Berberine promotes the degradation of phenylacetic acid to prevent thrombosis by modulating gut microbiota.

BACKGROUND: Berberine is the main bioactive constituent of Coptis chinensis, a quaternary ammonium alkaloid. While berberine's cardiovascular benefits are well-documented, its impact on thrombosis remains not fully understood. PURPOSE: This study investigates the potential of intestinal microbiota as a novel target for preventing thrombosis, with a focus on berberine, a natural compound known for its effectiveness in managing cardiovascular conditions. METHODS: Intraperitoneal injection of carrageenan induces the secretion of chemical mediators such as histamine and serotonin from mast cells to promote thrombosis. This model can directly and visually observe the progression of thrombosis in a time-dependent manner. Thrombosis was induced by intravenous injection of 1 % carrageenan solution (20 mg/kg) to all mice except the vehicle control group. Quantitative analysis of gut microbiota metabolites through LC/MS. Then, the gut microbiota of mice was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing to assess the changes. Finally, the effects of gut microbiota on thrombosis were explored by fecal microbiota transplantation. RESULTS: Our research shows that berberine inhibits thrombosis by altering intestinal microbiota composition and related metabolites. Notably, berberine curtails the biosynthesis of phenylacetylglycine, a thrombosis-promoting coproduct of the host-intestinal microbiota, by promoting phenylacetic acid degradation. This research underscores the significance of phenylacetylglycine as a thrombosis-promoting risk factor, as evidenced by the ability of intraperitoneal phenylacetylglycine injection to reverse berberine's efficacy. Fecal microbiota transplantation experiment confirms the crucial role of intestinal microbiota in thrombus formation. CONCLUSION: Initiating our investigation from the perspective of the gut microbiota, we have, for the first time, unveiled that berberine inhibits thrombus formation by promoting the degradation of phenylacetic acid, consequently suppressing the biosynthesis of PAG. This discovery further substantiates the intricate interplay between the gut microbiota and thrombosis. Our study advances the understanding that intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in thrombosis development and highlights berberine-mediated intestinal microbiota modulation as a promising therapeutic approach for thrombosis prevention.

Molecular and proteomic response of Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilm cultured on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) after ultrasound treatment at different intensity levels.

Ultrasonic treatment is widely used for surface cleaning of vegetables in the processing of agricultural products. In the present study, the molecular and proteomic response of Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilm cultured on lettuce was investigated after ultrasound treatment at different intensity levels. The results show that the biofilm was efficiently removed after ultrasound treatment with intensity higher than 21.06 W/cm2. However, at an intensity of less than 18.42 W/cm2, P. fluorescens was stimulated by ultrasound leading to promoted bacterial growth, extracellular protease activity, extracellular polysaccharide secretion (EPS), and synthesis of acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) as quorum-sensing signaling molecules. The expression of biofilm-related genes, stress response, and dual quorum sensing system was upregulated during post-treatment ultrasound. Proteomic analysis showed that ultrasound activated proteins in the flagellar system, which led to changes in bacterial tendency; meanwhile, a large number of proteins in the dual-component system began to be regulated. ABC transporters accelerated the membrane transport of substances inside and outside the cell membrane and equalized the permeability conditions of the cell membrane. In addition, the expression of proteins related to DNA repair was upregulated, suggesting that bacteria repair damaged DNA after ultrasound exposure.

