Effects of slope aspect on soil enzyme activity and microbial nutrient limitation in subalpine region of wes-tern Sichuan, China.

Exploring the resource limitation of soil microbial metabolism is essential to understand ecosystem functions and processes. However, the spatially divergent patterns and drivers of soil microbial nutrient limitation cha-racteristics in montane ecosystems at small scales, especially at the slope aspect scale, are still unclear. In this study, we measured soil enzyme activities involved in carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycle and quantified the microbial nutrient limitations by enzyme stoichiometry in two representative mountain sites in subalpine region of western Sichuan, including the sunny and shady slopes with different vegetation types (shrubland and forest, respectively) in Miyaluo of Lixian County, and with the same vegetation type (shrubland) in Yakexia of Heishui County. The results showed that soil enzyme activities and their stoichiometric ratios were significantly different between slope aspects in Miyaluo, while the differences were not significant in Yakexia. The stoichiometry ratio of C-, N- and P-acquiring enzymes on the sunny slope of Miyaluo was 1:0.96:0.92, approaching the 1:1:1 ratio at the global scale, but deviated from 1:1:1 on the shady slope of Miyaluo (1:1.39:0.75) and the different slopes of Yakexia (1:1.09:1.35). There was no significant difference in vector length between slope aspects at both sites, indicating no significant effect of slope aspect on the microbial C limitation. The vector angle was significantly higher on the sunny slope (43.6°) than that on the shady slope (28.7°) in Miyaluo, suggesting that the microorganisms were mainly N-limited. Partial least squares path model showed that the vector angle was mainly directly influenced by the soil nutrient ratios. The vector angle ranged from 50.3° to 51.4°, and did not differ between slope aspects in Yakexia. Therefore, differences in vegetation types between slope aspects drove variations in soil enzyme activity and microbial nutrient limitation through soil properties. It would provide a scientific basis for predicting the spatial pattern of soil enzyme activity and microbial nutrient limitation.

Study on the action mechanism of the peptide compounds of Wuguchong on diabetic ulcers, based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS, network pharmacology and experimental validation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Diabetic foot ulcers mainly refer to people who are initially diabetic and do not have peripheral neuropathy or peripheral vascular disease, but have developed foot infection, septicemia, and ulceration. Diabetic trauma disease is characterized by high sugar and very slow wound healing, which is the reason why some patients with severe diabetic trauma require amputation. Prolonged hyperglycemia can lead to changes in bodily functions and endocrine changes, which can lead to permeability damage of epidermal tissue structure, microvascular damage and, in more severe cases, nerve damage, which are also the main causes of diabetic trauma. Small molecule peptides have various biological activities, such as: lowering blood pressure, antibacterial and wound healing activities, etc. It is a drug recorded in classical Chinese medicine, it is safer to use natural active peptides to treat wounds compared to the listed drugs, and there are no side effects in its use.The wound healing effect of Wuguchong dry product has been confirmed but the mechanism is still unclear, whether it is related to the small molecule active peptides contained in it remains to be studied. AIM OF STUDY: Objective To investigate the potential mechanism of the peptide compounds of Wuguchong (PCW) on diabetic wound healing and the relevant targets in the pathway associated with the treatment of diabetic ulcers using a systematic pharmacological and pharmacological experimental validation approach. METHODS: 1) PCW was prepared by enzymatic digestion of TCMW and analyzed by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS. 2) Further screening of the active chemical components of PCW using PubChem, Swiss Target Prediction data. 3) Prediction of its targets using Drug Bank, CTD, and Genecards databases. 4) Construct protein/gene interactions network diagrams for PCWs acting by using Cytoscape 3.7.0 software. 5) GO and KEGG analysis of PCW targets were performed by David database. 6) Validated by AO/EB staining, scratching and in vitro tube formation methods. 7) Explored the mechanism of PCW to promote diabetic wound healing by protein blotting and immunohistochemical detection of relevant protein expression. RESULTS: and finally: 1) After the above screening, 81 active ingredients of PCW and 94 targets acting on diabetic ulcers were obtained. 2) 30 biological processes, 30 cellular compositions and 30 molecular functions were obtained by GO analysis; 28 signaling pathways were obtained by KEGG analysis. 3) The results of AO/EB staining assay, scratch assay and in vitro tube-forming assay showed that PCW has significant pro-vascular endothelial cell proliferation and pro-angiogenic effects in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirmed the effect of the PCW in treating diabetic ulcers to a certain extent, and further revealed its mechanism of action in depth, which provides a new reference for the next step of Chinese medicine in treating diabetic ulcers.

