Humanistic Spirit Contained in Traditional Chinese Medicine should Be Valued.

Medicine is a science studying human's health and diseases as well as the regularity between them. Its research subject is human, who possess natural attribute, psychological attribute and social attribute. Therefore, medicine is bound to possess humanistic attribute. Rooted in Chinese traditional culture, Traditional Chinese Medicine contains abundant humanistic thoughts, for instance, pursuing the unity of human and nature, advocating the vital importance of life, sticking to the virtue of "medicine being humane art", abiding by the principle of "Benevolence prior to interest", complying with the medical rule of "Respecting peers". These are the very concrete reflections of medical humanistic spirit. In this article we aim to explore the humanistic thoughts contained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and try to inherit and carry forward the spirit to better relieve the tensions between doctors and patients and improve the quality of medical services.

Optimal bidding strategy of a wind power producer in Chinese spot market considering green certificate trading.

In China, wind power producers will participate in the spot market as strategic producers. They should submit offering prices and forecasted production to the independent system operator. Intraprovincial and interprovincial green certificate trading, as a mechanism to promote the development of wind power, is advanced in parallel with the spot market. Studying the bidding strategies of wind power producers in the spot market, especially with the introduction of intraprovincial and interprovincial green certificate trading, has great practical significance for the stable operation of wind power producers and the construction of a renewable energy-friendly electricity market. This paper proposes a bi-level stochastic model to simulate the bidding strategy of a wind power producer in the spot market. The upper level problem of the model describes the decision-making process of the wind power producer, and the lower level problems include the clearing process of the spot market and the TGC market, in which the spot market includes the day-ahead market and the balance market, and the TGC market includes the intraprovincial and interprovincial TGC markets. Then, using Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions, the strong duality theorem, and the big M method, the bi-level model is recast into a mixed integer linear (MIL) model convenient to be solved. Finally, an example is given to analyze the wind power producer's optimal bidding strategy under different electricity market environments and different wind power penetration levels.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy and glycemic variability assessed by continuous glucose monitoring: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-derived metrics have been used to accurately assess glycemic variability (GV) to facilitate management of diabetes mellitus, yet their relationship with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is not fully understood. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between GV metrics and the risk of developing DPN. Nine studies totaling 3,649 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus were included. A significant association was found between increased GV, as indicated by metrics including standard deviation (SD) with OR and 95% CI of 2.58 (1.45-4.57), mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) with OR and 95% CI of 1.90 (1.01-3.58), mean of daily difference (MODD) with OR and 95% CI of 2.88 (2.17-3.81) and the incidence of DPN. Our findings support a link between higher GV and an increased risk of DPN in patients with diabetes. These findings highlight the potential of GV metrics as indicators for the development of DPN, advocating for their inclusion in diabetes management strategies to potentially mitigate neuropathy risk. Longitudinal studies with longer observation periods and larger sample sizes are necessary to validate these associations across diverse populations.

Cinnamaldehyde attenuates streptozocin-induced diabetic osteoporosis in a rat model by modulating netrin-1/DCC-UNC5B signal transduction.

Background: Cinnamaldehyde (CMD) is a major functional component of Cinnamomum verum and has shown treatment effects against diverse bone diseases. This study aimed to assess the anti-diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) potential of diabetes mellitus (DM) and to explore the underlying mechanism driving the activity of CMD. Methods: A DOP model was induced via an intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (STZ) into Sprague-Dawley rats, and then two different doses of CMD were administered to the rats. The effects of CMD on the strength, remodeling activity, and histological structure of the bones were assessed. Changes in the netrin-1 related pathways also were detected to elucidate the mechanism of the anti-DOP activity by CMD. Results: CMD had no significant effect on the body weight or blood glucose level of the model rats. However, the data showed that CMD improved the bone strength and bone remodeling activity as well as attenuating the bone structure destruction in the DOP rats in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of netrin-1, DCC, UNC5B, RANKL, and OPG was suppressed, while the expression of TGF-ß1, cathepsin K, TRAP, and RANK was induced by the STZ injection. CMD administration restored the expression of all of these indicators at both the mRNA and protein levels, indicating that the osteoclast activity was inhibited by CMD. Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that CMD effectively attenuated bone impairments associated with DM in a STZ-induced DOP rat model, and the anti-DOP effects of CMD were associated with the modulation of netrin-1/DCC/UNC5B signal transduction.