Separation, characterization and anti-psoriasis effect of self-assembled nanoparticles from Shaoyao Gancao Decoction / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to separate and characterize self-assembled nanoparticles(SAN) from Shaoyao Gancao Decoction(SGD) and determine the content of active compounds. Further, we aimed to observe the therapeutic effect of SGD-SAN on imiquimod-induced psoriasis in mice. The separation of SGD was performed by dialysis, and the separation process was optimized by single factor experiment. The SGD-SAN isolated under the optimal process was characterized, and the content of gallic acid, albiflorin, paeoniflorin, liquiritin, isoliquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid in each part of SGD was determined by HPLC. In the animal experiment, mice were assigned into a normal group, a model group, a methotrexate group(0.001 g·kg~(-1)), and SGD, SGD sediment, SGD dialysate, and SGD-SAN groups of different doses(1, 2, and 4 g·kg~(-1)) respectively. The psoriasis grade of mice was evaluated based on the pathological changes of skin lesions, the content of inflammatory cytokines, organ index and other indicators. The results showed that SAN obtained by centrifugation at 13 000 r·min~(-1) for 30 min was stable after dialysis for 4 times, which were uniform spherical nanoparticles with the particle size of(164.43±1.34) nm, the polydispersity index of(0.28±0.05), and the Zeta potential of(-12.35±0.80) mV. The active compound content accounted for more than 70% of SGD. Compared with the model group, SAN and SGD decreased the skin lesion score, spleen index, and inflammatory cytokine levels(P<0.05 or P<0.01) and alleviated the skin thickening and infiltration of inflammatory cells. However, the sediment group and the dialysate group had no obvious effect. SGD showed a good therapeutic effect on imiquimod-induced psoriasis in mice, and SAN demonstrated the effect equivalent to SGD in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, we conclude that the SAN formed during decocting is the main active form of SGD, which can lower the levels of inflammatory cytokines, promote the normal differentiation of keratinocytes, and reduce the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the treatment of psoriasis lesions in mice.

The role of Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway in liver injury induced by rare earth neodymium oxide in mice / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To investigate the role of Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in liver injury induced by neodymium oxide (Nd(2)O(3)) in mice. Methods: In March 2021, forty-eight SPF grade healthy male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group (0.9% NaCl), low dose group (62.5 mg/ml Nd(2)O(3)), medium dose group (125.0 mg/ml Nd(2)O(3)), and high dose group (250.0 mg/ml Nd(2)O(3)), each group consisted of 12 animals. The infected groups were treated with Nd(2)O(3) suspension by non-exposed tracheal drip and were killed 35 days after dust exposure. The liver weight of each group was weighed and the organ coefficient was calculated. The content of Nd(3+) in liver tissue was detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). HE staining and immunofluorescence was used to observe the changes of inflammation and nuclear entry. The mRNA expression levels of Keap1, Nrf2 and HO-1 in mice liver tissue were detected by qRT-PCR. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of Keap1 and HO-1. The contents of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) were detected by colorimetric method. The contents of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were determined by ELISA. The data was expressed in Mean±SD. Two-independent sample t-test was used for inter-group comparison, and one-way analysis of variance was used for multi-group comparison. Results: Compared with the control group, the liver organ coefficient of mice in medium and high dose groups were increased, and the Nd(3+) accumulation in liver of mice in all dose groups were significantly increased (P<0.05). Pathology showed that the structure of liver lobules in the high dose group was slightly disordered, the liver cells showed balloon-like lesions, the arrangement of liver cell cords was disordered, and the inflammatory exudation was obvious. Compared with the control group, the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in liver tissue of mice in all dose groups were increased, and the levels of TNF-α in liver tissue of mice in high dose group were increased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Keap1 in high dose group were significantly decreased, while the mRNA expression level of Nrf2, the mRNA and protein expression levels of HO-1 were significantly increased (P<0.05), and Nrf2 was successfully activated into the nucleus. Compared with the control group, the activities of CAT, GSH-Px and T-SOD in high dose group were significantly decreased (P<0.05) . Conclusion: A large amount of Nd(2)O(3) accumulates in the liver of male mice, which may lead to oxidative stress and inflammatory response through activation of Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway. It is suggested that Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway may be one of the mechanisms of Nd(2)O(3) expose-induced liver injury in mice.

Acupuncture-Neuroimaging Research Trends over Past Two Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To identify topics attracting growing research attention as well as frontier trends of acupuncture-neuroimaging research over the past two decades.@*METHODS@#This paper reviewed data in the published literature on acupuncture neuroimaging from 2000 to 2020, which was retrieved from the Web of Science database. CiteSpace was used to analyze the publication years, countries, institutions, authors, keywords, co-citation of authors, journals, and references.@*RESULTS@#A total of 981 publications were included in the final review. The number of publications has increased in the recent 20 years accompanied by some fluctuations. Notably, the most productive country was China, while Harvard University ranked first among institutions in this field. The most productive author was Tian J with the highest number of articles (50), whereas the most co-cited author was Hui KKS (325). Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (92) was the most prolific journal, while Neuroimage was the most co-cited journal (538). An article written by Hui KKS (2005) exhibited the highest co-citation number (112). The keywords "acupuncture" (475) and "electroacupuncture" (0.10) had the highest frequency and centrality, respectively. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) ranked first with the highest citation burst (6.76).@*CONCLUSION@#The most active research topics in the field of acupuncture-neuroimaging over the past two decades included research type, acupoint specificity, neuroimaging methods, brain regions, acupuncture modality, acupoint specificity, diseases and symptoms treated, and research type. Whilst research frontier topics were "nerve regeneration", "functional connectivity", "neural regeneration", "brain network", "fMRI" and "manual acupuncture".

