Methamphetamine: Mechanism of Action and Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment for Its Addiction / 中国结合医学杂志

With the proliferation of synthetic drugs, research on the mechanism of action of addictive drugs and treatment methods is of great significance. Among them, methamphetamine (METH) is the most representative amphetamine synthetic drug, and the treatment of METH addiction has become an urgent medical and social problem. In recent years, the therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicines on METH addiction have gained widespread attention because of their non-addictiveness, multiple targets, low side effects, low cost, and other characteristics. Previous studies have identified a variety of Chinese herbal medicines with effects on METH addiction. Based on the research on METH in recent years, this article summarizes the mechanism of action of METH as the starting point and briefly reviews the Chinese herbal medicine-based treatment of METH.

Nature-effect transformation mechanism of mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings based on chemical composition analysis / 中国中药杂志

Starting with the relationship between mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings as food and metabolites, this study systematically compared the chemical components, screened out differential components, and quantitatively analyzed the main differential components based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and UPLC-Q-TRAP-MS combined with principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA). Moreover, the in vitro enzymatic transformation of the representative differential components was studied. The results showed that(1) 95 components were identified from mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings, among which 27 components only exist in mulberry leaves and 8 components in silkworm droppings. The main differential components were flavonoid glycosides and chlorogenic acids.(2) Nineteen components with significant difference were quantitatively analyzed, and the components with significant differences and high content were neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, and rutin.(3) The crude protease in the mid-gut of silkworm significantly metabolized neochlorogenic acid and chlorogenic acid, which may be an important reason for the efficacy change in mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings. This study lays a scientific foundation for the development, utilization, and quality control of mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings. It provides references for clarifying the possible material basis and mechanism of the pungent-cool and dispersing nature of mulberry leaves transforming into the pungent-warm and dampness-resolving nature of silkworm droppings, and offers a new idea for the study of nature-effect transformation mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.

Effect of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi on metabolism in RSV infection mice based on metabolomics / 药学学报

This study, aiming at finding biomarkers which can assist in the diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia and analyzing the metabolic pathways of anti-RSV activity of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SG)., explores the improvement effect of SG on mice models infected by RSV with the metabolomics technology based on UPLC-Q-Exactive HF X-MS. Mice models affected by RSV are established by nasal drip method and the changes of body weight, rectal temperature and pathological damage of lung tissue are evaluated. The lung tissue samples of mice in each group are collected and analyzed by UPLC-Q-Exactive HF X-MS. The differential metabolites of SG drug intervention are explored by metabolomics technology, and the metabolic pathways regulated by SG are analyzed. The results show that SG can significantly improve the pathological state of the lung tissue of the mice and make its body weight and rectal temperature tend to be normal. In the lung tissue samples, 46 biomarkers, such as guanine, L-asparagine, and arachidonic acid, are screened for disease development in RSV model mice. SG improved RSV infection by recalling 22 potential biomarkers, such as uric acid, arachidonic acid, and alanine. The 22 potential markers mainly involved 11 abnormal metabolic pathways, including phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, and arachidonic acid metabolism, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamate metabolism are closely related to the five metabolic pathways. SG improves RSV-infected mice mainly by regulating amino acids, lipids, cofactors and vitamins and nucleotide metabolites. All animal experiments were conducted under the guidance and approval of the Animal Ethics Review Committee of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. (approval number: SDUTCM20210311001).

