of menopausal symptoms at different stages of menopause. METHODS: Women between the ages of 40 to 60 years, who met menopausal symptoms diagnostic criteria and experienced hot flushes at least 14 times/week in the last 4 weeks, were recruited to participate in a stratified randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (n = 389). They received a treatment period of 8 weeks and were followed up for 4 weeks. Participants were categorized into two subgroups: 197 in the perimenopausal subgroup (menstrual disorder to 1 y after amenorrhea) and 192 in the early postmenopausal subgroup (1-5 y after amenorrhea). Participants were randomly assigned to placebo or one of the three herbal formula treatments. The primary outcome instrument was the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire. RESULTS: When analyzing the two subgroups together, DZQE markedly decreased the MENQOL total score at the end of 12th week with statistical significance (P = 0.02) and improved vasomotor symptoms after 8 weeks treatment and 4 weeks follow-up (P < 0.05). What is more, the combined formula also greatly improved the participants' vasomotor symptoms compared with placebo after the 4 weeks follow-up. No statistically meaningful difference was observed in any other outcomes among the groups. The results of subgroup analysis showed that DZQE and Combined formula were more effective than placebo in improving MENQOL total score for perimenopausal women at the end of week 12. For typical menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, DZQE displayed more favorable effects on early postmenopausal participants. Compared to placebo, the DZQE both showed statistically significant differences after 8 weeks treatment and 4 weeks follow-up. Although at the end of 12th week, DZQE also had better effects than placebo in the perimenopausal subgroup on vasomotor symptoms. Participants in the EZ group did not show a significant difference of any domains in MENQOL compared with participants in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: The DZQE formula improves the quality of life for menopausal women, especially for those with vasomotor symptoms during the whole menopausal period. The DZQE and EZ combination formula is effective only on perimenopausal symptoms.

Electroacupuncture for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Electroacupuncture (EA) is an extension technique of acupuncture based on traditional acupuncture combined with modern electrotherapy. Here, we conducted a systematic review specifically to assess the effectiveness and safety of EA for acute ischemic stroke. Eight databases were searched for randomized-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of EA for acute ischemic stroke published from inception to June 2013. Ultimately, 67 studies claimed to be RCTs. Eighteen studies with 1411 individuals were selected for the analyses, which got ≥ 4 "yes" in the domains of Cochrane risk of bias tool. The meta-analysis showed a significant effect of EA for improving Barthel Index (p < 0.00001), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (p < 0.00001), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (p < 0.00001), and Revised Scandinavian Stroke Scale (p < 0.00001) compared with western conventional treatments (WCTs). In an analysis of the total clinical efficacy rate, there was a significant difference between EA and WCTs (p=0.0002). Adverse effects were monitored in 6 studies, and were well tolerated in all stroke patients. According to the GRADE approach, the quality of evidence was mostly high or moderate. In conclusion, this systematic review revealed the evidence in support of the use of EA for acute ischemic stroke, although further larger sample-size and rigorously designed RCTs are required.