Relationship between the inserting sites of Fu's subcutaneous needling and traditional acupoints: revelation to acupuncture and moxibustion / 中国针灸

Focusing on the phenomenon of "de-acupoints" of the needle insertion sites in Fu's subcutaneous needling (FSN), the authors allocated the evolution and characteristics of the needle insertion sites of FSN. From six aspects, named morphology and structure, location, nomenclature, numbers and meridian tropism, indications and acupuncture manipulations, the comparison was made between the insertion sites of FSN and traditional acupoints. It is believed: ①The needle insertion sites of FSN has the basic attributes of acupoint, which not only refers to the operation site, but also indicates the reaction of disease; moreover, it is the treatment site with significant therapeutic effect. ②The optimized sites of insertion in FSN should be named differently and their locations and numbers should be specified relatively. ③The insertion sites of FSN should be further intersected and integrated with traditional acupoints, and a part of traditional acupoints should become the insertion sites of FSN. ④Accepting and integrating the insertion sites of FSN, and expanding the scope of traditional acupoints may be the new project in the research of traditional acupoints.

Application of Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion in hospice care for terminal cancer patients / 中国针灸

To analyze the application feasibility of Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion in hospice care for terminal cancer patients. Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion adjusts the spirit to regulate emotions and fortifies the spleen to supplement and boost foundation of acquired (postnatal) constitution. And it could relieve adverse reactions after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, alleviate pain and regulate emotions in hospice care for terminal cancer patients, so as to promote the progress of hospice care for terminal cancer patients.

Mechanisms of Acupuncture in Improving Alzheimer's Disease Caused by Mitochondrial Damage / 中国结合医学杂志

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases among the elderly and it accounts for nearly 80% of all dementias. The pathogenesis of AD is complicated and enigmatic thus far. The mitochondrial cascade hypothesis assumes that mitochondrial damage may mediate, drive, or contribute to a variety of AD pathologies and may be the main factor in late-onset AD. Currently, there are no widely recognized drugs able to attenuate mitochondrial damage in AD. Notably, increasing evidence supports the efficacy of acupuncture for improving the mitochondrial structure and protecting mitochondrial functions in AD. This review reports the mechanisms by which acupuncture regulates mitochondrial dynamics, energy metabolism, calcium homeostasis and apoptosis. In conclusion, these findings suggest that AD mitochondrial dysfunction represents a reasonable therapeutic target and acupuncture could play a significant role in preventing and treating AD.

Effectiveness and Safety of Umbilicus Treatment with Modified Dinggui Powder () in Patients with Chronic Nonbacterial Prostatitis: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Chinese herbal external umbilicus treatment with Modified Dinggui Powder (, MDGP) in patients with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis (CNP).@*METHODS@#A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted among 72 patients with CNP. Participants were randomly allocated to a treatment group and a placebo group using computer software in a 1:1 ratio, and received either MDGP external umbilicus treatment (MDGP group, 36 cases) or placebo control groupl (36 cases) at acupoints Shenque (CV 8), twice a week for 4 weeks. In addtion, patients all received herbal medicine treatment twice a day for 4 weeks. The primary outcomes was the US National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Scores Index (NIH-CPSI) with a questionnaire at weeks 2 and 4. The secondary outcomes including prostatic fluid examination (white blood cells and lecithin bodies), the clinical efficacy evaluation, and the adverse events were also assessed during the entire trial.@*RESULTS@#The NIH-CPSI scores regarding pain or discomfort scores showed greater improvement in the MDGP group than placebo control group at weeks 2 (P0.001) and week 4 (P0.004), respectively. NIH-CPSI scores of symptom severity, total scores, the amount of leukocytes number in the prostatic fifluid in the MDGP group were significantly improved (P0.05). The clinical effective rate was 73.53% (25/34) in the MDGP group, which was significally higher than the placebo control group with 48.39% (25/31, P<0.05). Patients were blinded successfully, and no serious adverse effects were found during the trial.@*CONCLUSION@#A 4-week course of umbilicus treatment with modified Dinggui Powder seems to relieve pain and symptom severity effectively and increase the amount of leukocytes number in patients with CNP (Trial registration No. ChiCTR1800014687).