Sleep-improving mechanism of Chaiqin Ningshen Granules in insomnia rats: based on hippocampal metabonomics / 中国中药杂志

With the ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadruple-electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap-MS)-based metabonomics technology, this study aims to analyze the effect of Chaiqin Ningshen Granules(CNG) on endogenous metabolites in insomnia rats of liver depression syndrome and explore the sleep-improving mechanism of this prescription. Parachlorophenylalanine(PCPA, ip) and chronic stimulation were combined to induce insomnia of liver depression pattern in rats, and the effect of CNG on the macroscopic signs, hemorheology, and neurotransmitters in the hippocampus of insomnia rats of liver depression syndrome was observed. After the administration, rat hippocampus was collected for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) analysis of the metabolomics. Principal component analysis(PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were employed for analyzing the metabolites in rat hippocampus and screening potential biomarkers. MetPA was used to yield the related metabolic pathways and metabolic networks. The results show that the drugs can significantly improve the mental state, liver depression, and blood stasis of rats, significantly increase the content of 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) and gamma aminobutyric acid(GABA) in hippocampus(except low-dose CNG), and significantly reduce the content of glucose(Glu)(except low-dose CNG). Among them, estazolam and high-dose CNG had better effect than others. Metabolomics analysis yielded 27 potential biomarkers related to insomnia. MetPA analysis showed 4 metabolic pathways of estazolam in intervening insomnia and 3 metabolic pathways of high-dose CNG in intervening insomnia, involving purine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, histidine metabolism, and caffeine metabolism. CNG can alleviate insomnia by regulating endogenous differential metabolites and further related metabolic pathways. The result lays a basis for further elucidating the mechanism of CNG in improving sleep.

Extracts of Poria cocos polysaccharides improves alcoholic liver disease in mice via CYP2E1 and NF-κB inflammatory pathways / 中国中药杂志

The present study investigated the effect of extract of Poria cocos polysaccharides(PCP) on cytochrome P450 2 E1(CYP2 E1) and nuclear factor κB(NF-κB) inflammatory signaling pathways in alcoholic liver disease(ALD) mice and explored its protective effect and mechanism. Sixty male C57 BL/6 N mice of SPF grade were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, a positive drug group(bifendate, 200 mg·kg~(-1)), and high-(200 mg·kg~(-1)) and low-dose(50 mg·kg~(-1)) PCP groups. Gao-binge mo-del was induced and the mice in each group were treated correspondingly. Liver morphological and pathological changes were observed and organ index was calculated. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) were detected. Malondialdehyde(MDA) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) in liver tissues were detected by assay kits. The levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were detected by ELISA. The activation of macrophages was observed by immunofluorescence staining and protein expression of CYP2 E1, Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4), NF-κB p65, and phosphorylated NF-κB p65(p-NF-κB p65) were analyzed by Western blot. The ALD model was properly induced. Compared with the model group, the PCP groups significantly improved the pathological injury of liver tissues. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that compared with the model group, the groups with drug intervention showed decreased macrophages in liver tissues. Additionally, the PCP groups showed reduced ALT, AST, MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α(P<0.05), and potentiated activity of SOD(P<0.01). PCP extract has the protective effect against alcoholic liver injury in mice, and the underlying mechanism may be related to the regulation of the expression of CYP2 E1 and inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory injury, thereby inhibiting the development of ALD.

Sequential Treatment with Syndrome Differentiation on Children's Refractory Nephrotic Syndrome with Yiqi Huayu Qingre Prescription / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of sequential syndrome differentiation of Yiqi Huayu Qingre prescription （YHQ） in the treatment of refractory nephrotic syndrome in children. MethodA total of 112 children with refractory nephrotic syndrome were randomly divided into an observation group （57 cases） and a control group（55 cases）. The children in the control group were treated with prednisone tablets combined with tacrolimus，and those in the observation group were treated with YHQ by sequential syndrome differentiation on the basis of the control group. The total effective rates of the two groups after treatment were observed. The 24-hour urinary total protein（24 h UTP），plasma albumin（ALB），cholesterol（CHO），triglycerides（TG）， and traditional Chinese medicine quality of life scale scores before treatment and after four weeks，eight weeks，16 weeks，24 weeks，32 weeks，40 weeks，and 52 weeks in the two groups were recorded. The total course of treatment and the total accumulation of hormones were compared among the children with reduced or no hormone treatment till 52 weeks during treatment. ResultThe total effective rate in the observation group was higher （Z=-2.052，P<0.05）. The observation group had lower 24 h UTP and higher ALB at each follow-up time point than the control group（P<0.05，P<0.01）. At four weeks，eight weeks，and 16 weeks of treatment，there was no statistically significant difference in CHO between the observation group and the control group，and the observation group was lower than the control group in CHO at the rest of the time points （P<0.05，P<0.01）. For TG， the observation group was not significantly different from the control group at four weeks，eight weeks，16 weeks，and 40 weeks of treatment，but lower at 24，32，and 52 weeks （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The total treatment course of hormones in the observation group was shorter（P<0.01）， with less total accumulation（P<0.01）. At different follow-up time points，the total score of traditional Chinese medicine quality of life scale in the observation group was superior to that in the control group（P<0.05，P<0.01），and the scores of the observation group in the four dimensions （physiological function，independent factor，social factor，and psychological factor） after treatment were higher than those in the control group（P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionYHQ under sequential syndrome differentiation has a definite clinical effect in treating children with refractory nephrotic syndrome. It has advantages in shortening the total course of hormone treatment and reducing the total accumulation of hormones，and can improve the quality of life of children with refractory nephrotic syndrome.

