Evaluate the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese Medicine as the neoadjuvant treatment in reducing the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been used for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at every therapeutic stage, even before tumor formation. However, the efficacy of TCM in reducing the incidence of HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis B-related cirrhosis remains unclear. This study aims to address this gap. Methods: Publications were collected from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Sino Med, VIP, and Wan Fang Databases. Relative risk (RR) was calculated with a 95 % confidence interval (CI). Heterogeneity was assessed. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Results: 10 studies with 2702 patients showed that the combination therapy significantly reduced the incidence of HCC in patients with post-hepatitis B cirrhosis at 1, 3, and 5 years. However, the preventive effects of TCM were in compensated cirrhosis, but not the decompensated cirrhosis. Furthermore, TCM correlated with improved liver function and enhanced virological response. Conclusion: Combination therapy with TCM demonstrated the certain potential in reducing the incidence of HCC in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis. This is attrinuted to the improvement of liver function and enhancement of the viral response. However, the efficacy of TCM in the field still needs more high-quality RCTs to provide stronger evidence in the future.

Efficacy of Yisui granule on myelodysplastic syndromes in SKM-1 mouse xenograft model through suppressing Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To unmask the underlying mechanisms of Yisui granule (, YSG) for the treatment of Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). METHODS: Our study used an SKM-1 mouse xenograft model of MDS to explore the anti-tumor potential of YSG and its safety, assess its effect on overall survival (OS), and evaluate whether its mechanism is associated with the demethylation of the secreted frizzled related protein 5 (sFRP5) gene and suppressing Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Bisulfite amplicon sequencing was applied to detect the level of methylation of the sFRP5 gene; western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, and real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction were performed to detect DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), sFRP5, and other Wnt/ß-catenin pathway-related mRNA and protein expression. RESULTS: The results showed that high-dosage YSG exerted an anti-tumor effect similar to that of decitabine, improved OS, and reduced long-term adverse effects in the long term. Mechanically, YSG reduced the expression of DNMT1 methyltransferase, decreased the methylation, and increased the expression of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway antagonist-sFRP5. Furthermore, components of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, including Wnt3a, ß-catenin, c-Myc, and cyclinD1, were down-regulated in response to YSG, suggesting that YSG could treat MDS by demethylating the sFRP5 gene and suppressing the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that YSG could be used alone or in combination with decitabine to improve outcomes in the MDS animal model, providing an alternative solution for treating MDS.

The changes of neuroactivity of Tui Na (Chinese massage) at Hegu acupoint on sensorimotor cortex in stroke patients with upper limb motor dysfunction: a fNIRS study.

BACKGROUND: Tui Na (Chinese massage) is a relatively simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive intervention, and has been used to treat stroke patients for many years in China. Tui Na acts on specific parts of the body which are called meridians and acupoints to achieve the role of treating diseases. Yet the underlying neural mechanism associated with Tui Na is not clear due to the lack of detection methods. OBJECTIVE: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to explore the changes of sensorimotor cortical neural activity in patients with upper limb motor dysfunction of stroke and healthy control groups during Tui Na Hegu Point. METHODS: Ten patients with unilateral upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke and eight healthy subjects received Tui Na. fNIRS was used to record the hemodynamic data in the sensorimotor cortex and the changes in blood flow were calculated based on oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb), the task session involved repetitive Tui Na on Hegu acupoint, using a block design [six cycles: rest (20 seconds); Tui Na (20 seconds); rest (30 seconds)]. The changes in neural activity in sensorimotor cortex could be inferred according to the principle of neurovascular coupling, and the number of activated channels in the bilateral hemisphere was used to calculate the lateralization index. RESULT: 1. For hemodynamic response induced by Hegu acupoint Tui Na, a dominant increase in the contralesional primary sensorimotor cortex during Hegu point Tui Na of the less affected arm in stroke patients was observed, as well as that in healthy controls, while this contralateral pattern was absent during Hegu point Tui Na of the affected arm in stroke patients. 2. Concerning the lateralization index in stroke patients, a significant difference was observed between lateralization index values for the affected arm and the less affected arm (P < 0.05). Wilcoxon tests showed a significant difference between lateralization index values for the affected arm in stroke patients and lateralization index values for the dominant upper limb in healthy controls (P < 0.05), and no significant difference between lateralization index values for the less affected arm in stroke patients and that in healthy controls (P = 0.36). CONCLUSION: The combination of Tui Na and fNIRS has the potential to reflect the functional status of sensorimotor neural circuits. The changes of neuroactivity in the sensorimotor cortex when Tui Na Hegu acupoint indicate that there is a certain correlation between acupoints in traditional Chinese medicine and neural circuits.