Research Progress on Herbal Textual Research and Modern Quality Evaluation of Sojae Semen Germinatum / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Sojae Semen Germinatum was firstly recorded in Shennong Bencaojing， and it has a long history of edible and medicinal use. Most ancient medical practitioners described that Sojae Semen Germinatum was processed with black soya bean， while some others recorded that Sojae Semen Germinatum was processed with black soya bean and soybean or with soybean only. In modern times， black soya bean and soybean are both used. Before the Northern and Southern dynasties， the germination process of Sojae Semen Germinatum was mostly soil culture， and then changed into water culture later. The medicinal part of Sojae Semen Germinatum may also change from the initial aboveground part to the whole processed products including the soybean and the bud. The bud length was used to control the processing ending of Sojae Semen Germinatum， but there were different views of the bud length in ancient and modern times. Before the Tang dynasty， Sojae Semen Germinatum was mostly used directly. Since the Tang dynasty， various subsequent processed products of Sojae Semen Germinatum appeared. Most ancient medical practitioners confirmed that Sojae Semen Germinatum was sweet flavor， neutral in nature and non-toxic， and the mainstream believed that it belonged to the spleen， lung and stomach meridians. However， there were different opinions on its efficacy of relieving exterior syndrome by diaphoresis. In this paper， the evolution of Sojae Semen Germinatum was explored after consulting all kinds of ancient books， its historical name， processing history， quality evaluation and others were systematically summarized in order to clarify its historical development and lay a good foundation for the clinical use and further development of Sojae Semen Germinatum.

Corrigendum to “Metabolic profiling of icaritin in rats using UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS” Chinese Herbal Medicines 11 (2019) 185–191 (Chinese Herbal Medicines (2019) 11(2) (185–191), (S1674638419300255), (10.1016/j.chmed.2019.03.008)) / 中草药·英文版

When this paper was first published the following ethical statement was omitted in error: The studies were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The animals were cared according to the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Research advances of biosynthesis, in vivo analysis and pharmacokinetics of chemical constituents in Artemisiae Annuae Herba / 中国中药杂志

Artemisiae Annuae Herba is a traditional Chinese medicine for clearing deficiency and heat. It is the only natural source of artemisinin, which is a specific antimalarial drug, and has been widely concerned all over the world. In addition to artemisinin, Artemisiae Annuae Herba also contains many sesquiterpenes, coumarins, flavonoids, volatile oils, polysaccharides and other chemical components, which show antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral microorganisms, anti-asthma, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor and other pharmacological activities. In addition to their own pharmacological activities, some components could enhance the antimalarial activity of artemisinin through different mechanisms at absorption and metabolism in vivo. In order to understand the pharmacokinetic characte-ristics of the chemical constituents contained in Artemisiae Annuae Herba and provide reference for the full development and clinical utilization of Artemisiae Annuae Herba resources in China, this present paper systematically collated the modern research literatures, and summarized the biosynthesis, in vivo analysis and pharmacokinetics of the chemical constituents in Artemisiae Annuae Herba.

A survey of chronic pain in China.

There is an extensive body of research about chronic pain and treatment in developed countries. In contrast there is a lack of research on this topic in developing countries including China. This study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of chronic pain in different regions of China. Data on pain and its treatment were collected from 9357 participants using questionnaires and telephone-based interviews, from 31 regions of China. Gathered data were then coded into electronic data acquisition system and descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed. Out of 9298 participants, the ratio of chronic pain was 31.54% with the proportion of male having chronic pain (33.86%) was higher than that of female (29.53%). The average age of participants with pain (45.02 ± 15.07 years) was higher than free-pain participants (36.19 ± 11.12 years). There were also significant differences between groups in occupation, education levels, and illness history. Proportion of patients with pain duration of 1 year was 12.104%, between 1 and 5 years was 60%, and over 10 years was 10.74%. There were 63.9% of patients with moderate pain and 36.1% with severe pain. About 43.042% of patients thought that pain resulted in sleep disorder, 38.99% thought that it causes anxiety, and about 33% thought depression and irritable bowel was the result of their pain. For the chronic pain, more than half of patients used naprapathy, cupping, and other physical therapies. Up to 2016, the ratio of pain incidence was over 30% in China. The location of pain was focused on back and upper limb. There has been a lack of proper treatment. Patients with pain had obvious economic burden, and their quality of life and psychology were significantly affected.