Effect of Combined Therapy of Lung and Intestine on VIP and p38 MAPK Signaling Pathways in Bronchial Asthma Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the therapeutic effects of the combined therapy of lung and intestine， a common treatment for pulmonary diseases in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， on bronchial asthma mice， and further detect the changes of vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP） and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p38 MAPK） signaling pathway-related proteins which are closely related to the pathogenesis of asthma， in order to elucidate the mechanism of the combined therapy of lung and intestine in the treatment of bronchial asthma. MethodA total of 60 Kunming mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， dexamethasone group （0.5 mg·kg-1·d-1）， TCM group （2.73 g·kg-1·d-1）， and lung-intestine treatment group （6.825 g·kg-1·d-1）， 12 mice in each group. All mice except the normal group were sensitized by ovalbumin to induce bronchial asthma. After 30 days of intragastric administration， serum and lung tissue samples were obtained. The content of VIP， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the serum of mice in each group was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The mRNA levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and p38 MAPK in lung tissues of mice were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and the protein levels of TNF-α， IL-6， p38 MAPK， and phosphorylated p38 MAPK （p-p38 MAPK） in lung tissues of mice were assayed by Western blot （WB）. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed decreased content of serum VIP （P<0.05）， increased content of TNF-α and IL-6 （P<0.05）， up-regulated mRNA levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and p38 MAPK， and elevated protein levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK in lung tissues （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the treatment groups exhibited increased content of serum VIP， TNF-α， and IL-6 （P<0.05）， down-regulated mRNA levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and p38 MAPK， and lower protein levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK in lung tissues （P<0.05）. As compared with the lung-intestine treatment group， the serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the dexamethasone group were increased （P<0.05）， and the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in lung tissues were down-regulated （P<0.05）， while the levels of p38 MAPK， VIP mRNA， and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK protein in lung tissues were up-regulated （P<0.05）. The serum VIP， TNF-α， and IL-6 levels in the TCM group were decreased （P<0.05）， and the mRNA levels of TNF-α， IL-6， p38 MAPK and protein levels of TNF-α， IL-6， p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK in lung tissues were up-regulated （P<0.05）， while the level of VIP mRNA in lung tissues was down-regulated （P<0.05）. ConclusionThrough increasing endogenous VIP and inhibiting the excessive activation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway， the combined therapy of lung and intestine can reduce the release of inflammatory factors， inhibit pulmonary inflammation response， and treat bronchial asthma.

