Effects of Electroacupuncture on the Gut Microbiome in Cisplatin-Induced Premature Ovarian Failure Mice.

Growing evidence showed that the gut microbiota was associated with premature ovarian failure (POF). Many clinical types of research had shown that electroacupuncture was effective in the treatment of POF. However, there was little research on regulating the gut microbiome of POF mice by electroacupuncture. Therefore, this study attempted to verify whether electroacupuncture could regulate the gut microbiome in POF mice. POF mice were established by being injected intraperitoneally with cisplatin (2 mg/kg) for 2 weeks. Guanyuan (CV4) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) were selected in the electroacupuncture-at-the-acupoints group (EA group). Nonacupoints around CV4 and SP6 were selected in the electroacupuncture-at-the-nonacupoints group (EN group). The EA group and EN group were treated for 3 weeks. The ovarian function was evaluated by histopathological and molecular assays. Meanwhile, the gut microbiome of all mice was detected by 16S rDNA sequencing. The results showed that EA could restore the estrous cycle and reduce the number of atresia follicles in POF mice. The levels of serum follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone were decreased by EA. As well, the levels of serum estradiol, anti-Mullerian hormone, and ß-glucuronidase were increased by EA. The relative expressions of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR were increased to promote the proliferation of ovarian cells in the EA group. According to the results of 16S rDNA sequencing, the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiome could be regulated by EA. The relative abundance of beneficial bacteria was increased by EA. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that the gut microbiome associated with the estrogen signaling pathway, oocyte maturation, and PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was regulated by EA.

Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture Vs. Hormone Therapy for Menopausal Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Menopausal syndrome (MPS) is a common gynecological disorder around the time of menopause, and hormone therapy (HT) is the first-line treatment for it. However, HT is prone to cause adverse reactions in MPS patients treated with HT. Acupuncture is a popular non-pharmaceutical therapy for MPS, but the differences in the efficacy and safety between acupuncture and HT remain unclear. The purpose of this evidence-based study is to address this issue. Five databases were searched for potentially eligible RCTs. All RCTs comparing acupuncture with HT in the treatment of MPS were included in this study. The clinical effective rate was the primary outcome. Kupperman index, serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E[Formula: see text], and side effects were the secondary outcomes. A total of 15 RCTs recruiting 1376 MPS patients were included. Results of meta-analysis showed that compared with HT, acupuncture significantly improved clinical effective rate (RR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.16, [Formula: see text] = 0.005), decreased the Kupperman index (WMD = -2.55, 95% CI = -2.93 to -2.17, [Formula: see text] < 0.00001) and the incidence of side effects (RR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.06-0.32, [Formula: see text] < 0.00001). There were no statistically significant differences in serum FSH (WMD = -1.36, 95% CI = -3.25-0.53, [Formula: see text] = 0.16), E2(WMD = -1.11, 95% CI = -2.59-0.37, [Formula: see text] = 0.14), or LH (WMD = -1.87, 95% CI = -4.58-0.83, [Formula: see text] = 0.17) between the acupuncture and HT groups. Based on the current evidence, manual acupuncture is safer and more effective than HT and is recommended for the treatment of MPS, but the evidence for the efficacy of other types of acupuncture is inconclusive.

Dopaminergic signaling in prefrontal cortex contributes to the antidepressant effect of electroacupuncture: An iTRAQ-based proteomics analysis in a rat model of CUMS.

Electroacupuncture (EA) is used as an adjunctive treatment for depression. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of EA in the depressive rat model induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in male adult Wistar rats. The underlying mechanisms were explored by using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomic analysis of the proteins in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and observing the number of the PFC neurons stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and synaptic morphological changes under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that EA plus paroxetine (EA + Par) for 1 week significantly relieved depression-like anhedonia symptoms and improved anxiety-like behavior, accompanied by the improvements in synaptic morphology and a significant increase of PFC neurons. Moreover, EA or paroxetine alone significantly alleviated anhedonia symptoms after 2 weeks of intervention. Additionally, iTRAQ analysis showed that dopaminergic signaling was significantly altered in CUMS rats after 1 week of EA treatment. As the critical enzyme of this pathway, aromatic-l-amino-acid decarboxylase (DDC) was significantly upregulated after the treatment with EA + Par for 1 week. These findings suggested that the dopaminergic signaling pathway in PFC may be involved in the antidepressant mechanisms of EA.