A mannitol-modified emodin nano-drug restores the intestinal barrier function and alleviates inflammation in a mouse model of DSS-induced ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease of the colon that is characterized by mucosal ulcers. Given its increasing prevalence worldwide, it is imperative to develop safe and effective drugs for treating UC. Emodin, a natural anthraquinone derivative present in various medicinal herbs, has demonstrated therapeutic effects against UC. However, low bioavailability due to poor water solubility limits its clinical applications. METHODS: Emodin-borate nanoparticles (EmB) were synthesized to improve drug solubility, and they modified with oligomeric mannitol into microgels (EmB-MO) for targeted delivery to intestinal macrophages that express mannose receptors. UC was induced in a mouse model using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), and different drug formulations were administered to the mice via drinking water. The levels of inflammation-related factors in the colon tissues and fecal matter were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Intestinal permeability was evaluated using fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran. HE staining, in vivo imaging, real-time PCR, and western blotting were performed to assess intestinal barrier dysfunction. RESULTS: Both EmB and EmB-MO markedly alleviated the symptoms of UC, including body weight loss, stool inconsistency, and bloody stools and restored the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. However, the therapeutic effects of EmB-MO on the macroscopic and immunological indices were stronger than those of EmB and similar to those of 5-aminosalicylic acid. Furthermore, EmB-MO selectively accumulated in the inflamed colon epithelium and restored the levels of the gut barrier proteins such as ZO-1 and Occludin. CONCLUSIONS: EmB-MO encapsulation significantly improved water solubility, which translated to greater therapeutic effects on the immune balance and gut barrier function in mice with DSS-induced UC. Our findings provide novel insights into developing emodin-derived drugs for the management of UC.

Transcriptional and proteomic analysis.

Unintended effects of gene edit crops may pose safety issues. Omics is a useful tool for researchers to evaluate these unexpected effects. Transcriptome and proteomics analyses were performed for two gene editors, CRISPR-Cas9 and adenine base editor (ABE) gene edit rice, as well as corresponding wild-type plants (Nipponbare). Transcriptome revealed 520 and 566 rice differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the Cas9/Nip and ABE/Nip comparisons, respectively. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis showed that most DEGs participated in metabolism of terpenoids and polyketones, plant-pathogen interactions, and plant signal transduction. It mainly belongs to environmental adaptation. Proteomics revealed 298 and 54 rice differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the Cas9/Nip and ABE/Nip comparisons, respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that most DEPs participated in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolite and metabolic pathways.According to integrated transcriptomes and proteomics analysis, the results showed that no newly generated genes were identified as new transcripts of these differentially expressed genes, and gene edit tools had little effect on rice transcription levels and no new proteins were generated in the gene-edited rice.

Morphological and Transcriptomic Analysis of the Supplemental Boron in the Liver of Ostrich Chicks.

African ostrich chicks (Struthio camelus) were divided into six groups, and each received different levels of boric acid (source of boron) in the drinking water (0, 40, 80, 160, 320, and 640 mg/L respectively) to examine the histological, apoptotic, biochemical, and transcriptomic parameters. Morphological analysis in different groups was assessed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining, and terminal deoxynucleotide transferase dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay. The biochemical profile was evaluated spectrophotometrically. Detailed RNA-Seq of the data was performed using the transcriptomic method. H&E staining showed well-developed liver structure up to the 160 mg/L boric acid (BA) supplement groups, while BA doses (320 mg/L and 640 mg/L) caused changes in hepatocytes and portal triads. PAS staining showed that glycogen levels were optimal in the 80 mg/L BA dose group, but a reduction in glycogen levels was observed after this group, particularly in the 640 mg/L BA supplement group. Cellular apoptosis showed a biphasic pattern, and the BA dose above 160 mg/L enhanced cell death. In addition, serum analysis showed that doses of 80-160 mg BA were beneficial for ostrich liver. Then, the transcriptome analysis of the 80 mg dose also showed mainly positive effects on the liver. These results demonstrated that chronic BA exposure (320-640 mg) can cause significant histological, apoptotic, and biochemical changes in African ostrich liver, while the adequate dose of supplementation (particularly 80 mg BA) promotes liver growth.