Influence of electroacupuncture on ghrelin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/endothelial nitric oxide synthase signaling pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) on ghrelin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (PI3K/Akt/eNOS) signaling pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).@*METHODS@#Eight Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as the healthy blood pressure (BP) control (normal group), and 32 SHRs were randomized into model group, EA group, EA plus ghrelin group (EA + G group), and EA plus PF04628935 group (a potent ghrelin receptor blocker; EA + P group) using a random number table. Rats in the normal group and model group did not receive treatment, but were immobilized for 20 min per day, 5 times a week, for 4 continuous weeks. SHRs in the EA group, EA + G group and EA + P group were immobilized and given EA treatment in 20 min sessions, 5 times per week, for 4 weeks. Additionally, 1 h before EA, SHRs in the EA + G group and EA + P group were intraperitoneally injected with ghrelin or PF04628935, respectively, for 4 weeks. The tail-cuff method was used to measure BP. After the 4-week intervention, the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and pathological morphology of the abdominal aorta was observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of ghrelin, nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) in the serum. Isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment was performed to evaluate vasorelaxation. Western blot was used to measure the expression of PI3K, Akt, phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and eNOS proteins in the abdominal aorta. Further, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to measure the relative levels of mRNA expression for PI3K, Akt and eNOS in the abdominal aorta.@*RESULTS@#EA significantly reduced the systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) (P < 0.05). HE staining showed that EA improved the morphology of the vascular endothelium to some extent. Results of ELISA indicated that higher concentrations of ghrelin and NO, and lower concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 were presented in the EA group (P < 0.05). The isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment demonstrated that the vasodilation capacity of the thoracic aorta increased in the EA group. Results of Western blot and qRT-PCR showed that EA increased the abundance of PI3K, p-Akt/Akt and eNOS proteins, as well as expression levels of PI3K, Akt and eNOS mRNAs (P < 0.05). In the EA + G group, SBP and DBP decreased (P < 0.05), ghrelin concentrations increased (P < 0.05), and the concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 decreased (P < 0.05), relative to the EA group. In addition, the levels of PI3K and eNOS proteins, the p-Akt/Akt ratio, and the expression of PI3K, Akt and eNOS mRNAs increased significantly in the EA + G group (P < 0.05), while PF04628935 reversed these effects.@*CONCLUSION@#EA effectively reduced BP and protected the vascular endothelium, and these effects may be linked to promoting the release of ghrelin and activation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.

Identification of multi-target anti-cancer agents from TCM formula by in silico prediction and in vitro validation / 中国天然药物

Cancer is a complex disease associated with multiple gene mutations and malignant phenotypes, and multi-target drugs provide a promising therapy idea for the treatment of cancer. Natural products with abundant chemical structure types and rich pharmacological characteristics could be ideal sources for screening multi-target antineoplastic drugs. In this paper, 50 tumor-related targets were collected by searching the Therapeutic Target Database and Thomson Reuters Integrity database, and a multi-target anti-cancer prediction system based on mt-QSAR models was constructed by using naïve Bayesian and recursive partitioning algorithm for the first time. Through the multi-target anti-cancer prediction system, some dominant fragments that act on multiple tumor-related targets were analyzed, which could be helpful in designing multi-target anti-cancer drugs. Anti-cancer traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its natural products were collected to form a TCM formula-based natural products library, and the potential targets of the natural products in the library were predicted by multi-target anti-cancer prediction system. As a result, alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenoids were predicted to act on multiple tumor-related targets. The predicted targets of some representative compounds were verified according to literature review and most of the selected natural compounds were found to exert certain anti-cancer activity in vitro biological experiments. In conclusion, the multi-target anti-cancer prediction system is very effective and reliable, and it could be further used for elucidating the functional mechanism of anti-cancer TCM formula and screening for multi-target anti-cancer drugs. The anti-cancer natural compounds found in this paper will lay important information for further study.

Enhanced effects and mechanisms of Syngonium podophyllum-Peperomia tetraphylla co-planting on phytoremediation of low concentration uranium-bearing wastewater.