Advances in modern research on anti-liver disease of Tibetan medicine Semen Hertospermi / 中草药

Semen Hertospermi (Bolengguazi in Chinese, BL), as well-known Tibetan medicine, is one of commonly used drugs by Tibetan healers for the treatment of liver diseases and cholic diseases. Modern research indicated that BL had multiple pharmacological effects including hepatoprotection, anti-hepatitis B virus and anti-liver fibrosis, etc. And the lignans are the major pharmacodynamic substances. The fatty acid, polysaccharides and other ingredients also have hepatoprotective effects. This article mainly reviews the pharmacodynamic substances, pharmacological effects, preparation research and development related to anti-liver disease, so as to provide reference and thinking for the research and application of BL and preparations development in the prevention of liver disease and promote the modern research and development of ethnic medicine.

Comparative transcriptome and proteome profiling of chlorophyll metabolism pathway in four types of Magnolia officinalis / 中国中药杂志

Magnolia officinalis is a traditional Chinese medicine,with many years of cultivating process, M. officinalis leaves show more differentiation types due to the exchange of seeds from different provenances. "Da Ao"(DA), "Xiao Ao"(XA), "Chuan Hou"(CH),and "Liu Ye"(LY)are the main types of M. officinalis in Sichuan province of China,and there were obvious differences in growth rate,chemical composition,leaf shape and leaf colour. This study selected different types of M. officinalis leaves(DA,XA,LY and CH)from Sichuan to determine their chlorophyll content. Transcriptomic level sequencing of different types of M. officinalis leaf tissues was by high-throughput sequencing analysis and proteomics used an integrated approach involving TMT labelling and LC-MS/MS to quantify the dynamic changes of the whole proteome of M. officinalis. The results showed that CH had the lowest chlorophyll content while DA had the highest chlorophyll content. Furthermore,transcriptome and proteomics results showed that chlorophyll synthesis pathway in DA glutamine-tRNA reductase,urinary porphyrins decarboxylase(UROD),oxygen-dependent protoporphyrin(ODCO),the original-Ⅲ oxidase protoporphyrin oxidase(PPO),magnesium chelating enzyme subunit ChlD,protoporphyrin magnesium Ⅸ monomethyl ester [oxidative] cyclase(MPPMC)were significantly higher than CH,XA and LY,consistent in the results of determination of chlorophyll content(chlorophyll content was highest of 37.56 mg·g~(-1) FW). Some rate-limiting enzymes related to the chlorophyll synthesis,such as ODCO,PPO and MPPMC were tested by Parallel Reaction Monitoring(PRM),and the results showed that the rate-limiting enzyme content in DA was higher than that in other three types. Therefore,based on the differences in leaf color of four types of M. officinalis,the research conducted a preliminary study on the chlorophyll metabolism pathway in leaves of different types of M. officinalis,and explored relevant genes and proteins causing leaf color differences from the molecular level,so as to lay a foundation for studying the differences in growth and development of different types of M. officinalis.