Constructing a Syndrome Differentiation Model by Combining Latent Structure Analysis of Association Rules： An Example of Kidney Yang Deficiency Syndrome in Primary Osteoporosis / 中医杂志

ObjectiveTo construct a quantitative differentiation model of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes by taking primary osteoporosis （POP） with kidney yang deficiency syndrome as an example， and to provide methodological reference for the standardization of syndrome differentiation. MethodsHigh-frequency clinical features of POP were screened by descriptive statistical analysis， and strong association features of POP were obtained by association rule algorithm. On this basis， a latent structure （latent tree） model was established through latent structure analysis， and the implicit and explicit variables （features） related to POP with kidney yang deficiency syndrome were comprehensively clustered， and the clustering results were interpreted by the indexes of mutual information and cumulative information coverage， to explore the primary and secondary symptoms， and to deduce the categories of POP with kidney yang deficiency syndrome based on the probability of the features appearing in the various latent categories. Based on the categories， the clinical feature scores and identification thresholds were calculated， and the syndrome differentiation model of POP with kidney yang deficiency was initially constructed by combining the comprehensive judgment rules. Finally， the results of TCM professionals' judgment were used as the gold standard to further evaluate the effectiveness of the model in assisting the syndrome differentiation. ResultsThe 32 features strongly associated with POP were obtained， and the Bayes information critedon score of the further constructed latent tree model was -15291.93. Based on the mutual information and the cumulative information coverage， the main symptoms of POP with kidney yang deficiency syndrome were bone weakness， fatigue， pale tongue， clear urine， frequent nocturnal urination， cold limbs， thin pulse， white coating， and secondary symptoms were weakness， loss of libido， loose stool， frequent urination， lumbar and knee weakness， and fear of cold. From the probability of the occurrence of each clinical feature in different latent categories of POP with kidney yang deficiency syndrome， the state was introduced as S0 category （none/mild kidney yang syndrome）/ S1 category （moderate kidney yang syndrome）/ S2 category （severe kidney yang syndrome）. Optimizing the preliminary rules of state identification and refining the state of S1 category， the results showed that among 970 patients with POP， there were 520 patients having no/mild kidney yang deficiency syndrome， 224 patients with moderate to mild kidney yang deficiency syndrome， 81 patients with moderate to severe kidney yang deficiency syndrome， and 145 patients with severe kidney yang deficiency syndrome. During the evaluation and validation process， the correct rate of the model assessment index was 0.8835， while the sensitivity was 0.7181， and the specificity was 0.9437. ConclusionCombined with the latent structure analysis of the association rule， the syndrome differentiation model for POP with kidney yang deficiency could be constructed， and the model shows a good quantitative identification effect， which can provide methodological supports for clinicians to improve the efficiency and accuracy of TCM diagnosis.

In vivo antioxidant activity of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei cv. 'Brightwell') anthocyanin extracts / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Blueberries are rich in phenolic compounds including anthocyanins which are closely related to biological health functions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of blueberry anthocyanins extracted from 'Brightwell' rabbiteye blueberries in mice. After one week of adaptation, C57BL/6J healthy male mice were divided into different groups that were administered with 100, 400, or 800 mg/kg blueberry anthocyanin extract (BAE), and sacrificed at different time points (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 h). The plasma, eyeball, intestine, liver, and adipose tissues were collected to compare their antioxidant activity, including total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-PX/GPX) content, and the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA) level. The results showed that blueberry anthocyanins had positive concentration-dependent antioxidant activity in vivo. The greater the concentration of BAE, the higher the T-AOC value, but the lower the MDA level. The enzyme activity of SOD, the content of GSH-PX, and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of Cu,Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, and GPX all confirmed that BAE played an antioxidant role after digestion in mice by improving their antioxidant defense. The in vivo antioxidant activity of BAE indicated that blueberry anthocyanins could be developed into functional foods or nutraceuticals with the aim of preventing or treating oxidative stress-related diseases.