To improve the remediation efficiency of plants on low concentration uranium-bearing wastewater and clarify its strengthening mechanism, Syngonium podophyllum-Peperomia tetraphylla co-planting system was established, the enhanced effects of plants interaction on uranium removal were investigated, the chemical forms, valence states, and subcellular distribution of uranium in plants were confirmed, and the mechanisms of alleviating uranium stress by plants interaction were revealed. In Syngonium podophyllum-Peperomia tetraphylla co-planting system, the total amount of ethanol-extracted uranium and deionized water-extracted uranium with higher toxicity in their roots were reduced by 10.30% and 7.17%, respectively, which reduced the toxicity of uranium to plants. Plants interaction can inhibit the reduction of U(VI) in the root of Peperomia tetraphylla, which is conducive to the transport of uranium from roots to shoots. In addition, uranium in plants mainly existed in the cell wall (54.44%-66.52%) and the soluble fraction (23.85%-32.89%). These results indicated that Syngonium podophyllum and Peperomia tetraphylla co-planting can enhance their effects of uranium removal by alleviating uranium stress with the cell wall immobilization and vacuole compartmentation, improving biomass of plants, increasing bioaccumulation factor and translocation factor of uranium.

Pharmacological Activities and Mechanisms of Hirudin and Its Derivatives - A Review.

Hirudin, an acidic polypeptide secreted by the salivary glands of Hirudo medicinalis (also known as "Shuizhi" in traditional Chinese medicine), is the strongest natural specific inhibitor of thrombin found so far. Hirudin has been demonstrated to possess potent anti-thrombotic effect in previous studies. Recently, increasing researches have focused on the anti-thrombotic activity of the derivatives of hirudin, mainly because these derivatives have stronger antithrombotic activity and lower bleeding risk. Additionally, various bioactivities of hirudin have been reported as well, including wound repair effect, anti-fibrosis effect, effect on diabetic complications, anti-tumor effect, anti-hyperuricemia effect, effect on cerebral hemorrhage, and others. Therefore, by collecting and summarizing publications from the recent two decades, the pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, novel preparations and derivatives, as well as toxicity of hirudin were systematically reviewed in this paper. In addition, the clinical application, the underlying mechanisms of pharmacological effects, the dose-effect relationship, and the development potential in new drug research of hirudin were discussed on the purpose of providing new ideas for application of hirudin in treating related diseases.

Comparison of main chemical composition of Plantago asiatica L. and P. depressa Willd. seed extracts and their anti-obesity effects in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, the pharmacological effects of Plantaginis semen was getting more and more attention because of the great effect of treating diuresis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Plantaginis semen is the seed of Plantago asiatica L. or P. depressa Willd. This was verified by examining chemical composition differences in a preliminary experiment, predicting their differences in pharmacology. PURPOSE: In this study, we aimed to compared the the differences in main components and anti-obesity effects of Plantago asiatica L. seed extract (PASE) and P. depressa Willd. seed extract (PDSE). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) analysis was used to characterize and compare the differences chemical constituents of PASE and PDSE. The difference therapeutic effects between PASE and PDSE on obesity and associated metabolic disorders was investigated by high-fat (HF) diet induced mice model. RESULTS: The fingerprint of Plantaginis semen were established by screening and identified 15 main components, including iridoids, phenethanol glycosides, flavonoids, guanidines, and fatty acids. Pentahydroxy flavanone was observed only in PDSE but not in PASE. The quantitative analysis results indicated that the main bioactive components in PASE were geniposidic acid and acteoside; their concentrations were three times higher in PASE than in PDSE. In anti-obesity effects, the result show the levels of fasting blood glucose were improved in both PASE and PDSE when compared with the HF group, while the PASE is show a significant effect then the PDSE group and improved the glucose tolerance but not in PDSE. The results also displayed that the Plantaginis semen did not modify food intake or body weight but decreased abdominal white/brown adipocyte size, serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), hepatic TG and TC, fecal TG and TC concentrations when compared with the HF group. Among these indicators, serum TG, liver TG, fecal TC and TG levels were significantly improved in PASE compared with PDSE. The results indicated that PASE treatment more effectively improved lipid and glucose metabolism in HF diet-induced obese mice than did PDSE. CONCLUSION: As Plantaginis semen sources, P. asiatica L. seeds demonstrated more bioactive components and favorable metabolic disorder treatment outcomes than did P. depressa Willd. seeds.