Active components and mechanism of Taohong Siwu Decoction in treatment of primary dysmenorrhea based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology / 中国中药杂志

This paper aimed to investigate the active components and mechanism of Taohong Siwu Decoction in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea(PD) based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP) was used to search the chemical compositions and targets of six herbs in Taohong Siwu Decoction. The targets for PD treatment were selected through the databases of DrugBank, OMIM, TTD and CTD, and gene annotation of the targets was conducted with UniProt database. Cytoscape 3.7.2 was then used to construct the drug-compound-target network. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed based on STRING, and the core targets of Taohong Siwu Decoction in the treatment of PD were selected according to the topological parameters. David database was used for GO enrichment analysis and KOBAS 3.0 was used for KEGG enrichment analysis. The molecular docking technology was used to connect the components with higher medium values in the network with core targets. The results showed that the network contained 36 compounds such as quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, myricanone and ferulic acid, and 99 targets such as PTGS2, PTGS2, PGR and PPARG. Totally 102 GO terms were obtained by GO functional enrichment analysis(P<0.01), and 228 signal pathways were obtained by KEGG pathway enrichment(P<0.05), mainly involving inflammatory factors, hormone regulation, central analgesia, amino acid metabolism and spasmolysis. The results of molecular docking showed that the main active components can spontaneously bind to the targets. This study preliminarily revealed the mechanism of Taohong Siwu Decoction for treatment of primary dysmenorrheal through multi-components, multi-targets and multi-pathways, providing theoretical references for further researches on mechanism of Taohong Siwu Decoction.

Research Progress of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Diabetes Mellitus Based on PI3K/Akt Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, with a high incidence and many complications. It has become an increasingly serious public health problem in the world, and has seriously affected the quality of life. Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway is the main pathway of insulin signal transmission and the main signal channel for regulating blood glucose. The abnormal signal molecule of PI3K/Akt may cause abnormal signal transduction pathway, so as to impact the proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis and invasion of the corresponding tissues and organs, and lead to the occurrence of disease. Study of PI3K/Akt signal channel has a positive significance for investigating whether traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has a definite and stable hypoglycemic effect. Currently, there are many TCM and Western medicines to treat diabetes, however, most drugs, especially Western medicines, have a relatively poor effect in controlling complications. To understand the progress of TCM in treatment of diabetes, in expectation of better studying the comprehensive therapeutic effect and mechanism of TCM on diabetes, and further developing the multi-target, multi-way and multi-channel advantages and features of TCM in the treatment of diabetes, this paper focuses on a systematic analysis on the progress of in vivo and in vitro studies on DM based on PI3K/Akt signaling channel in recent years, including the effect of the signaling channel on insulin secretion, the three main target organs of insulin (liver, skeletal muscle and fat), and its effect on the four main complications of diabetes (brain, kidney, heart, testis), and also provides certain ideas and guidance for the study of hypoglycemic mechanism of TCM monomer, TCM and compound medicine.

Study on thermoanalysis-based calamina processing / 中国中药杂志

Thermogravimetry (TG), TG-MS, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM)-energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS) were adopted to investigate the pyrolysis characteristics of calamina. According to the findings of the qualitative and quantitative studies on the changes in the content of relevant elements, the whole shape, the functional groups, and the volatile components of calamina before and after being pyrolyzed, the 200-360, 580-750 degrees C were two sensitive temperature ranges related to the changes in effective component during calamina processing. Thermal weight loss was observed for ZnCO3, Zn(OH)2 and ZnCO3-2Zn(OH)2-H2O under 200-360 degrees C and for CaCO3 under 580-750 degrees C. The results of studies on chemical reaction kinetics showed good linear relations. This experiment integrated relevant methods and theories of physical chemistry and science of traditional Chinese medicine processing, and interpretes calamina processing techniques and mechanism, in order to provide a good example for modem studies on other traditional Chinese medicine processing.