Grape Seed Extract Attenuates Demyelination in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Mice by Inhibiting Inflammatory Response of Immune Cells / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To examine the anti-inflammatory effect of grape seed extract (GSE) in animal and cellular models and explore its mechanism of action.@*METHODS@#This study determined the inhibitory effect of GSE on macrophage inflammation and Th1 and Th17 polarization in vitro. Based on the in vitro results, the effects and mechanisms of GSE on multiple sclerosis (MS)-experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice model were further explored. The C57BL/6 mice were intragastrically administered with 50 mg/kg of GSE once a day from the 3rd day to the 27th day after immunization. The activation of microglia, the polarization of Th1 and Th17 and the inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α), interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β), IL-6, IL-12, IL-17 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) secreted by them were detected in vitro and in vivo by flow cytometry, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence staining and Western blot, respectively.@*RESULTS@#GSE reduced the secretion of TNF-α, IL-1 β and IL-6 in bone marrow-derived macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (P<0.01), inhibited the secretion of TNF-α, IL-1 β, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17 and IFN-γ in spleen cells of EAE mice immunized for 9 days (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and reduced the differentiation of Th1 and Th17 mediated by CD3 and CD28 factors (P<0.01). GSE significantly improved the clinical symptoms of EAE mice, and inhibited spinal cord demyelination and inflammatory cell infiltration. Peripherally, GSE downregulated the expression of toll-like-receptor 4 (TLR4) and Rho-associated kinase (ROCKII, P<0.05 or P<0.01), and inhibited the secretion of inflammatory factors (P<0.01 or P<0.05). In the central nervous system, GSE inhibited the infiltration of CD45+CD11b+ and CD45+CD4+ cells, and weakened the differentiation of Th1 and Th17 (P<0.05). Moreover, it reduced the secretion of inflammatory factors (P<0.01), and prevented the activation of microglia (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#GSE had a beneficial effect on the pathogenesis and progression of EAE by inhibiting inflammatory response as a potential drug and strategy for the treatment of MS.

Mechanism of Xuebijing Injection in treatment of sepsis-associated ARDS based on network pharmacology and in vitro experiment / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and molecular mechanism of Xuebijing Injection in the treatment of sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS) based on network pharmacology and in vitro experiment. The active components of Xuebijing Injection were screened and the targets were predicted by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP). The targets of sepsis-associated ARDS were searched against GeneCards, DisGeNet, OMIM, and TTD. Weishengxin platform was used to map the targets of the main active components in Xuebijing Injection and the targets of sepsis-associated ARDS, and Venn diagram was established to identify the common targets. Cytoscape 3.9.1 was used to build the "drug-active components-common targets-disease" network. The common targets were imported into STRING for the building of the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, which was then imported into Cytoscape 3.9.1 for visualization. DAVID 6.8 was used for Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment of the common targets, and then Weishe-ngxin platform was used for visualization of the enrichment results. The top 20 KEGG signaling pathways were selected and imported into Cytoscape 3.9.1 to establish the KEGG network. Finally, molecular docking and in vitro cell experiment were performed to verify the prediction results. A total of 115 active components and 217 targets of Xuebijing Injection and 360 targets of sepsis-associated ARDS were obtained, among which 63 common targets were shared by Xuebijing Injection and the disease. The core targets included interleukin-1 beta(IL-1β), IL-6, albumin(ALB), serine/threonine-protein kinase(AKT1), and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA). A total of 453 GO terms were annotated, including 361 terms of biological processes(BP), 33 terms of cellular components(CC), and 59 terms of molecular functions(MF). The terms mainly involved cellular response to lipopolysaccharide, negative regulation of apoptotic process, lipopolysaccharide-mediated signaling pathway, positive regulation of transcription from RNA polyme-rase Ⅱ promoter, response to hypoxia, and inflammatory response. The KEGG enrichment revealed 85 pathways. After diseases and generalized pathways were eliminated, hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1), tumor necrosis factor(TNF), nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB), Toll-like receptor, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways were screened out. Molecular docking showed that the main active components of Xuebijing Injection had good binding activity with the core targets. The in vitro experiment confirmed that Xuebijing Injection suppressed the HIF-1, TNF, NF-κB, Toll-like receptor, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways, inhibited cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen species generation, and down-regulated the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in cells. In conclusion, Xuebijing Injection can regulate apoptosis and response to inflammation and oxidative stress by acting on HIF-1, TNF, NF-κB, Toll-like receptor, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways to treat sepsis-associated ARDS.

