[Overview of systematic reviews on Kuntai Capsules in treatment of perimenopausal syndrome].

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Kuntai Capsules in the treatment of perimenopausal syndrome. Systematic reviews on Kuntai Capsules in the treatment of perimenopausal syndrome were retrieved from Chinese and English databases from database establishment to August 31, 2020. AMSTER-2 scale, GRADE scale and ROBIS tools were used respectively to evaluate the methodological quality, evidence quality level and bias risk of the finally included systematic reviews. A total of 6 systematic reviews with 28 outcome indicators were included. The results of AMSTER-2 methodological quality assessment showed that one of the six systematic reviews was of low quality, and the other five were of extremely low quality. GRADE scale showed that 28 clinical outcome indicators were evaluated, three of which were intermediate-level ones, and the rest were low-level or very low-level ones. Two evidences of the three intermediate evidences were total efficiency, and the other intermediate evidence was Kupperman score. ROBIS bias risk assessment showed all the included studies were of high risk. The results showed that, Kuntai Capsules were effective in the treatment of perimenopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and sweating. The improvement of E_2 level was not as good as that in the menopause hormone therapy group, but the incidence of adverse reactions was lower than that in the menopause hormone therapy group. However, the quality of evidence needs to be improved due to the low quality of methodology and high risk of bias. It is suggested that systematic review and reasonable design should be carried out in the future, and attention should be paid to the registration of research schemes. In addition, the research reports shall be prepared according to PRISMA statement.

Ginkgetin derived from Ginkgo biloba leaves enhances the therapeutic effect of cisplatin via ferroptosis-mediated disruption of the Nrf2/HO-1 axis in EGFR wild-type non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (DDP) is the first-in-class drug for advanced and non-targetable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A recent study indicated that DDP could slightly induce non-apoptotic cell death ferroptosis, and the cytotoxicity was promoted by ferroptosis inducer. The agents enhancing the ferroptosis may therefore increase the anticancer effect of DDP. Several lines of evidence supporting the use of phytochemicals in NSCLC therapy. Ginkgetin, a bioflavonoid derived from Ginkgo biloba leaves, showed anticancer effects on NSCLC by triggering autophagy. Ferroptosis can be triggered by autophagy, which regulates redox homeostasis. Thus, we aimed to elucidate the possible role of ferroptosis involved in the synergistic effect of ginkgetin and DDP in cancer therapy. METHODS: The promotion of DDP-induced anticancer effects by ginkgetin was examined via a cytotoxicity assay and western blot. Ferroptosis triggered by ginkgetin in DDP-treated NSCLC was observed via a lipid peroxidation assay, a labile iron pool assay, western blot, and qPCR. With ferroptosis blocking, the contribution of ferroptosis to ginkgetin + DDP-induced cytotoxicity, the Nrf2/HO-1 axis, and apoptosis were determined via a luciferase assay, immunostaining, chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP), and flow cytometry. The role of ferroptosis in ginkgetin + DDP-treated NSCLC cells was illustrated by the application of ferroptosis inhibitors, which was further demonstrated in a xenograft nude mouse model. RESULTS: Ginkgetin synergized with DDP to increase cytotoxicity in NSCLC cells, which was concomitant with increased labile iron pool and lipid peroxidation. Both these processes were key characteristics of ferroptosis. The induction of ferroptosis mediated by ginkgetin was further confirmed by the decreased expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4, and a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio. Simultaneously, ginkgetin disrupted redox hemostasis in DDP-treated cells, as demonstrated by the enhanced ROS formation and inactivation of the Nrf2/HO-1 axis. Ginkgetin also enhanced DDP-induced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) loss and apoptosis in cultured NSCLC cells. Furthermore, blocking ferroptosis reversed the ginkgetin-induced inactivation of Nrf2/HO-1 as well as the elevation of ROS formation, MMP loss, and apoptosis in DDP-treated NSCLC cells. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to report that ginkgetin derived from Ginkgo biloba leaves promotes DDP-induced anticancer effects, which can be due to the induction of ferroptosis.

Sex differences in colonization of gut microbiota from a man with short-term vegetarian and inulin-supplemented diet in germ-free mice.