Potential Medication Risk Analysis of Chinese Patent Medicine in the Treatment of Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To study the potential ris k of Chinese patent medicine for the treatment of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD），and to provide reference for the safety of clinical drug use. METHODS ：Retrieved from Chinese journal full-text database ，CBM，Wanfang database and VIP ，using“stable”“Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ”“COPD” “Chinese patent medicine ”as retrieval words ，relative literatures about Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of stable COPD were retrieved ，and retrieval time limitation was from their establishment to Sept. 2019. The type and components of Chinese patent medicine were collected. The potential risk of Chinese patent medicine was analyzed in terms of the contraindications of traditional Chinese medicines ，the interaction between traditional Chinese medicines and chemical medicines ，and its effects on stable COPD with other common chronic diseases. RESULTS ：Eleven related studies covering 29 kinds of Chinese patent medicines for the treatment of stable COPD were included in this study. There were several incompatibility between two Chinese patent medicines containing Aconitum carmichaelii and eleven Chinese patent medicines containing “Pinellia ternata ，Trichosanthes kirilowii ， Bolbostemma paniculatum ，Ampelopsis japonica ，Bletilla striata ”as an ancient rule of traditional Chinese medicine incompatibility “Eighteen antagonisms ”and“Nineteen mutual ”inhibitors. Meanwhile ，it should be avoided that four Chinese patent medicines containing ephedra combined with β2 receptor agonists or theophylline. Moreover ，oral antibiotics and 14 kinds of Chinese patent medicine containing licorice would reduce the curative effect. In addition ，patients with stable COPD who also had hypertension ， hyperlipidemia or diabetes should be careful to use Chinese patent medicines containing ingredients such as Glycyrrhiza uralensis ， A. carmichaelii ，Ephedra sinica ，Citrus aurantium ，Cornus officinalis ，Fritillaria cirrhosa ，Panax ginseng （Panax notoginseng ）. CONCLUSIONS：There are many potential risks （such as combined use ，compatibility）in the use of Chinese patent medicines for stable COPD. It is suggested to comprehensively evaluate the patient ’s previous medical history and medication before using Chinese patent medicines ，so as to provide scientific guide for clinical rational medication.

Clinical effect of manipulation therapy for the treatment of degenerative lumbar instability based on myofascial chain theory / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To explore clinical effects of manipulation therapy in treating degenerative lumbar instability based on myofascial chain theory.@*METHODS@#Fifty-seven patients with degenerative lumbar spine instability were analyzed retrospectively from January 2018 to December 2019, and treated with massage manipulation therapy. Among them, 29 patients were treated with massage manipulation therapy based on the myofascial chain theory (myofascial chain group), including 14 males and 15 females, aged from 40 to 69 years old with an average of (51.76±5.07) years old, the courses of disease was (3.4±1.6) years. Twenty-eight patients were treated with massage manipulation therapy based on TCM meridian theory (TCM meridian group), including 12 males and 16 females, aged from 42 to 70 years old with an average of(52.48±4.31) years old, the courses of disease was (3.3±1.7) years. Before treatment, after treatment, 1 and 3 months after treatment, visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain degree of lumbar, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and modified Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to assess improvement of lumbar function, and changes of lumbar muscle tension were used to evaluate clinical effect.@*RESULTS@#VAS score, JOA score, modified ODI score and lumbar muscle tension after treatment were significantly improved than those of before treatment between two groups (@*CONCLUSION@#Manipulation therapyon in treating degenerative lumbar instability based on myofascial chain theory could effectively relieve low back pain symptom and improve lumbar function. It is worthy of promoting.

Rapid screening and characterization of triterpene saponins in Acanthopanax senticosus leaves via untargeted MSAll and SWATH techniques on a quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry.