Research status of Bovis Calculus and relevant Chinese patent medicines based on bibliometric analysis / 中国中药杂志

With scarce resources, natural Bovis Calculus is expensive and hard to meet clinical demand. At the moment, four kinds of Bovis Calculus are available on the market: the natural product, in vitro cultured product, synthesized product, and the product formed in cow after manual intervention. In this study, papers on the four kinds of Bovis Calculus products and relevant Chinese patent medicines were searched from Web of Science, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI). CiteSpace, citexs AI, and CNKI were employed for bibliometric analysis and knowledge map analysis. On this basis, the status, trend, and focuses of research on Bovis Calculus and relevant Chinese patent medicines were summarized. The results suggested overall slow development in the research on Bovis Calculus and relevant Chinese patent medicines with three typical growth stages. It is consistent with the development of Bovis Calculus substitutes and the national policy for the development of traditional Chinese medicine. At the moment, the research on Bovis Calculus and relevant Chinese patent medicines has been on the rise. In recent years, there has been an explosion of research on them, particularly the quality control of Bovis Calculus and the Chinese patent medicines, the pharmacological efficacy of Chinese patent medicines, such as Angong Niuhuang Pills, and the comparison of the quality of various Bovis Calculus products. However, there is a paucity of research on the pharmacological efficacy and the mechanism of Bovis Calculus. This medicinal and the relevant Chinese patent medicines have been studied from diverse perspectives and China becomes outstanding in this research field. However, it is still necessary to reveal the chemical composition, pharmacological efficacy, and mechanism through multi-dimensional deep research.

Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer in general population and high-risk population: a systematic review and network meta-analysis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Many nutritional supplements and pharmacological agents have been reported to show preventive effects on colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer (CRC). We performed a network meta-analysis to summarize such evidence and assess the efficacy and safety of these agents.@*METHODS@#We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for studies published in English until October 31, 2021 that fit our inclusion criteria. We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis to assess the comparative efficacy and safety of candidate agents (low-dose aspirin [Asp], high-dose Asp, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors [coxibs], calcium, vitamin D, folic acid, ursodeoxycholic acid [UDCA], estrogen, and progesterone, alone or in combination) for preventing colorectal adenoma and CRC. Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool was employed to evaluate the quality of each included study.@*RESULTS@#Thirty-two randomized controlled trials (278,694 participants) comparing 13 different interventions were included. Coxibs significantly reduced the risk of colorectal adenoma (risk ratio [RR]: 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44-0.79, six trials involving 5486 participants), advanced adenoma (RR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.43-0.92, four trials involving 4723 participants), and metachronous adenoma (RR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.43-0.79, five trials involving 5258 participants) compared with placebo. Coxibs also significantly increased the risk of severe adverse events (RR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.13-1.47, six trials involving 7109 participants). Other interventions, including Asp, folic acid, UDCA, vitamin D, and calcium, did not reduce the risk of colorectal adenoma in the general and high-risk populations compared with placebo.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Considering the balance between benefits and harms, regular use of coxibs for prevention of colorectal adenoma was not supported by the current evidence. Benefit of low-dose Asp for chemoprevention of colorectal adenoma still requires further evidence.@*REGISTRATION@#PROSPERO, No. CRD42022296376.