Synergistic anti-inflammatory effect of Radix Platycodon in combination with herbs for cleaning-heat and detoxification and its mechanism / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the synergistic anti-inflammatory effect of Radix Platycodon in combination with herbs for cleaning-heat and detoxification and its mechanism for Fel-targeting.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (8 per group): the sham-operated group, model group, Radix Platycodon group, Flos Lonicera and Fructus Forsythia (LF) group, and Radix Platycodon, Flos Lonicera and Fructus Forsythia combination (PLF) group, using a random number table. A rat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) model was established by passive smoking and intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The treatments started from the 15th day of passive smoking for a total duration of 14 days. At the end of the treatment, changes in the following measurements were determined: lung histopathology, inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and interleukin IL-1β (IL-1β) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and mRNA expression of endogenous active substance intestinal trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) in the lung tissue.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Light microscopy showed that compared with the sham-operated group, rats in the COPD model group had disrupted alveolar structure, collapsed local alveoli, significantly widened or even fused alveolar septa, and massive infiltration of inflammatory cells in the alveolar wall and interstitium. In addition, significant bronchial epithelium hyperplasia, partially shed epithelia, and marked inflammatory cell infiltration in the bronchial wall and its surrounding tissues were noticed. Electron microscopy showed that rats in the model group had degeneration of alveolar type II epithelial cell; reduction, breakage or even loss of cell surface microvilli; swollen mitochondria with disappearing cristae and vacuole-like structure; and, increased secondary lysosomes in alveolar macrophages. The TNF-α, TGF-β and IL-1β levels and white blood cell (WBC) count in BALF were significantly increased (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) and TFF3 mRNA expression in the lung tissue was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). After treatment, the pathological morphology of lung injury was less severe in all three treatment groups. In addition, TGF-β and IL-1β and WBC count in BALF were decreased (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), and TFF3 mRNA expression in the lung tissue was significantly increased in the PLF group (P < 0.01). Compared with the LF group, the IL-1β in BALF was significantly decreased P < 0.05), and TFF3 mRNA expression was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the PLF group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Radix Platycodon synergizes with herbs for cleaning-heat and detoxification in reducing inflammatory injury in a rat model of COPD. The synergistic anti-inflammatory effect is reflected in the improvement in pathological changes and in the reduction of IL-1β levels in BALF. The mechanism of such synergistic action may be related to its effect on maintaining the TFF3 mRNA expression and Fel-targeting function.</p>

Study on signal transmission characteristics of meridian based on electrical network theory and experiments / 中国针灸

Study on features of acupoints with resistance test in the past half century is reviewed in this article. Mechanism and technology of the method are introduced as well as its shortcomings. The determination method of signal transmission along meridians with the combination of electrical network theories and practice is advanced. And the result of a series experiments on one meridian at the superficial part of the body are given as well. Thus, it is concluded that the signals of the point-in/point-out and the signals along a non-meridian path with the same distance are significantly different, which gives a verification of the feasibility of the method by using electrical network theories to set out characteristics of signal transmission along meridians dynamically.

Summary on clinical applications of professor Lü Da-gu's experiences in "the method of coordinating spleen and stomach" / 中国针灸

The present paper introduces the clinical practice of professor Lü Da-gu on treatment of hyper lipemia, fatty liver, obesity, metabolic syndrome and other chronic metabolic diseases by using "the method of coordinating spleen and stomach". This needling method has a strong effectiveness of regulating and improving the function of the spleen and stomach. The acupuncture prescription is composed of 20 acupoints, 16 of which are belonging to the meridian of spleen and stomach. In accordance with the theory of yin and yang of TCM, professor Lü selects the certain points based on the rule of "the left side belongs to yang, the right side belongs to yin". And he strictly keeps the sequencing based on the rule of "ascending of yin, descending of yang" during acupuncturing these acupoints. At the same time he stresses the depth and manipulations of acupuncture. When treating the diseases mentioned above, he also asks the patients to keep the total amount of intake diet with conscious control and points

Effect of apoptosis of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells on proliferation as well as secretion of effector T cells and interventional activity of Xuebijing injection in septic rats / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of apoptosis of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) on proliferation as well as secretory function of effector T cells (Teff) and potential influence of Xuebijing injection on them in septic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A sepsis model was reproduced by cecal ligation puncture (CLP), and Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control group (n = 8), sham-operated group (n = 8), CLP group (n = 8), and Xuebijing injection treatment group (n = 8). CD4+ CD25+ Tregs in each group were separated by immunomagnetic beads isolate system on day 3, the apoptosis rate, expression of forkhead/winged helix transcription factor p3 (Foxp3) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) on Tregs were analyzed by flow cytometry, and secretion levels of interleukin (IL)-10 from Tregs were measured by ELISA. Following co-culture of CD4+ CD25+ Treg with CD4+ CD25- T cells (1:1) for 68 hours, proliferative activity of Teff was determined by MTT, and IL-2/sIL-2R alpha levels were measured by ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The apoptosis rate of Tregs in control group was 12.03% +/- 0.89%, which was not significantly different from sham-operated group 9.48% +/- 2.17%. The apoptosis rate of Tregs in CLP group 5.87% +/- 0.44% was lower than that in control group (P < 0.01), and treatment with Xuebijing injection markedly enhanced the apoptosis of Tregs 27.29% +/- 2.48%. Compared to CLP group, expression of Foxp3, CTLA-4, and the secretion of IL-10 of Treg were significantly lowered in Xuebijing injection group (all P < 0.01). The Teff proliferative activity in response to ConA, and IL-2 levels of Teff in CLP group were significantly suppressed compared with control group (P < 0.01), and secretion of sIL-2R alpha in the supernatants was much higher than that of the control group. In comparison to the CLP group, inhibitory rate of Teff proliferative activity and the sIL-2R alpha levels were significantly decreased, while the secretion of IL-2 was increased in Xuebijing injection group (P <0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CD4+ CD25+ Tregs could markedly upregulate the suppressive function on Teff in sepsis, and treatment with Xuebijing injection effectively enhanced apoptosis of Tregs, thereby down-regulating the suppression on Teff.</p>