Bioprinting of dual ECM scaffolds encapsulating limbal stem/progenitor cells in active and quiescent statuses.

Limbal stem cell deficiency and corneal disorders are among the top global threats for human vision. Emerging therapies that integrate stem cell transplantation with engineered hydrogel scaffolds for biological and mechanical support are becoming a rising trend in the field. However, methods for high-throughput fabrication of hydrogel scaffolds, as well as knowledge of the interaction between limbal stem/progenitor cells (LSCs) and the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) are still much needed. Here, we employed digital light processing (DLP)-based bioprinting to fabricate hydrogel scaffolds encapsulating primary LSCs and studied the ECM-dependent LSC phenotypes. The DLP-based bioprinting with gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) or hyaluronic acid glycidyl methacrylate (HAGM) generated microscale hydrogel scaffolds that could support the viability of the encapsulated primary rabbit LSCs (rbLSCs) in culture. Immunocytochemistry and transcriptional analysis showed that the encapsulated rbLSCs remained active in GelMA-based scaffolds while exhibited quiescence in the HAGM-based scaffolds. The primary human LSCs encapsulated within bioprinted scaffolds showed consistent ECM-dependent active/quiescent statuses. Based on these results, we have developed a novel bioprinted dual ECM 'Yin-Yang' model encapsulating LSCs to support both active and quiescent statues. Our findings provide valuable insights towards stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine for corneal reconstruction.

Electroacupuncture alleviated the depression-like behavior by regulating FGF2 and astrocytes in the hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress.

Studies have shown that basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is a neurotrophic factor associated with depression. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression. In the current study, we observed the effects of EA on hippocampal FGF2 and astrocytes, and further investigated the mechanism underlying antidepressant effect of EA. The chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) method were selected to induce depressive-like behaviors of rats. Paroxetine is a commonly used antidepressant and was used as a positive control drug in this experiment. The male adult Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomized to four experimental groups (normal control group, CUMS group, EA group and paroxetine group, n = 10/group). EA intervention was administered once daily for 14 days at acupuncture points Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29). Rats in the paroxetine group received daily paroxetine administered intragastrical. Behavioral test, immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot (WB) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were conducted to evaluate the intervene effect and the changes of FGF2 and astrocyte marker (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP). The results showed that EA and paroxetine could improve depression-like behavior in CUMS rats, and up-regulated the expression level of FGF2 in the hippocampus, increased GFAP protein expression and the mean optical density of GFAP-immunoreactive astrocyte (GFAP-ir astrocyte). Our findings have identified that EA could ameliorate depressive-like behaviors possibly by regulating the expression of FGF2 in the hippocampus, and the mechanism might be related to the effect of FGF2 on astrocytes.

Effects of Electroacupuncture on Consciousness Disorders Based on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Study with Mismatch Negativity / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture based on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on wakefulness for consciousness disorder. Methods:From January, 2015 to October, 2019, 30 inpatients with consciousness disorder from the General Hospital of Western Theater Command were randomly divided into control group (n = 15) and observetion group (n = 15), Both groups received TMS, and the observetion group received electroacupuncture at Baihui (GV20), Shenting (GV24), bilateral Neiguan (PC6) bilateral Hegu (LI4) and bilateral Yongquan (KI1) in addition, for three months. They were tested the latency of the mismatch negativity (MMN), and assessed with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and persistent vegetative state (PVS) score before, and one month and three months after treatment. Results:The latency of MMN decreased more in the observetion group than in the control group three months after treatment (t = 2.159, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Combination of electroacupuncture on TMS is more effective on wakefulness for consciousness disorder.

EA Ameliorated Depressive Behaviors in CUMS Rats and Was Related to Its Suppressing Autophagy in the Hippocampus.