Diagnostic value of platelet parameters, fibrinogen and D-dimer in different Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes of deep venous thrombosis / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To investigate the expression levels and diagnostic value of platelet parameters, fibrinogen and D-dimer in different Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes of deep venous thrombosis (DVT).Methods:From June 2015 to June 2019, a total of 500 DVT patients were enrolled and collected by two attending TCM doctors and classified according to syndromes differentiation. The differences of platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), platelet crit (PCT), platelet larger cell ratio (P-LCR), fibrinogen (FIB) and D-dimer were detected and compared.Results:According to TCM syndromes differentiation, 500 patients were divided into three groups, including 286 cases (57.2%) of downward flowing of damp-heat group, 132 cases (26.4%) of blood stasis and heavy damp group, and 82 cases (16.4%) of spleen-kidney-yang deficiency group. The levels of MPV, PDW, P-LCR, FIB and D-dimer among the groups were statistically significant difference ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). The MPV level was significantly higher and D-dimer level was significantly lower in blood stasis and heavy damp group than in the downward flowing of damp-heat group ( P<0.05). The levels of MPV, PDW and P-LCR in spleen-kidney-yang deficiency group were significantly higher than those in downward flowing of damp-heat group and blood stasis and heavy damp group ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). The levels of FIB and D-dimer were significantly lower than those in the downward flowing of damp-heat group and blood stasis and heavy damp group ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). The FIB (AUC=0.593) and D-Dimer (AUC=0.673) were statistically significant in the differential diagnosis of DVT between blood stasis and heavy damp group and spleen-kidney-yang deficiency group ( P<0.01). The MPV (AUC=0.601 5), PDW (AUC=0.615 4), P-LCR (AUC=0.606 1), FIB (AUC=0.616 4) and D-Dimer (AUC=0.721 8) were statistically significant in the differential diagnosis of DVT between downward flowing of damp-heat group and spleen-kidney-yang deficiency group ( P<0.01). Conclusion:The MPV, PDW, P-LCR, FIB and D-dimer have a certain correlation with DVT TCM syndrome types, and also have a certain reference value for its differential diagnosis, which can be used as an effective supplement to the objective indicators of Micro syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine.