This paper focused on untargeted MSAll, also called MSE, and sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATH) fragmentations for comprehensive structural characterization of triterpene saponins (TSs) in leaves of Acanthopanax senticosus through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF). [M+H]+, [M + NH4]+ and [M + Na]+ precursor ions and the corresponding fragment ions were collected simultaneously in energy-resolved MSAll. SWATH fragmentation was applied as a comparable and complementary method for resolving co-eluting species. A workflow based on MSAll and SWATH fragmentations was constructed for comprehensive structural characterization and rapid discovery of TSs in leaves of A. senticosus. As a result, 89 TSs, along with 14 sapogenins, were unambiguously characterized or tentatively identified. Of these, 33 compounds were characterized as potentially new compounds, including the first report of malonyl-saponin in genus Acanthopanax. This study aimed to systematically analyze TSs in leaves of A. senticosus, and the results are significant for the utilization of A. senticosus leaves.

A generic strategy based on gas phase decomposition of protonated and ammoninted precursors producing predictable MRM-MS ion pairs and collision energies for direct analysis of plant triterpene glycosides.

Optimization of multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) parameters of triterpene glycosides (TGs) using traditional infusion methods remains to be labor-intensive. However, it was found that mild gas phase decompositions of protonated and ammoninted precursors (DPAP) of TGs could produce a series of abundant dehydrated product ions of aglycones ([A+H-nH2O]+ (n = 0, 1, 2, 3…)) with high efficiency and stability. Based on these considerations and findings, an innovative ESI+-MRM-DPAP-MS strategy was devised on a QTRAP 4000 instrument allowing for rapid the qualitative and quantitative analysis of plant TGs. A detailed study of 85 model compounds from 20 herbal medicines was implemented for validation and evaluation of the ESI+-MRM-DPAP-MS strategy proposed. The central composition design confirmed that collision energy (CE) played more significant roles than declustering potentials (DP) for the formation of these Q1/Q3 ion pairs based on MRM-DPAP-MS. It is also noted that Q1 and Mw were the most important factors for the prediction of CE values by a partial least square regression model. Here, we demonstrated this generic workflow and its merits in: (1) early prediction and selection of MRM ion pairs, no matter which type of TGs, employing a new-found Q1/Q3 calculation formula (Q1=[M+H/NH4]+ and Q3= [A+H-nH2O]+ (n = 0, 1, 2, 3…)); (2) direct determination of practicable CE values using TGs-specific CE-estimating linear equations; (3) appearances of excellent sensitivity, stability and repeatability through real application in Aralia elata, Panax notoginseng and Caulophyllum robustum; (4) seamless application of optimal CE parameters in other triple quadrupole MS instruments such as Thermo TSQ Quantum Ultra. The ESI+-MRM- DPAP-MS may service as an effective and feasible approach for analytical characterization of biological TGs from herbal medicines.

Thoughts and practices of personnel training majoring in Chinese material medica based on the cultural self-confidence of Chinese medicine / 国际中医中药杂志

Guided by Chinese medicine culture,the strengthening of the cultural self-confidence of Chinese medicine is the cornerstone of the personnel training majoring in Chinese material medica.With the rapid development of modern medicine,the personnel training of the undergraduate students majoring in Chinese material medica in the universities of western medicine is facing several problems,such as lack of cultural identity,lack of professional confidence,unsteadiness of professional thinking,and changes of employment direction.For these problems,based on the main line "Solidify the cultural foundation of Chinese medicine,strengthen the self-confidence of Chinese material medica",our school selected the Chinese medicine cultural traveling,social practices and Chinese medicine employment guidance curriculum as the starting points,and carried out various of lively and vivid activities,which had positive impacts on the learning enthusiasm and professional love of the undergraduate students majoring in Chinese material medica.

A light-controllable specific drug delivery nanoplatform for targeted bimodal imaging-guided photothermal/chemo synergistic cancer therapy.