Autophagy is confirmed to be involved in the onset and development of depression, and some antidepressants took effect by influencing the autophagic process. Electroacupuncture (EA), as a common complementary treatment for depression, may share the mechanism of influencing autophagy in the hippocampus like antidepressants. To investigate that, sixty Sprague-Dawley rats firstly went through chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model establishment, and 15 rats were assigned to a control group. After modeling, 45 successfully CUMS-induced rats were randomly divided to 3 groups: CUMS, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), and EA groups (15 rats per group), to accept different interventions for 2 weeks. A sucrose preference test (SPT), weighing, and open field test (OFT) were measurement for depressive behaviors of rats. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and western blot analysis were used to evaluate the autophagic changes. After that, depression-like behaviors were successfully induced in CUMS models and reversed by SSRI and EA treatments (both p < 0.05), but these two therapies had nonsignificant difference between each other (p > 0.05). Autolysosomes observed through TEM in the CUMS group were more than that in the control group. Their number and size in the SSRI and EA groups also decreased significantly. From IHC, the CUMS group showed enhanced positive expression of both Beclin1 and LC3 in CA1 after modeling (p < 0.05), and the LC3 level declined after EA treatments, which was verified by decreased LC3-II/LC3-I in western blot analysis. We speculated that CUMS-induced depression-like behavior was interacted with an autophagy process in the hippocampus, and EA demonstrated antidepressant effects by partly inhibiting autophagy with a decreased number of autolysosomes and level of LC3 along with LC3-II/LC3-I.

Study on the Fatty Acids, Aromatic Compounds and Shelf Life of Paeonia ludlowii Kernel Oil.

To determine the food potential of Paeonia ludlowii D.Y.Hong (P. ludlowii) kernel oil, in this study, we analysed the fatty acid composition and volatile components of this oil, compared the antioxidant effects of two natural antioxidants on it, and then predicted its shelf life at room temperature (25°C). The results showed that P. ludlowii kernel oil mainly contained 20 fatty acids, of which linoleic acid, oleic acid and other unsaturated fatty acid contents together made up 86.99%. The aromatic composition of the crude P. ludlowii kernel oil was analysed, and 34 aromatic compounds were obtained, including 5 lipids (2.30%), 9 alcohols (12.64%), 6 aldehydes (14.67%), 2 alkanes (1.30%), 5 acids (2.70%), 1 ketone (0.41), 2 alkenes (39.12%) and 4 other substances (26.85%). The effects of the antioxidants were ranked as follows: 0.04% tea polyphenols + crude oil > 0.04% bamboo flavonoids + crude oil > crude oil. In addition, the shelf lives at room temperature (25℃) of each kernel oil-antioxidant mixture were 200.73 d, 134.90 d and 131.61 d, respectively. Overall, these results reveal that P. ludlowii kernel oil is a potential candidate for a new high-grade edible oil, and its development has broad application prospects.

Electroacupuncture improves synaptic plasticity by regulating the 5-HT1A receptor in hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the antidepressant effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in rats, as well as the effects of EA on hippocampal neurons, synaptic morphology, and 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT) receptor expression. METHODS: Forty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control, CUMS, EA, and paroxetine groups. CUMS modeling was performed for 21 days, followed by 14 days of intervention: rats in the EA group underwent stimulation of GV20 and GV29 acupuncture points for 30 minutes daily; rats in the paroxetine group were administered paroxetine daily. Behavioral tests, transmission electron microscopy, western blotting, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention. RESULTS: EA treatment reversed the behavioral changes observed in rats due to CUMS modeling; it also improved the pathological changes in organelles and synaptic structures of hippocampal neurons, and upregulated the protein and mRNA expression levels of 5-HT1A receptor. There were no significant differences in 5-HT1B receptor protein and mRNA expression levels among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: EA treatment can alleviate depression-like symptoms in CUMS rats. The underlying mechanism may include promoting the expression of 5-HT1A receptor mRNA and protein, thereby improving synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.

Wnt Signaling and Drug Resistance in Cancer.