Jinmaitong alleviates diabetic neuropathic pain by inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 signaling in microglia of diabetic rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Jinmaitong (JMT) is a prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine that is composed of 12 crude drugs. It has been used in the treatment of diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) for more than 30 years. AIM OF STUDY: Microglia are thought to play an important role in neuropathic pain. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of JMT against DNP and to investigate the underlying mechanisms in which the microglia and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway were mainly involved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chemical composition of JMT was analyzed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The diabetes model was constructed using 11 to 12-week-old male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat (fa/fa). The model rats were divided into 5 groups and were given JMT at three dosages (11.6, 23.2, and 46.4 g/kg, respectively, calculated as the crude drug materials), JAK inhibitor AG490 (positive drug, 10 µg/day), and placebo (deionized water), respectively, for eight weeks (n = 6). Meanwhile, Zucker lean controls (fa/+) were given a placebo (n = 6). Body weight was tested weekly and blood glucose was monitored every 2 weeks. The mechanical allodynia and heat hyperalgesia were assessed using mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) tests. After treatment, the microglia activation marker Iba-1, CD11B, CD68, neuroinflammatory mediators, and mediators of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway were compared between different groups. The mRNA and protein levels of target genes were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR and Western Blot, respectively. RESULTS: We found that JMT significantly inhibited the overactivation of microglia in spinal cords, and suppressed neuroinflammation of DNP model rats, thereby ameliorating neurological dysfunction and injuries. Furthermore, these effects of JMT could be attributed to the inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that JMT effectively ameliorated DNP by modulating microglia activation via inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. The present study provided a basis for further research on the therapeutic strategies of DNP.

Quercetin protects rat dorsal root ganglion neurons against high glucose-induced injury in vitro through Nrf-2/HO-1 activation and NF-κB inhibition.

AIM: To examine the effects of quercetin, a natural antioxidant, on high glucose (HG)-induced apoptosis of cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons of rats. METHODS: DRG neurons exposed to HG (45 mmol/L) for 24 h were employed as an in vitro model of diabetic neuropathy. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and apoptosis were determined. The expression of NF-кB, IкBα, phosphorylated IкBα and Nrf2 was examined using RT PCR and Western blot assay. The expression of hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1), IL-6, TNF-α, iNOS, COX-2, and caspase-3 were also examined. RESULTS: HG treatment markedly increased DRG neuron apoptosis via increasing intracellular ROS level and activating the NF-κB signaling pathway. Co-treatment with quercetin (2.5, 5, and 10 mmol/L) dose-dependently decreased HG-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis. Quercetin could directly scavenge ROS and significantly increased the expression of Nrf-2 and HO-1 in DRG neurons. Quercetin also dose-dependently inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway and suppressed the expression of iNOS, COX-2, and proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. CONCLUSION: Quercetin protects rat DRG neurons against HG-induced injury in vitro through Nrf-2/HO-1 activation and NF-κB inhibition, thus may be beneficial for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy.

Efficacy and Safety of Mulberry Twig Alkaloids Tablet for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Multicenter Clinical Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of mulberry twig alkaloids (Sangzhi alkaloids, SZ-A) for treatment of type 2 diabetes in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial. METHODS: A total of 200 patients were randomized to receive SZ-A (n=100) or placebo (n=100) for 16 weeks. The data analysis system for electronic data capture clinical trial central randomization system was used for randomization and dispensing of drugs. The primary outcome was the change in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level. The secondary outcome included the proportions of cases with HbA1c <7.0% and HbA1c <6.5%, fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PBG), area under curve for the PBG (AUC0-2h), body weight, and body mass index (BMI). Adverse events (AEs), severe adverse events (SAEs), treatment-related adverse events (TAEs), gastrointestinal disorders (GDs), blood pressure, routine blood tests, and liver and kidney function were monitored. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, the change of HbA1c at week 16 was -0.80% (95% CI: -0.98% to -0.62%) and -0.09% (95% CI: -0.27% to 0.09%) in SZ-A group and placebo group, respectively. The proportion of patients with HbA1c <7% and <6.5% was higher in the SZ-A group than in the placebo group (46.8% vs. 21.6% and 29.9% vs. 10.8%). The observed values and changes in FBG, 1 h-PBG, 2 h-PBG, and AUC0-2h differed significantly between groups (P<0.001), but differences were not significant in body weight and BMI (P>0.05). The incidence rates of AEs, TAEs, and GDs differed significantly between groups (P=0.010, P=0.005, and P=0.006, respectively), whereas the incidence rates of SAEs showed no significant differences between groups (P=1.000). CONCLUSION: SZ-A are effective and safe for treatment of type 2 diabetes. The protocol was registered in http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=60117 (ChiCTR2000038550).