Gnotobiotic mouse model is generally used to evaluate the efficacy of gut microbiota. Sex differences of gut microbiota are acknowledged, yet the effect of recipient's gender on the bacterial colonization remains unclear. Here we inoculated male and female germ-free C57BL/6J mice with fecal bacteria from a man with short-term vegetarian and inulin-supplemented diet. We sequenced bacterial 16S rRNA genes V3-V4 region from donor's feces and recipient's colonic content. Shannon diversity index showed female recipients have higher bacteria diversity than males. Weighted UniFrac principal coordinates analysis revealed the overall structures of male recipient's gut microbiota were significantly separated from those of females, and closer to the donor. Redundancy analysis identified 46 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) differed between the sexes. The relative abundance of 13 OTUs were higher in males, such as Parabacteroides distasonis and Blautia faecis, while 33 OTUs were overrepresented in females, including Clostridium groups and Escherichia fergusonii/Shigella sonnei. Moreover, the interactions of these differential OTUs were sexually distinct. These findings demonstrated that the intestine of male and female mice preferred to accommodate microbiota differently. Therefore, it is necessary to designate the gender of gnotobiotic mice for complete evaluation of modulatory effects of gut microbiota from human feces upon diseases.

Metformin versus insulin for gestational diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis.

The aim of the present meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy and safety of metformin for the treatment of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We searched databases, including PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing metformin and insulin treatments in women with GDM. We carried out statistical analyses using RevMan 2011 and used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations profiler to rate the quality of evidence of the primary outcomes. We analysed eight studies involving 1592 subjects. Meta-analysis of the RCTs showed that metformin had statistically significant effects on pregnancy-induced hypertension [PIH; risk ratio (RR) 0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31, 0.91]. However, its effects on neonatal hypoglycaemia (RR 0.80; 95% CI 0.62, 1.02), rate of large-for-gestational age infants (RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.55, 1.08), respiratory distress syndrome (RR 1.26; 95% CI 0.67, 2.37), phototherapy (RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.67, 1.31) and perinatal death (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.11, 9.53) were not significant. Our analyses suggest that there is no clinically relevant difference in efficacy or safety between metformin and insulin; however, metformin may be a good choice for GDM because of the lower risk of PIH. The advantages of metformin in terms of glycaemic control, PIH incidence and gestational age at birth are unclear, and should be verified in further trials.

A comparison of the biological activities of human osteoblast hFOB1.19 between iron excess and iron deficiency.

Bone metabolism has a close relationship with iron homeostasis. To examine the effects of iron excess and iron deficiency on the biological activities of osteoblast in vitro, human osteoblast cells (hFOB1.19) were incubated in a medium supplemented with 0-200 µmol/L ferric ammonium citrate and 0-20 µmol/L deferoxamine. The intracellular iron was measured by a confocal laser scanning microscope. Proliferation of osteoblasts was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay. Apoptotic cells were detected using annexin intervention V/PI staining with a flow cytometry. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was measured using an ALP assay kit. The number of calcified nodules and mineral area was evaluated by von Kossa staining assay. The expressions of type I collagen and osteocalcin of cultured osteoblasts were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured using the oxidation-sensitive dye 2,7-dichlorofluorescin diacetate by flow cytometry. The results indicated that excessive iron inhibited osteoblast activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Low iron concentrations, in contrast, produced a biphasic manner on osteoblasts: mild low iron promoted osteoblast activity, but serious low iron inhibited osteoblast activity. Osteogenesis was optimal in certain iron concentrations. The mechanism underlying biological activity invoked by excessive iron may be attributed to increased intracellular ROS levels.

Comparison of microbial community compositions of injection and production well samples in a long-term water-flooded petroleum reservoir.