Clinical Efficacy of Modified Chaihu Shugansan Combined with Xuanfu Daizhetang on Depression of Patients of Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy modified Chaihu Shugansan combined with Xuanfu Daizhetang on anxiety and depression of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease （GERD） and Qi stagnation and phlegm obstruction syndromes in clinic and the effect on neuropeptide factor and pro-inflammatory factor. Method:Patients 200 cases were divided into control group and observation group. Patients in control group got omeprazole enteric-coated tablets， 20 mg/time， 1 time/day， flupentixol and melitracen tablets， 1 tablet/time， 2 times/day， and Dalitong granules， 1 bag/time， 3 times/day. In addition to omeprazole enteric-coated tablets in control group， patients in observation group were also added with syndrome differentiation-based treatment of modified Chaihu Shugansan combined with Xuanfu Daizhetang， 1 dose/day. The treatment lasted for 8 weeks. Before and after treatment， scores of acid regurgitation， heartburn， poststernal pain， syndrome of Qi stagnation and phlegm obstruction， gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire （GerdQ）， Hamilton anxiety Scale-14 （HAMA-14） and Hamilton depression scale-17 （HAMD-17） were scored； And upper gastrointestinal endoscopy， levels of peripheral vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）， 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， tumor necrosis factor-<italic>α </italic>（TNF-<italic>α</italic>）， interleukin-1 （IL-1）， IL-6 were detected. All the patients （GerdQ<8） got follow-up for 16 weeks， and the recurrence and safety were recorded. Result:After treatment， scores of GerdQ， endoscope， main symptoms and syndrome of Qi stagnation and phlegm obstruction on observation group were lower than those in control group （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， and scores of HAMA-14 and HAMD-17 decreased in both groups （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， but with no statistically significant difference in both groups. The comprehensive efficacy of main symptoms in observation group was better than that in control group （<italic>Z</italic>=2.076， <italic>P</italic><0.05）. The curative effect of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome in observation group was superior to that in control group （<italic>Z</italic>=2.151， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. The effect of endoscope was better than that in control group （<italic>Z</italic>=2.103， <italic>P</italic><0.05）. And levels of VIP， 5-HT， TNF-<italic>α</italic>， IL-1 and IL-6 in observation group were lower than those in control group. During the 16-week follow-up， the recurrence rate in observation group was 19.23% （15/78）， which was lower than 35.38% （23/65） in control group （<inline-formula><alternatives><mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mi>χ</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn mathvariant="normal">2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msup></mml:math><graphic specific-use="big" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="alternativeImage/EF9122E2-D647-4d34-AB25-83CBA259DE55-M002.jpg"><?fx-imagestate width="3.30199981" height="3.64066648"?></graphic><graphic specific-use="small" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="alternativeImage/EF9122E2-D647-4d34-AB25-83CBA259DE55-M002c.jpg"><?fx-imagestate width="3.30199981" height="3.64066648"?></graphic></alternatives></inline-formula>=4.741， <italic>P</italic><0.05）. The average recurrence time of the observation group was lower than that of the control group（<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:Modified Chaihu Shugansan combined with Xuanfu Daizhetang can significantly improve the main symptoms and TCM syndromes， relieve depression， anxiety and other adverse emotions， promote the healing of gastroesophageal mucosa， reduce the recurrence rate and delay the recurrence time among patients with GERD and Qi stagnation and phlegm obstruction syndromes. The mechanism of action may be related to the expression of neuropeptide factor and the inhibition of pro-inflammatory factor.

Application prospect of common viral tracers in study on brain effect of acupuncture / 中国针灸

The feasibility and prospect of viral tracers and mediating functional components are explored in study on brain effect of acupuncture. In the paper, proceeding with viral tracers, the viral tracers used to analyze the structure of specific neural circuits are introduced, as well as their mediated probes, optical/chemical genetics techniques, Cre-LoxP systems, etc. The viral tracers and their functional components can not only mark specifically nerve cells or neural circuits, but also interfere with the function of specific types of neurons or nuclei. They solve some disadvantage of traditional nerve tracing method that only describes the morphology of neurons of one brain region and the simple projection among brain regions, and the indirect and non-specific absorption. The viral tracers and their functional components play the important approach to decoding the mechanism on brain effect of acupuncture when introduced in experimental acupuncture so as to provide an in vivo, real-time and intuitive novel method for a further analysis of neurobiological mechanism on brain effect of acupuncture.

Corrigendum to “Monitoring unbound warfarin in drug combination therapy by pharmacokinetics and fluorospectrometry” Chinese Herbal Medicines 11 (2019) 92–97 (Chinese Herbal Medicines (2019) 11(1) (92–97), (S167463841830145X), (10.1016/j.chmed.2018.10.002)) / 中草药·英文版

When this paper was first published the following ethical statement was omitted in error: Animal experiments were conducted in accordance with the guidelines of Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM-LAEC2019071). The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. DOI of original article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chmed.2018.10.002

DNA barcoding identification of original plants of a rare medicinal material Resina Draconis and related Dracaena species / 中国中药杂志