Discerning drivers and future reduction paths of energy-related CO2 emissions in China: combining EKC with three-layer LMDI.

Recognizing the process and identifying the drivers of energy-related CO2 emissions can provide suggestions for designing carbon emission reduction paths, and then promote the further reduction of carbon emission. In this paper, the carbon emissions in China and its subordinate provinces during 2005-2017 are firstly divided into four stages, named S1, S2, S3, and S4. The results show that China has just entered the S3, and it is impossible to reach the peak of energy-related CO2 emissions with steady economic growth before 2030. Then, three-layer LMDI is utilized to explore the drivers of CO2 emissions, and the impact of urbanization which is separated from the population is considered innovatively. The economic development increases CO2 emissions, while the other drivers have diverse effects, which may be positive or negative, on carbon emissions in different regions. Therefore, four emission reduction paths with provincial characteristics should be followed in the future: (i) three provinces, namely, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Xinjiang, should optimize multiple basic objectives in parallel; (ii) four provinces, such as Inner Mongolia and Hainan, should optimize the energy structure; (iii) six provinces, such as Jiangxi and Hunan, should optimize the industry structure; and (iv) the other provinces should develop new clean energy according to regional conditions.

Jinmaitong Alleviates Diabetic Neuropathic Pain Through Modulation of NLRP3 Inflammasome and Gasdermin D in Dorsal Root Ganglia of Diabetic Rats.

Jinmaitong (JMT) is a compound prescription of traditional Chinese medicine that has been used to treat diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) for many years. Here, we investigated the effects of JMT on the activation of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and pyroptosis in Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of diabetic rats. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were gavaged with JMT (0.88 g/kg/d) or alpha-lipoic acid (ALA, positive control, 0.48 mmol/kg/d) for 12 weeks. Distilled water was administered as a vehicle control to both diabetic and non-affected control rats. Blood glucose levels and body weights were measured. Behavioral changes were tested with mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and tail-flick latency (TFL) tests. Morphological injury associated with DRG was observed with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Nissl's staining. mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3 inflammasome components (NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1), downstream IL-1ß and gasdermin D (GSDMD) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, quantitative real time-PCR and western blot. The results showed that JMT had no effect on blood glucose levels and body weights, but significantly improved MWT and TFL behavior in diabetic rats, and attenuated morphological damage in the DRG tissues. Importantly, JMT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of components of NLRP3 inflammasome, including NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1. JMT also down-regulated the expression of IL-1ß and GSDMD in the DRG of DNP rats. In addition, ALA treatment did not perform better than JMT. In conclusion, JMT effectively relieved DNP by decreasing NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis, providing new evidence supporting JMT as an alternative treatment for DNP.