Breast cancer is a severe threat to the health and lives of women due to its difficult early diagnosis and the unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy of breast cancer treatments. The development of theranostic strategies to combat breast cancer with high accuracy and effectiveness is therefore urgently needed. In this study, we describe a near-infrared (NIR) light-controllable, targeted and biocompatible drug delivery nanoplatform (PFH-PTX@PLGA/SPIO-Her) for photoacoustic (PA)/ultrasound (US) bimodal imaging-guided photothermal (PTT)/chemo synergistic cancer therapy of breast cancer. Carboxyl-modified PEGylated poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA-PEG-COOH) constituted the skeleton of the nanoplatform. Especially, the antibody Herceptin was modified onto the surface of nanoplatform for active HER2-targing to facilitate the tumor accumulation of the nanoplatform. The encapsulated superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles could be employed as an excellent PA imaging agent to guide tumor therapy. When exposed to NIR light, the SPIO also could transform NIR light into thermal energy for photothermal ablation of tumor. The NIR-induced thermal effect subsequently triggered the optical droplet vaporization (ODV) of perfluorohexane (PFH) to generate PFH gas bubbles, which not only achieved the US imaging enhancement, but also contributed to the release of loaded paclitaxel (PTX) from the nanoplatform for significantly improving PTT therapeutic efficacy. Our results demonstrated that the targeted tumor accumulation, accurate real-time bimodal imaging, and the abundant drug release at the tumor site were all closely associated with the PTT therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, the theranostic nanoplatform is a very promising strategy for targeted imaging-guided photothermal/chemo synergistic tumor therapy with high therapeutic efficacy and minimized side effects. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women. Herein, we successfully developed a light-controllable and HER2 targeted theranostic nanoparticels (PFH-PTX@PLGA/SPIO-Her) as a specific drug delivery nanoplatform to overcome the low accuracy of tumor detection and the low specificity of traditional chemo-therapeutic protocols. The study demonstrated that PFH-PTX@PLGA/SPIO-Her could actively target to breast cancer cells with positive HER2 expression. The biocompatible PFH-PTX@PLGA/SPIO-Her nanoparticles as both photoacoustic/ultrasound bimodal imaging agents, photothermal-conversion nanomaterials (photothermal hyperthermia) and controllable drug delivery nanoagents (optical droplet vaporization) have completely eradicated the tumor without severe side effects. The theranostic strategy not only integrates strengthens of traditional imaging or therapeutic modalities, but also paves a new way for the efficient cancer treatment by taking the advantage of quickly-developing nanomedicine.

PA/US dual-modality imaging to guide VEGFR-2 targeted photothermal therapy using ZnPc-/PFH-loaded polymeric nanoparticles.

Angiogenesis is a common pathological characteristic of many solid tumors and vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising method to reduce neovascularization. To increase the targeting ability and efficiency of PTT, a novel polymeric nanosystem that encapsulates phthalocyanine zinc (ZnPc) and perfluorohexane (PFH) was developed to target the new blood vessels of breast tumors. After being conjugated to the anti-VEGFR-2 antibody, the polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) targeted vascular endothelial cells efficiently. The photosensitizer (PS) in the NPs could convert laser energy into heat, generating local high temperatures to kill the surrounding cells under laser irradiation. In addition, the liquid-gas phase transition of PFH was induced, and an enhanced ultrasound (US) and photoacoustic (PA) image could be obtained. US/PA imaging enables visualization of the location of NPs, and laser irradiation position can be guided to the optimal location, resulting in fewer side effects than those from traditional treatments with a high targeting ability and an efficient synergistic effect from the PTT.

Simultaneous Separation of Eight Lignans in Forsythia suspensa by ß-Cyclodextrin-Modified Capillary Zone Electrophoresis.

The aim of the study was to develop an alternative capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for simultaneous determination of phillyrin (1), phillygenin (2), epipinoresinol-4-O-ß-glucoside (3), pinoresinol-4-O-ß-glucoside (4), lariciresinol (5), pinoresinol (6), isolariciresinol (7) and vladinol D (8) in Forsythia suspensa. The structural types of lignans 1-8 could be attributed to bisepoxylignans (1-4 and 6), monoepoxylignans (5 and 8) and cyclolignan (7). The major difficulties in the CZE separation of 1-8 could be summarization as the simultaneous presence of free lignans (1, 2 and 5-8) and lignan glucosides (3 and 4) and simultaneous occurrence of two pairs of isomers (3 and 4 as well as 5 and 7). Without the addition of ß-CD and methanol, the resolution of these analytes was quite poor. However, in this study, compounds 1-8 were excellently separated from each other within 15 min under optimized conditions with a borax running buffer (40 mM borax, pH 10.30) containing 2 mM ß-CD and 5% methanol (v/v) at the voltage of 20 kV, temperature of 35 °C and detection wavelength of 234 nm. Validation of the method included tests of linearity, precision, repeatability, stability and accuracy. In addition, the method offered inherent advantages such as lower analytical cost, no need of specific columns and use of small amounts of organic solvents and reagents. Finally, this green and economic CZE was successfully applied for the determination of these bioactive components 1-8 in F. suspensa fruits and its commercial extracts.

Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Sterculia lychnophora Hance (Pangdahai) / 中国天然药物

The matured, ripen, and dried seeds of Scaphium affine (Mast.) Pierre, known as Pangdahai (PDH) in Chinese and recorded as Sterculia lychnophora Hance (scientific synonym) in the 2015 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopeia, have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, Japanese folk medicine, Vietnamese traditional medicine, traditional Thai medicine and Indian traditional medicine. The decoctions of the seeds are used as a remedy for pharyngitis, laryngitis, constipation, cough, menorrhagia, and pain management. This review is aimed at fully collating and presenting a systematic and comprehensive overview of the ethnopharmacological uses of PDH, its phytochemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and toxicological profile. Additionally, this review aims to reveal the therapeutic potentials as well as the important scientific gaps in the research of this traditional medicine that need to be filled so as to provide a comprehensive data for its development, utilization and application. From our extensive review of literatures, the teas (water decoctions) of PDH, which largely contain very polar constituents like polysaccharides, are used in the treatment of constipation, pharyngitis, and pain traditionally and ethno-medicinally and their use have been justified by pharmacological studies carried out on the polysaccharides and aqueous extracts. Additionally, this review has revealed that the organic (ethanolic and methanolic) extracts of PDH possess diverse pharmacological (anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-pyretic, anti-microbial, anti-obesity and analgesic) effects, yet have received little attention. Most studies on PDH have been focused on the polysaccharides (large molecular weight metabolites), resulting in a major scientific gap in our knowledge on PDH. Furthermore, this review has also shown that few studies have been done in the areas of quality control, pharmacokinetics, and toxicological studies of PDH.

Chemistry and biology research on bitter-taste Chinese materia medica with function of regulating glycolipid metabolism / 中国中药杂志

The bitter taste is one of the important properties among five flavors of Chinese materia medica (CMM), characterized by downbearing and discharging, drying dampness, and consolidating Yin. In common CMM, bitter-taste CMM accounts for a large proportion, indicating the importance of it. Through the efficacy of clearing away heat and dampness, reducing fire and removing toxin, bitter-taste CMM has achieved good results in treating diabetes in clinical application, proving their definite therapeutic effect on regulating glucose and lipid metabolism (main features of diabetes). At present, there are many reports about the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of CMM on diabetes, but there are few reviews on the chemistry and biology of bitter-taste CMM. This study summarized the properties and compatibility characteristics of bitter-taste CMM for treating diabetes, and mainly analyzed the chemistry and biology basis of bitter-taste CMM with function of regulating glycolipid metabolism, laying foundation for further researches on properties theory of CMM.

Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Sterculia lychnophora Hance (Pangdahai) / 中国天然药物

The matured, ripen, and dried seeds of Scaphium affine (Mast.) Pierre, known as Pangdahai (PDH) in Chinese and recorded as Sterculia lychnophora Hance (scientific synonym) in the 2015 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopeia, have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, Japanese folk medicine, Vietnamese traditional medicine, traditional Thai medicine and Indian traditional medicine. The decoctions of the seeds are used as a remedy for pharyngitis, laryngitis, constipation, cough, menorrhagia, and pain management. This review is aimed at fully collating and presenting a systematic and comprehensive overview of the ethnopharmacological uses of PDH, its phytochemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and toxicological profile. Additionally, this review aims to reveal the therapeutic potentials as well as the important scientific gaps in the research of this traditional medicine that need to be filled so as to provide a comprehensive data for its development, utilization and application. From our extensive review of literatures, the teas (water decoctions) of PDH, which largely contain very polar constituents like polysaccharides, are used in the treatment of constipation, pharyngitis, and pain traditionally and ethno-medicinally and their use have been justified by pharmacological studies carried out on the polysaccharides and aqueous extracts. Additionally, this review has revealed that the organic (ethanolic and methanolic) extracts of PDH possess diverse pharmacological (anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-pyretic, anti-microbial, anti-obesity and analgesic) effects, yet have received little attention. Most studies on PDH have been focused on the polysaccharides (large molecular weight metabolites), resulting in a major scientific gap in our knowledge on PDH. Furthermore, this review has also shown that few studies have been done in the areas of quality control, pharmacokinetics, and toxicological studies of PDH.