The enhancing effect of "Xuebijing injection" on lipopolysaccharide-induced apoptosis of regulatory T cells and mediation of polarization of helper T cells / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the enhancing effect of Chinese medicine-Xuebijing injection on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced apoptosis of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and polarization of helper T cells (Th).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>CD4+ CD25+ Tregs collected from rat spleen in vitro by immunomagnetic beads assay were divided into the control group, anti-CD3/CD28 group, anti-CD3/CD28 + LPS group, anti-CD3/CD28 + "Xuebijing injection" group and anti-CD3/CD28 + LPS + "Xuebijing injection" group. Tregs apoptosis rate and expression of winged helix transcription factor (Foxp3) in Tregs were detected by flow cytometry on 3rd post culture day. CD4+ CD25- T cells were co-cultured with CD4+ CD25- Tregs (1:1) for 68 hours with canavalin A stimulation. Interferon gamma (gamma-IFN), interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-17 in supernatants, which respectively was secreted by Th1, Th2 and Th17, were measured by ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Tregs apoptosis rate of anti-CD3/CD28 + LPS + "Xuebijing injection" group (45.1 +/- 2.7%) was significantly higher than that of anti-CD3/CD28 + LPS group (29.4 +/- 1.6%, P < 0.01). Meanwhile, Foxp3 expressions in Tregs in above 2 groups were 95 +/- 9 and 140 +/- 18 respectively, showing statistically significant difference between them (P < 0.01). Gamma-IFN levels secreted in anti-CD3/CD28 + LPS + "Xuebijing injection" group were significantly higher than those in anti-CD3/CD28 + LPS group (P < 0.01), while IL-4 levels had an opposite tendency compared with gamma-IFN (P < 0.05), resulting in a marked increase in the ra- tio of gamma-IFN/IL-4 in anti-CD3/CD28 + LPS + "Xuebijing injection" group (P < 0.01). In anti-CD3/ CD28 + "Xuebijing injection" group, IL-17 secretion levels were significantly decreased compared with anti-CD3/CD28 group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Activation of CD4+ CD25+ Tregs induced by LPS may mediate Th1 shift to Th2 response. "Xuebijing injection" can effectively regulate immune function of T cells, increase the LPS-induced apoptosis of CD4+ CD25+ Tregs as well as enhance the polarization of Th2 to Th1, thereby abating the suppressive state of cell-mediated immunity.</p>

Effect of Danxiongfang and its components on experimental liver injury models induced by CCl4 in mice / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The study investigates the protective effect on liver of Danxionfang and its components.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Mice are injected with CCl4 to establish liver injured model. ALT, AST, serum albumin, globulin in serum and SOD, MDA in liver and liver histological changes were measured to confirm the ability of protecting liver of Danxiongfang.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The results show Danxiongfang can inhibit obviously the abnormal increase of ALT, AST in serum and MDA in liver, enhance SOD activity in liver, total protein, albumin, globulin in serum, and decrease liver pathological changes, which suggests Danxiongfang can protect injured liver induced by CCl4.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Danxiongfang showed powerful protective effect against liver damage induced by CCl4.</p>