Resina Draconis, a rare and precious traditional medicine in China, is known as the "holy medicine for promoting blood circulation". According to the national drug standard, it's derived from the resin extracted from the wood of Dracaena cochinchinensis, a Liliaceae plant. In addition, a variety of Dracaena species all over the world can form red resins, and there is currently no molecular identification method that can efficiently identify the origin of Dracaena medicinal materials. In this study, seven species of Dracaena distributed in China were selected as the research objects. Four commonly used DNA barcodes(ITS2, matK, rbcL and psbA-trnH), and four highly variable regions(trnP-psaJ, psbK-psbI, trnT-trnL, clpP) in chloroplast genome were used to evaluate the identification efficiency of Dracaena species. The results showed that clpP sequence fragment could accurately identify seven species of Dracaena plants. However, due to the long sequence of clpP fragment, there were potential problems in the practical application process. We found that the combined fragment "psbK-psbI+ trnP-psaJ" can also be used for accurate molecular identification of the Resina Draconis origin plants and relative species of Dracaena, which were both relatively short sequences in the combined fragment, showing high success rates of amplification and sequencing. Therefore, the "psbK-psbI+ trnP-psaJ" combined fragment can be used as the DNA barcode fragments for molecular identification of Resina Dracon's origin plants and relative species of Dracaena. Research on the identification of Dracaena species, the results of this study can be used to accurately identify the original material of Resina Draconis, and providing effective means for identification, rational development and application of Resina Draconis base source.

Research progress on bidirectional effect of microRNA on Alzheimer's disease and intervention with traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Alzheimer's disease(AD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease with recent memory impairment as the main clinical manifestation and senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles as the main pathological changes. In recent years, the effect of microRNAs on AD has attracted widespread attention. Patients with AD have abnormal expression of miRNA, which is closed related to regulation of AD pathophysiology-related genes. Therefore, this paper first elaborated neuroprotective and toxic effects of microRNA in AD, and then explored relevant traditional Chinese medicines that can regulate miRNA in the treatment of AD, so as to provide basis for revealing the pathogenesis relationship between miRNA and AD and provide ideas for further development of anti-AD traditional Chinese medicine.

[Research progress on chemical structures and pharmacological activities of Poria cocos polysaccharide and its derivatives].

Poria cocos is a both medicinal and edible Chinese herb variety, with the effects of diuretic, spleen-enhancing and tranquilizing. P. cocos polysaccharide(PCP) is one of the most important active substances of P. cocos. Pharmacological research shows that PCP has a variety of pharmacological activities such as regulating immunity, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, antitumor, and liver protection, with a huge development and utilization value. By consulting the relevant literature, we systematically summarized the chemical structures and the research progress on pharmacological activities of PCP and its derivatives in recent years to explore the chemical compositions and activities of PCP thoroughly. In addition, the current problems were discussed in this article to provide reference for further exploration of the structure-activity relationship of PCP and its further development and utilization.

[Textual research on Sojae Semen Nigrum].

In this paper, the name, origin and producing area of Sojae Semen Nigrum were studied to provide the basis for the selection of medicinal varieties of Sojae Semen Nigrum. The textual research of this herbal was carried out through the textual research of ancient and modern literature and the comparative study of botany, combined with agricultural archaeology and the investigation of adulterant products. Before Qin Dynasty, the Sojae Semen Nigrums had not been selected, and the edible beans should only be Glycine soja. From Qin to the Northern and Southern dynasties, the Sojae Semen Nigrums G. max were selected,but the medicinal Sojae Semen Nigrum was G. soja. After Tang Dynasty, Sojae Semen Nigrums were recorded more, the medicinal Sojae Semen Nigrums referred to G. soja,G. max and G. gracilis. In modern times, G. soja was hardly to use as the medicine. The harvest time is August or September, and there are many processing methods, such as frying, making tofu, making Semen Sojae Praeparatum, boiling, boiling with auxiliary materials, germination, etc. The quality evaluation of Sojae Semen Nigrum was consistent in past dynasties, and it was considered that "it is better for those who are tight and small". Before Tang Dynasty, the better should only be G. soja. After the Qing Dynasty, the better should be green cotyledon varieties of G. max,which are recommended. In addition, there are many varieties of Sojae Semen Nigrum. It is hoped that that the scientific researchers of traditional Chinese medicine can use modern technology to distinguish the efficacy of Sojae Semen Nigrum with green and yellow cotyledon, and make a comparison between large and small Sojae Semen Nigrum. The results provide scientific basis for the selection of medicinal varieties of Sojae Semen Nigrum.