Clinical study of Qinggan Bupi Jiangtang Decoction combined with western medicine in the treatment of adult type 2 diabetes mellitus with liver hyperactivity and spleen deficiency syndrome / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of Qinggan Bupi Jiangtang Decoction combined with western medicine in the treatment of adult type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with with liver hyperactivity and spleen deficiency syndrome.Methods:Prospective cohort study. A total of 103 T2DM patients with liver hyperactivity and spleen deficiency syndrome in the Department of endocrinology of Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from February 2020 to February 2021 were randomly divided into the observation group (52 cases) and the control group (51 cases) according to random number table method. Both groups were treated with conventional western medicine, the control group was treated with sitagliptin phosphate on the basis of routine treatment, and the observation group was treated with Qinggan Bupi Jiangtang Decoction on the basis of routine treatment. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. TCM symptom scores were performed before and after treatment. The FPG, 2hPBG, HbA1c and fasting insulin (FINS) were detected by dry chemistry method and Roche electroluminescence method, and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by dynamic blood glucose monitoring indexes TIR (percentage of time when glucose was in the range of 3.9-10.0 mmol/L), TAR (percentage of time when glucose was higher than the target range ≥ 11.1 mmol/L) and TBR (percentage of time when glucose was lower than the target range <3.9 mmol/L).Results:The total effective rate was 92.3% (48/52) in the observation group and 56.9% (29/51) in the control group ( χ2=15.32, P<0.01). The score of TCM syndrome in the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group ( t=6.30, P<0.01). The compliance rate of HbA1c in the observation group was 46.2% (24/52) and that of the control group was 23.5% (12/51). There was significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=5.80, P=0.016). Compared with the groups before treatment, MAGE, TAR, TBR significantly decreased and TIR significantly increased in both groups after treatment ( P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two groups after treatment ( t values were 0.78, 1.06, 0.22 and 1.45, respectively, P>0.05). Compared with the groups before treatment, the levels of FPG, 2 hPBG and HbA1c in the two groups significantly decreased after treatment ( P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two groups after treatment ( t values were 1.32, 0.18,1.50, respectively, P>0.05). Compared with the groups before treatment, the levels of FINS and HOMA-IR in the two groups significantly decreased after treatment ( P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two groups after treatment ( t values were 1.25, 0.51, respectively, P>0.05). There were no adverse reactions in the observation group, 2 cases of mild nausea and 1 case of transient diarrhea in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=3.15, P=0.118). Conclusion:Qinggan Bupi Jiangtang Decoction combined with routine treatment can improve the blood glucose level, TIR and blood glucose standard rates of adult T2DM with liver hyperactivity and spleen deficiency syndrome, and the curative effect is equivalent to sitagliptin phosphate tablets.

Developing process and term analysis of WFAS standard: General Requirements for the Risk Control in the Safe Use of Acupuncture / 中国针灸

In order to promote the application of WFAS standard, General Requirements for the Risk Control in the Safe Use of Acupuncture and the safe practice of acupuncture technology worldwide, the paper introduces the developing process and main contents of this standard, explains the developing purpose, scope, ideas, methods and basis, and analyzes the definition of the relevant terms. Through strictly complied with the development procedure of standard, the terms related to acupuncture risk in this standard are defined. The connotations of 5 special terms are clarified, i.e. "acupuncture risks" "adverse events of acupuncture" "adverse reactions of acupuncture" "acupuncture accidents" and "acupuncture negligence". The range, rank, control flow and source of risk, as well as the control measures are determined. The standard extracts the underlying common problems and basic requirement of the safe practice of acupuncture so as to lay a framework for the development of the relevant technical standards of acupuncture.

Scientific basis of acupuncture on mesenchymal stem cells for treating ischemic stroke / 中国针灸

The scientific basis of acupuncture on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for treating ischemic stroke (IS) is discussed. MSCs transplantation has great potential for the treatment of tissue damage caused by early stage inflammatory cascade reactions of IS, but its actual transformation is limited by various factors. How to improve the homing efficiency of MSCs is the primary issue to enhance its efficacy. As such, the possible mechanisms of acupuncture and MSCs transplantation in inhibiting inflammatory cascade reactions induced by IS are explored by reviewing literature, and a hypothesis that acupuncture could promote the secretion of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) from ischemic foci to regulate SDF-1α/CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) axis, thereby improving the homing efficiency of MSCs transplantation, exerting its neuroprotective function, and improving the bed transformation ability, is proposed.

Research on dynamic on-line monitoring method of moisture attribute in three honey-processed Chinese herbal slice based on in-situ general model / 药学学报

Aiming at the hysteresis and destructiveness of off-line static detection of critical quality attribute of the moisture content of the raw material unit of the traditional Chinese medicine manufacturing process, honey-processed Tussilago farfara, honey-processed Astragalus and honey-processed Glycyrrhiza uralensis were used as the research carriers, and the drying method was used to measure the moisture content as a reference value. The moving stage was used to simulate the movement process of samples on the conveyor belt in the actual on-site production process, and near-infrared (NIR) spectra were collected, combined with machine learning, to establish NIR on-site dynamic detection model of moisture content in multi-variety honey-processed Chinese herbal slice. The results show that the second derivative method is used to preprocess the spectrum. The number of decision trees (ntree), the number of random features (max feature), and the minimum number of samples for generating leaf nodes (node size) are selected: 46, 76, and 8, respectively. The quantitative analysis model of moisture content has the best effect. The prediction coefficient of determination (the prediction coefficient of determination, R2pre) and the root mean square error of prediction (root mean square error of prediction, RMSEP) of the model were 0.903 2 and 0.330 2, respectively. The NIR quantitative model for the moisture content of multi-variety honey-processed Chinese herbal slice established in this study has good predictive performance, and can achieve rapid, accurate and non-destructive quantitative analysis of the moisture content of honey-processed Tussilago farfara, honey-processed Astragalus and honey-processed Glycyrrhiza uralensis at the same time, and provides a method for determining the moisture content of honey-processed Chinese herbal slice of the raw material unit of the traditional Chinese medicine manufacturing process.