Efficacy and Safety of Mulberry Twig Alkaloids Tablet for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Double-Dummy, and Parallel Controlled Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mulberry twig alkaloids (Sangzhi alkaloids [SZ-A]) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, and parallel controlled noninferiority clinical trial that was conducted for 24 weeks. A total of 600 patients were randomly allocated to the SZ-A group (n = 360) or acarbose group (n = 240). The primary efficacy end point was the change of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) compared with baseline. In addition, adverse events (AEs), severe AEs (SAEs), treatment-related AEs (TAEs), and gastrointestinal disorders (GDs) were monitored. RESULTS: After treatment for 24 weeks, the change in HbA1c was -0.93% (95% CI -1.03 to -0.83) (-10.2 mmol/mol [-11.3 to -9.1]) and -0.87% (-0.99 to -0.76) (-9.5 mmol/mol [-10.8 to -8.3]) in the SZ-A and acarbose groups, respectively, and the least squares mean difference was -0.05% (95% CI -0.18 to 0.07) (-0.5 mmol/mol [-2.0 to 0.8]) between the two groups, with no significant difference on the basis of covariance analysis (P > 0.05). The incidence of TAEs and GDs was significantly lower in the SZ-A group than the acarbose group (P < 0.01), but no differences for AEs or SAEs between the two groups were observed (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SZ-A exhibited equivalent hypoglycemic effects to acarbose in patients with T2D. Nevertheless, the incidence of TAEs and GDs was lower following SZ-A treatment than acarbose treatment, suggesting good safety.

[Survey of current studies of effects of traditional Chinese medicine on nerve growth factor and diabetic peripheral neuropathy].

Nerve growth factor(NGF) is closely ralated to the occurrence and development of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Traditional Chinese medicine has certain effects on the promotion of NGF expression. It analyzes the relationship of NGF and DPN and the effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine on them as well as the existing problems and looks into the future research in this domain.

How quota allocation affects the unified ETS of China: a simulation with dynamic CGE model.

The national unified carbon trading market has been officially launched at the end of 2017. The carbon emission quotas should be primary concern, which can be allocated in the form of free and paid ways. However, few literatures studied the economic and environmental impacts of quotas allocation. Thus, this paper constructs 7 scenarios and employs a dynamic, recursive computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to simulate carbon trading market, to probe the relationship between quota allocation and carbon price, and the economic and environmental impact of carbon trading scheme (ETS). Empirical results indicate (1) carbon price has an upward trend with time, which reflects a corresponding increase in emission reduction pressure. Specifically, carbon price increases from 12.44-90.57 CNY/t in 2017 to 65.20-523.44 CNY/t in 2030. In addition, whether under carbon intensity criterion (CIC) or carbon emission criterion (CEC), there is a positive relationship between carbon price and free allocation ratio due to the change of the relationship between supply and demand of quota. With a given free allocation ratio, the price formed with CIC grows faster than that with CEC. (2) Compared with the benchmark scenario, the GDP of China decreases in all scenarios. However, a high level of free allocation ratio combined with CIC may prevent GDP dropping too fast. (3) As for industrial output, covered industries in ETS undertake the largest output losses with an average decline by 4.03-13.60%. Similar to GDP variation, a high free allocation ratio combined with CIC is helpful for sustainable development of industry. (4) Carbon trading has a remarkable effect on emission reductions both in covered and uncovered industries of ETS. Free allocation will reduce market efficiency, which implies it should be cut down gradually at the later stages.

A novel optimal-hybrid model for daily air quality index prediction considering air pollutant factors.

Accurate and reliable air quality index (AQI) forecasting is extremely crucial for ecological environment and public health. A novel optimal-hybrid model, which fuses the advantage of secondary decomposition (SD), AI method and optimization algorithm, is developed for AQI forecasting in this paper. In the proposed SD method, wavelet decomposition (WD) is chosen as the primary decomposition technique to generate a high frequency detail sequence WD(D) and a low frequency approximation sequence WD(A). Variational mode decomposition (VMD) improved by sample entropy (SE) is adopted to smooth the WD(D), then long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network with good ability of learning and time series memory is applied to make it easy to be predicted. Least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) with the parameters optimized by the Bat algorithm (BA) considers air pollutant factors including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, CO, NO2 and O3, which is suitable for forecasting WD(A) that retains original information of AQI series. The ultimate forecast result of AQI can be obtained by accumulating the prediction values of each subseries. Notably, the proposed idea not only gives full play to the advantages of conventional SD, but solve the problem that the traditional time series prediction model based on decomposition technology can not consider the influential factors. Additionally, two daily AQI series from December 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 respectively collected from Beijing and Guilin located in China are utilized as the case studies to verify the proposed model. Comprehensive comparisons with a set of evaluation indices indicate that the proposed optimal-hybrid model comprehensively captures the characteristics of the original AQI series and has high correct rate of forecasting AQI classes.