Mechanism study of prescription to treat Xiaoke based on the property and flavor theory of Chinese medicine and network pharmacology / 药学学报

Property and flavor theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the core base for clinical treatment of diseases. However, few research about its chemical and biological characterization was performed. In this paper, network pharmacology was adopted to review patterns around the theory of TCM. "Xiaoke" prescription database, which combinations of herb medicines for diabetes therapy, was firstly built to explore prescription regularity and screen core paired-components. The prescription regularity and molecular mechanism of flavor composition were explored through the relationship of "drug-compound-target-pathway-function" by ChEMBL, CTD and KEGG datebase. As a result, the tastes of "Gan" (sweetish taste) and "Ku" (bitter taste) were the popular therapeutic flavor to regulate the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolisms. The mechanism of Xiaoke was summarized from representative traditional Chinese medicine partner "Zhimu-Huangbai" and "Huangqi-Gegen". The key components of "Gan", including saponins stimulated insulin secretion, improve insulin resistance and promote glucose utilization. The components of "Ku", including flavonoids and alkaloids regulate inflammatory cytokines, promoted the utilization of glucose, improve endocrine and metabolism through MAPK, PI3K-Akt, PPAR signal pathway. The TCM therapeutic mechanism about "Xiaoke" was preliminarily summarized to clear "heat" by anti-inflammation and immunoregulation, to regulate glucolipid metabolism for removing the satiation of digestion, and to improve the utilization of insulin and diabetes complications for endocrine adjusting. The results demonstrate that therapeutic principle of TCM for "Xiaoke" is comprehensive via multi pathway. This study provides a new research method and strategy for exploring the mechanism of TCM for diabetes therapy.

Practice on teaching of traditional Chinese medicine pharmaceutics experiments based on constructivism learning theory / 国际中医中药杂志

Based on the constructivism learning theory, we designed a new pharmaceutics of TCM experiment teaching course which focused on process of knowledge formation, including a self-designed experiments on the basis of primary experiment, a cooperative learning platform, and an formative evaluation system. The practice has showed that this new teaching method can arouse the participants' interest and initiative, help to enhance the teaching efficiency and performance.

Practice of Nutrition Support Pharmacists Participating in Individualized Nutritional Treatment / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role of nutrition support pharmacists in individualized nutritional treatment. METH-ODS:The nutrition support pharmacists participated in the treatment for a patient with esophageal cancer. The patient received ra-diotherapy instead according the progression of disease. Nutrition support pharmacists suggested that parenteral and enteral nutrition instead of previous nutrition support plan according to disease condition,the requirements of peripheral venous infusion,economic condition. Parenteral nutrition used peripheral venous infusion of"all in one"nutrient solution [containing 5％ Glucose injection 250 mL,50％ Glucose injection 100 mL,20％ Medium and long chain fat emulsion injection(C6-24)250 mL,8.5％ Compound amino acid injection(18AA-Ⅱ)250 mL,10％ Potassium chloride injection 10 mL,Water-soluble vitamin for injection 1 branch, Fat-soluble vitamin injection(Ⅱ)10 mL,osmotic pressure 750 mOsm/L] 870 mL,once a day. Enteral nutrition was Enteral nutri-tional powder 55.8 g mixed with warm water 250 mL,po,2-3 times a day. According to physical condition and food intake,it was suggested to increase the frequency of Enteral nutritional powder to 4-5 times a day,gradually discontinued"all in one"paren-teral nutrition. RESULTS:Physicians adopted the suggestions of nutrition support pharmacists;the patient had a good nutritional status and completed 17 radiotherapy successfully,and discharged from hospital on 37th day. CONCLUSIONS:Nutrition support pharmacists as a member of clinical treatment team play their own pharmaceutical advantages to optimize and adjust the nutritional program in respects of nutrition support way,infusion mode and nutrient solution ratio from the actual needs and aspirations of pa-tients. Under the premise of following the objective rules of medical practice,the nutrition support pharmacists fully respected the individual wishes of patients to lay a foundation for improving the nutritional status and ensuring the successful completion of an-ti-tumor treatment.