Identification of Kidney-Yang Deficiency Syndrome in Osteoporosis Patients Based on Rule Ensemble Method of Bagging Combining LASSO Regression / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the identification of kidney Yang deficiency syndrome of patients with osteoporosis（OP）， and to form the clinical syndrome identification rules of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）. MethodBasic information， etiology， clinical symptoms and other characteristics of 982 OP patients were included， and statistical tests were used to screen the variables associated with kidney Yang deficiency syndrome. Taking the decision tree as the base model， bootstrap aggregation algorithm（Bagging algorithm） was utilized to establish the classification model of kidney Yang deficiency syndrome in OP， generating numerous rules and removing redundancy. Combining least absolute shrinkage and selection operator（LASSO） regression to screen key rules and integrate them to construct an identification model， achieving the identification of kidney Yang deficiency syndrome in OP patients. ResultEighteen key identification rules were screened out， and of these， where 11 rules with regression coefficients>0 correlated positively with the kidney Yang deficiency syndrome， the rule with the highest coefficient was chilliness（present）&feverish sensation over the palm and sole（absent）. The other 7 rules with regression coefficients<0 correlated negatively with the syndrome， the rule with the lowest coefficient was reddish tongue（present）&diarrhea（absent）&deficiency of endowment（absent）. According to the regression coefficients of each key rule， variables with importance>0.2 were ranked as chilliness， reddish tongue， feverish sensation over the palm and sole， cold limbs， clear urine， diarrhea， deficiency of endowment， prolonged illness. The results of the partial dependence analysis of the identification model showed that compared to OP patients without chilliness， those with chilliness（present） had a 0.266 8 higher probability of being identified as having kidney Yang deficiency syndrome， indicating that this variable had the highest impact on identification of the syndrome. Similarly， compared to OP patients without reddish tongue， those with reddish tongue had a 0.141 9 lower probability of being identified as having kidney Yang deficiency syndrome， indicating that this variable had the highest impact on identifying non-kidney Yang deficiency syndrome. The accuracy， sensitivity， specificity and area under receiver operating characteristic curve（AUC） of the established kidney Yang deficiency syndrome identification model in the test set were 0.865 9， 0.853 7， 0.872 0 and 0.931 5， respectively. ConclusionA precise identification model of OP kidney Yang deficiency syndrome is conducted basing on the rule ensemble method of Bagging combining LASSO regression， and the screened key rules can explain the identification process of kidney Yang deficiency syndrome. In this research， according to the regression coefficients of rules， the importance and partial dependence of variables， combined with the thinking of TCM， the influence of patient characteristics on the identification of syndromes is described， so as to reveal the primary and secondary syndromes of identification and assist the clinical identification of kidney Yang deficiency syndrome.

Effects of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion on plasma trimethylamine, trimethylamine-N-oxide, and flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 in atherosclerotic rabbits / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To investigate the effects of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion on the plasma levels of trimethylamine (TMA), trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), and flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) in rabbits with atherosclerosis (AS), as well as to explore the possible mechanism of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion in treating AS. Methods: After 1-week adaptive feeding, 28 male New Zealand rabbits were divided into a blank group, a model group, an antibiotic group, and a herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group according to the random number table method, with 7 rabbits in each group. Rabbits were fed with a basic diet in the blank group, while with a basic diet plus 1％ choline in the remaining groups to prepare the AS model. Rabbits were given drinking water with broad-spectrum antibiotics in the antibiotic group, and herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group for 12 weeks. The atherosclerotic plaques by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, the blood lipid levels, the plasma TMA and TMAO levels by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry were detected for rabbits in each group at the end of interventions. Liver FMO3 protein expression was detected by Western blotting. Liver FMO3 mRNA expression was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: HE staining showed that the arterial wall was rough, the intima was significantly thickened, and more foam cells and lipid deposits were seen in rabbits of the model group. Arterial wall thickening was not obvious with a few foam cells and lipid deposits in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group. Compared with the blank group, the serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) were increased (P<0.01), the plasma levels of TMA and TMAO were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the expression levels of liver FMO3 protein and mRNA were all increased (P<0.05, P<0.01); while the serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level was decreased in the model group (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the LDL-C and TC levels were decreased (P<0.01 or P<0.05), the HDL-C levels were increased (P<0.01), the TMA and TMAO levels were decreased (P<0.05), while the protein and mRNA expression levels of FMO3 were decreased without statistical significance in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group and the antibiotic group. Conclusion: Herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion can slow atherosclerotic plaque formation and regulate lipid levels in AS rabbits, and the mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of TMA and TMAO expression in the plasma.