Effect of Jinmaitong serum on the proliferation of rat Schwann cells cultured in high glucose medium.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Jinmaitong (JMT) serum on the proliferation of rat Schwann cells (SCs) primarily cultured in high glucose medium. METHOD: SCs were primarily cultured in Dulbecco's minmum essential medium (DMEM control), 50 mmol/L glucose medium (50 mmol/L Glu), 75 mmol/L glucose medium (75 mmol/L Glu), as well as 50 mmol/L glucose medium, with different concentrations of JMT serum (undiluted, 1:2 diluted and 1:8 diluted) and Neurotropin (Ntp), respectively. The proliferation of SCs under different conditions was detected by MTT. RESULT: SCs grew exuberantly in DMEM within 24-72 h, but slowed down at 96 h. The proliferation of SCs was inhibited in 50 mmol/L Glu and 75 mmol/L Glu after cultures of 48, 72 and 96 h, which showed that both were significantly different compared to the control group (P<0.01). The inhibition was more significant in 75 mmol/L Glu than in 50 mmol/L Glu (P<0.05). Spearman's rho analysis revealed that the proliferation of SCs had a negative correlation with the concentration of glucose (r=-0.471, P<0.01). Excluding the time factor, partial correlation showed similar results (r=-0.679, P<0.01). After 48 h, the proliferation of SCs increased significantly in JMT1:2 and Ntp compared with 50 mmol/L Glu (control 0.437+or-0.019, 50 mmol/L Glu 0.367+or-0.035, JMT1:2 0.426+or-0.024, Ntp 0.422+or-0.013; P<0.01), and there were no statistically significant differences among the JMT groups, the Ntp group and the control group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The proliferation of SCs was inhibited in high glucose medium, and the inhibition was reduced by different concentrations of JMT serum, especially at JMT1:2.

[Effects of Jinmaitong capsule on nerve growth factor in diabetic rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Jinmaitong Capsule (JMT) on the expression of NGF and NGF mRNA in STZ-induced diabetic rats. METHOD: Fifty SZT-induced diabetic rats were randomly divided into 5 groups including model group, low-dose JMT group (treated with JMT similar to the quintupling dose of adult recommended dosage), middle-dose JMT group (treated with JMT similar to the decuple dose of adult recommended dosage), high-dose JMT group (treated with JMT similar to the twenty-fold dose of adult recommended dosage) and Neurotropin group (treated with Neurotropin similar to the decuple dose of adult recommended dosage). Ten normal rats matching with weight and age served as normal control group. All rats were given intragastric administration for 16 weeks and then killed. Body weight and blood glucose were detected before and at the 4, 8, 12, 16th week after treatment. The hydrothermal tail-flick and pain threshold to mechanical stimulation with Von Frey filament were carried out before death. The expression of NGF and NGF-mRNA in sciatic nerve were detected by SABC immunohistochemical method and real-time fluorogenetic quantitative PCR respectively. RESULT: The blood glucose levels of STZ-DM rats were much higher than those of normal rats (P < 0.01). In all the treated groups, there were no significant differences among them compared each other or compared with model group. And it got the same result when concerning about body weight no matter how the rats were dealt with. Hydrothermal tail-flick test: The tail-flick latency of STZ-DM rats were much longer than those of normal rats (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Compared with model group, the time shortened significantly in low, middle-dose of JMT groups and Neutrophin group. Compared with normal group, the pain thresholds of model group decreased extremely (P < 0.01). Compared with model group, the threshold values of low-dose, middle-dose JMT group and neutrophin group raised strikingly (P < 0.05). The levels of NGF-mRNA expression in STZ-DM rats were much lower than those of the normal rats (P < 0.01). Compared with model group, NGF-mRNA expression of middle-dose JMT group and Neurotropin group upregulated noticeably (P < 0.01). The integrated option density of NGF expression in STZ-DM rats was much lower than the normal (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). And the levels of NGF in all the treated groups increased notably compared with model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). There were no significant differences among middle-dose JMT group and Neutrophin group. CONCLUSION: Traditional Chinese medicine JMT could up-regulate the expression of NGF and NGF-mRNA in sciatic nerve.