Wnts are secreted proteins that bind to cell surface receptors to activate downstream signaling cascades. Normal Wnt signaling plays key roles in embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. The secretion of Wnt ligands, the turnover of Wnt receptors, and the signaling transduction are tightly regulated and fine-tuned to keep the signaling output "just right." Hyperactivated Wnt signaling due to recurrent genetic alterations drives several human cancers. Elevated Wnt signaling also confers resistance to multiple conventional and targeted cancer therapies through diverse mechanisms including maintaining the cancer stem cell population, enhancing DNA damage repair, facilitating transcriptional plasticity, and promoting immune evasion. Different classes of Wnt signaling inhibitors targeting key nodes of the pathway have been developed and show efficacy in treating Wnt-driven cancers and subverting Wnt-mediated therapy resistance in preclinical studies. Several of these inhibitors have advanced to clinical trials, both singly and in combination with other existing US Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-cancer modalities. In the near future, pharmacological inhibition of Wnt signaling may be a real choice for patients with cancer. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The latest insights in Wnt signaling, ranging from basic biology to therapeutic implications in cancer, are reviewed. Recent studies extend understanding of this ancient signaling pathway and describe the development and improvement of anti-Wnt therapeutic modalities for cancer.

Electroacupuncture Improves Antidepressant Effects in CUMS Rats by Protecting Hippocampal Synapse and Mitochondrion: An Ultrastructural and iTRAQ Proteomic Study.

Electroacupuncture (EA) is considered a complementary therapy for depression. Trials also found that EA has additive benefits when combined with medication compared with medication alone. It is revealed that EA restores altered hippocampal synaptic plasticity in depressed brain. But precise molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of EA and EA combined with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) on depressed (CUMS) rats. Then a new proteomics approach, isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ), was used to explore the differential expressed synaptic protein in hippocampus between CUMS and EA-treated rats to identify the possible target molecular mechanism of its effects. We found that EA had additive benefit against depressive behaviors when combined with SSRI. Ultrastructure study on neuron showed significant change in postsynapse density (PSD) and mitochondrion. Through iTRAQ, it is found that synaptic and mitochondrial proteins were significantly changed after EA, consisting with ultrastructure study results. These findings suggest that EA improves antidepressant performance in depressed rats through protecting synaptic and mitochondrial functions in hippocampus.

Long-term acupuncture treatment has a multi-targeting regulation on multiple brain regions in rats with Alzheimer's disease: a positron emission tomography study.

The acute effect of acupuncture on Alzheimer's disease, i.e., on brain activation during treatment, has been reported. However, the effect of long-term acupuncture on brain activation in Alzheimer's disease is unclear. Therefore, in this study, we performed long-term needling at Zusanli (ST36) or a sham point (1.5 mm lateral to ST36) in a rat Alzheimer's disease model, for 30 minutes, once per day, for 30 days. The rats underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scanning. Positron emission tomography images were processed with SPM2. The brain areas activated after needling at ST36 included the left hippocampus, the left orbital cortex, the left infralimbic cortex, the left olfactory cortex, the left cerebellum and the left pons. In the sham-point group, the activated regions were similar to those in the ST36 group. However, the ST36 group showed greater activation in the cerebellum and pons than the sham-point group. These findings suggest that long-term acupuncture treatment has targeted regulatory effects on multiple brain regions in rats with Alzheimer's disease.

A New Human Cancer Cell Proliferation Inhibition Sesquiterpene, Dryofraterpene A, from Medicinal Plant Dryopteris fragrans (L.) Schott.

The global burden of cancer continues to increase largely with the aging and growth of the world population. The purpose of the present work was to find new anticancer molecules from a natural source. We utilized chromatographic methods to isolate compounds from medicinal plant Dryopteris fragrans (L.) Schott. The structure of the new compounds was determined by spectroscopic and spectrometric data (1D NMR, 2D NMR, and EMI-MS). Their anti-proliferation effects against five human cancer cell lines including A549, MCF7, HepG2, HeLa, and PC-3 were evaluated by CCK-8 andlactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. A new sesquiterpene, (7S, 10S)-2,3-dihydroxy-calamenene-15-carboxylic acid methyl ester (1), and two known compounds (2 and 3) were isolated. The new sesquiterpene was named dryofraterpene A and significantly inhibited cancer cell proliferation without any obvious necrosis below a 10 µM concentration. In conclusion, a novel anticancer sesquiterpene together with two known compounds was isolated, which might be a promising lead compound for the treatment of cancer.