Water flooding plays an important role in recovering oil from depleted petroleum reservoirs. Exactly how the microbial communities of production wells are affected by microorganisms introduced with injected water has previously not been adequately studied. Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach and 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis, the comparison of microbial communities is carried out between one injection water and two production waters collected from a working block of the water-flooded Gudao petroleum reservoir located in the Yellow River Delta. DGGE fingerprints showed that the similarities of the bacterial communities between the injection water and production waters were lower than between the two production waters. It was also observed that the archaeal composition among these three samples showed no significant difference. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene clone libraries showed that the dominant groups within the injection water were Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Methanomicrobia, while the dominant groups in the production waters were Gammaproteobacteria and Methanobacteria. Only 2 out of 54 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 5 out of 17 archaeal OTUs in the injection water were detected in the production waters, indicating that most of the microorganisms introduced by the injection water may not survive to be detected in the production waters. Additionally, there were 55.6% and 82.6% unique OTUs in the two production waters respectively, suggesting that each production well has its specific microbial composition, despite both wells being flooded with the same injection water.

[Research approach for biological basis of Chinese medical syndromes of chronic viral hepatitis B].

Chronic viral hepatitis B (CHB) is a major infectious disease greatly harmful to the health of Chinese people. Chinese medicine has its speciality and advantages in treating it depending syndrome-differentiation. The objectified researches regarding Chinese medical syndromes in CHB heretofore were reviewed in this article. Moreover, aiming at existing problems and taking the angle of "disease-syndrome combining" study, authors put forward research approach, and approaches for studying systemic biology based biological basis of Chinese medical syndrome in hepatitis B with reductionism and holism, cybernetics and system theories in combination.

[Application of metabonomics in complicated theory system research of traditional Chinese medicine].

Metabonomics, a new and rapid-developing technology, will be powerful means to the research of complexed theory system and modernization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Discovery of biomarkers and analysis of common properties from the metabolome of a specific TCM syndrome will facilitate the modernized study of TCM system, promote the quantitative and scientific elucidation of TCM syndrome differentiation, provide an in-depth understanding of the TCM theory of Zang-xiang, help predict the disease on-set, and achieve a comprehensive evaluation of systemic clinical efficacy, safety and mechanism of action of the TCM combination formulas along with a better understanding of intestinal microflora ecology. The new approach with combined metabonomics and TCM methodologies will provide a new pathway and methodology for the study of complicated theory system of TCM and its modernization.

[Molecular analysis of the microbial communities of the Dagang Kongdian flooding bed oilfield].

Both PCR-TGGE (temperature gradient gel electrophoresis, TGGE) and 16S rRNA gene clone library construction were used to comparatively analyze the microbial communities of a water injection well (WW) and an oil well (OW) in Dagang oilfield. TGGE analysis of the PCR amplified 16S rDNA V3 region products showed great difference between these two microbial communities. Six major bands were detected in the TGGE profile of the WW sample, while only one predominant band in the OW sample was found. Two 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were also constructed, and 108 and 50 clones were selected from the WW and OW library respectively for amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA). 33 taxanomic operational units (OTUs) were found in the WW library with 6 major OTUs, while only 8 OTUs were found in the OW library with one OTU predominant. The results of TGGE and clone library profiling analysis both indicated that microbial community of the WW had higher diversity than the OW. Sequence analysis of the representative clone of each OTU showed that most bacteria of the WW were affiliated with alpha, beta, and gamma Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, especially Rhodobacter (47%). Most bacteria of the OW were affiliated with alpha, beta, and gamma Proteobacteria, especially Pseudomonas (62%). Molecular analysis of the microbial diversity in oilfield provides foundation for better application of MEOR (Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery).

[Effect of yifei jianpi recipe on inflammatory cells, levels of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in sputum from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and the mechanism of yifei jianpi recipe (YFJPR) on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Forty patients with COPD in stable phase were randomly divided into two groups, the treated group and the control group. Indexes including the total and differential count of inflammatory cell in sputum, levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), as well as the percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second in its predicted value (FEV1%) and ratio of FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) in patients were measured before and after treatment, and compared with those in 20 healthy subjects. RESULTS: All the indexes measured in patients before and after treatment were significantly different from those in healthy subjects (P < 0.01). Differential count of polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) and levels of IL-8 and TNF-alpha in sputum in the treated group significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.01), while the non-PMN differential count and levels of FEV1% and FEV1/FVC significantly increased (P < 0.01). But in the control group, changes only showed in increasing of FEV1% and FEV1/FVC (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). And the effects in the treated group were better than those in the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: YFJPR can play a therapeutic role on patients with COPD by way of reducing the airway inflammatory reaction.