Lentinan inhibits tumor angiogenesis via interferon γ and in a T cell independent manner.

BACKGROUND: Antiangiogenic agents are commonly used in lung and colon cancer treatments, however, rapid development of drug resistance limits their efficacy. METHODS: Lentinan (LNT) is a biologically active compound extracted from Lentinus edodes. The effects of LNT on tumor angiogenesis were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in murine LAP0297 lung and CT26 colorectal tumor models. The impacts of LNT on immune cells and gene expression in tumor tissues were determined by flow cytometry, qPCR, and ELISA. Nude mice and IFNγ blockade were used to investigate the mechanism of LNT affecting on tumor angiogenesis. The data sets were compared using two-tailed student's t tests or ANOVA. RESULTS: We found that LNT inhibited tumor angiogenesis and the growth of lung and colon cancers. LNT treatments elevated the expression of angiostatic factors such as IFNγ and also increased tumor infiltration of IFNγ-expressing T cells and myeloid cells. Interestingly, IFNγ blockade, but not T cell deficiency, reversed the effects of LNT treatments on tumor blood vessels. Moreover, long-lasting LNT administration persistently suppressed tumor angiogenesis and inhibited tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: LNT inhibits tumor angiogenesis by increasing IFNγ production and in a T cell-independent manner. Our findings suggest that LNT could be developed as a new antiangiogenic agent for long-term treatment of lung and colon cancers.

[Survey of current experimental studies of effects of traditional Chinese compound recipe on diabetic peripheral neuropathy].

Traditional Chinese medicine has certain effects on diabetic peripheral neuropathy and predominates in the integral medication of multi-factorial, multi-target action, et al. In this paper, the experimental studies concerning the effects of Chinese compound recipes on diabetic peripheral neuropathy in recent 6 years are reviewed in respect of the polyalcohol pathway and related metabolic disorder, the activation of protein kinase C, the formation of advanced glycation endoproducts, oxidative stress, neurotrophy factors, haemodynamics and blood vessel factors. It analyzes the existing problems and looks into the future research in this domain as well.

Combination of quercetin, cinnamaldehyde and hirudin protects rat dorsal root ganglion neurons against high glucose-induced injury through Nrf-2/HO-1 activation and NF-κB inhibition.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of the combination of quercetin (Q), cinnamaldehyde (C) and hirudin (H), a Chinese medicine formula on high glucose (HG)-induced apoptosis of cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. METHODS: DRG neurons exposed to HG (45 mmol/L) for 24 h were employed as an in vitro model of diabetic neuropathy. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and apoptosis were determined. The expression of nuclear factor of Kappa B (NF-κB), inhibitory kappa Bα(IκBα), phosphorylated IκBα and Nf-E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) were examined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot assay. The expression of hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and caspase-3 were also examined by RT-PCR and Western blot assay. RESULTS: HG treatment markedly increased DRG neuron apoptosis via increasing intracellular ROS level and activating the NF-κB signaling pathway (P<0.05). Co-treatment with Q, C, H and their combination decreased HG-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The expressions of NF-κB, IL-6 and TNF-α were down-regulated, and Nrf2/HO-1 expression was up-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). QCH has better effect in scavenging ROS, activating Nrf-2/HO-1, and down-regulating the NF-κB pathway than other treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: DRG neurons' apoptosis was increased in diabetic conditions, which was reduced by QCH formula treatment. The possible reason could be activating Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway, scavenging ROS, and inhibition of NF-κB activation. The effect of QCH combination was better than each monomer or the combination of the two monomers.

Survey of current experimental studies of effects of traditional chinese medicine on peripheral nerve regeneration.

The repairing and regeneration of peripheral nerves is a very complex biological and cytological process, its mechanism is unclear so far, and thus results in the lack of specific and effectual therapy and medicament. Chinese herbs and their effective components have their own inimitable predominance in promoting peripheral nerve regeneration, such as their multi-factorial, multi-target and multi-functional action, abundant source, inexpensive, etc. In this paper, the experimental studies reported in recent 5 years concerning the effects of Chinese herbs or their active components on peripheral nerve repairing and regeneration are reviewed in respects of the integral level, cellular level, molecular level and gene level.