TRPV1 participates in the protective effect of propolis on colonic tissue of ulcerative colitis / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mainly characterized by inflammation, ulceration and erosion of colonic mucosa and submucosa. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is an important mediator of visceral pain and inflammatory bowel disease. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of water soluble propolis (WSP) on UC colon inflammatory tissue and the role of TRPV1.@*METHODS@#Male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=8): a normal control (NC) group, an ulcerative colitis model (UC) group, a low-WSP (L-WSP) group, a medium-WSP (M-WSP) group, a high-WSP (H-WSP) group, and a salazosulfapyridine (SASP) group. The rats in the NC group drank water freely, and the other groups drank 4% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) solution freely for 7 d to replicate the ulcerative colitis model. Based on the successful replication of the UC, the L-WSP, M-WSP, and H-WSP groups were given 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg of water-soluble propolis by gavage for 7 d, and the SASP group was given 100 mg/kg of sulfasalazine by gavage for 7 d. The body weight of rats in each group was measured at the same time every day, the fecal traits and occult blood were observed to record the disease activity index (DAI). After intragastric administration, the animals were sacrificed after fasted 24 h. Serum and colonic tissue were collected, and the changes of MDA, IL-6 and TNF-α were detected. The pathological changes of colon tissues were observed by HE staining, and the expression of TRPV1 in colon tissues was observed by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence.@*RESULTS@#The animals in each group that drank DSS freely showed symptoms such as weight loss, decreased appetite, depressed state, and hematochezia, indicating that the model was successfully established. Compared with the NC group, DAI scores of other groups were increased (all P<0.05). MDA, IL-6, TNF-α in serum and colon tissues of the UC group were increased compared with the NC group (all P<0.01), and they were decreased after WSP and SASP treatment (all P<0.01). The results of showed that the colon tissue structure was obviously broken and inflammatory infiltration in the UC group, while the H-WSP group and the SASP group significantly improved the colon tissue and alleviated inflammatory infiltration. The expression of TRPV1 in colon tissues in the UC group was increased compared with the NC group (all P<0.01), and it was decreased after WSP and SASP treatment.@*CONCLUSIONS@#WSP can alleviate the inflammatory state of ulcerative colitis induced by DSS, which might be related to the inhibition of inflammatory factors release, and down-regulation or desensitization of TRPV1.

Zhuanggu Guanjie herbal formula mitigates osteoarthritis via the NF-κB transduction mechanism.

The Zhuanggu Guanjie herbal formula has been a famous Chinese prescription for treating bone diseases since time immemorial. The anti-osteoarthritis (OA) properties of this botanical prescription are well documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. However, the detailed mechanisms behind the phenomenon have not been elucidated. Hence, we aimed to investigate the anti-OA efficacy of the Zhuanggu Guanjie herbal formula and its underlying mechanism. The anti-OA properties of Zhuanggu Guanjie capsule (ZGC) were determined by the cytokine contents and inflammatory-related proteins, which were measured by RT-PCR, flow cytometry, Western blot, and laser confocal assay in ATDC5 cells. The levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and prostaglandin synthesis E2 have been markedly reduced after being treated with ZGC for 48 h in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, ZGC prevented the translocation of NF-κB from the cytosol to the nucleus. On the other hand, we used the mono-iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA model to confirm the in vivo efficacies of this herbal formula. Oral administration of ZGC attenuated MIA-induced OA damage through changes in histopathological and knee joint volumes. The serum matrix metalloproteinase-13 contents in the ZGC treatment group declined as compared to those in the MIA model group. Through our in vitro and in vivo studies, we confirmed the anti-OA efficacy of ZGC and uncovered its detailed mechanism, and this treatment shed light on OA pathophysiology.