Cerebral Targeting of Acupuncture at Combined Acupoints in Treating Essential Hypertension: An Rs-fMRI Study and Curative Effect Evidence.

The study attempted to explore that the synergistic effect of acupoints combination is not a simple superposition of single acupoint's effect by comparing and analyzing the changes of blood pressure (BP), SF-36, and brain regions after acupuncture treatment. 47 patients were randomly divided into LR3+KI3 group, LR3 group, and KI3 group. Subjects received Rs-fMRI scan, BP measurement, and SF-36 questionnaires before and after treatment and short-term acupuncture treatment. After treatment, there were no significant differences in BP and SF-36 among 3 groups, compared to the case before treatment, SBP of 3 groups decreased, and DBP significantly decreased while vitality and mental health significantly increased in LR3+KI3 group. Both number and scopes of changes of brain regions in LR3+KI3 group were the largest, which mainly included BAs 3, 4, 8, 19, 21, 24, 32, 44, and 45. In conclusion, acupuncture at LR3+KI3 may auxiliarily reduce BP and improve the vitality and mental health of patients, and the changes of brain regions were related to somatesthesia, movement, vision, audition, emotion and mood, language, memory, etc. BAs 4, 9, 10, 24, 31, 32, and 46 may be the targeting brain areas of acupuncture in assisting hypotension. It is suggested that acupoints combination of LR3+KI3 maybe generates a synergistic effect, and it is not simple sum of single acupoint effect.

Acute, but not chronic, stress increased the plasma concentration and hypothalamic mRNA expression of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in rats.

Nesfatin-1, a newly discovered satiety peptide, has recently been reported to be involved in the stress response. Stress-induced expression of nesfatin-1 has been reported and few studies focus on its expression in the hypothalamus, which is the center of the stress response. To test our hypothesis that peripheral and hypothalamic nesfatin-1 overexpression should play an important role in the stress response and the associated hyperactivity of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, acute stress (AS) was induced using water avoidance stress (WAS), and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) was also induced using 3 consecutive weeks of 7 different stressors. The behavior of CUMS rats was evaluated by an open field test (OFT), sucrose preference test (SPT), and forced swimming test (FST). The activity of the HPA axis was detected by measurement of the plasma corticosterone concentration and hypothalamic mRNA expression of corticotropin-releasing-hormone (CRH). The plasma concentration and hypothalamic mRNA expression of nesfatin-1 were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, respectively. The results showed that both AS and CUMS increased the plasma corticosterone concentration and hypothalamic CRH mRNA expression. Depression-like behavior was induced in CUMS rats, as indicated by a decreased movement distance, frequency of rearing and grooming in the OFT, and sucrose preference index and increased immobility in the FST. Moreover, the AS rats showed increased plasma concentration and hypothalamic mRNA expression of nesfatin-1, which were positively correlated with the plasma corticosterone concentration and hypothalamic CRH expression, respectively. These results indicated that acute stress, but not chronic stress, increased the plasma concentration and hypothalamic mRNA expression of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in rats.

Effect of acupuncture at HT7 on heart rate variability: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of acupuncture at HT7 on heart rate variability (HRV) in healthy volunteers. METHODS: 120 subjects were divided into four groups using a random number table. The following groups of acupuncture interventions were used: HT7 verum acupuncture; HT7 non-penetrating sham acupuncture; acupuncture at a sham point; and no acupuncture. HRV was recorded 10 min before, during and after each stimulation using an Actiheart ECG recorder. RESULTS: The HT7 verum acupuncture group had higher very-low frequency, low frequency and high frequency components of HRV compared with the control groups during but not after acupuncture. The HT7 verum acupuncture group also had higher SD of normal intervals compared with the sham needling and no acupuncture control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study suggests, subject to limitations, that acupuncture at HT7 could affect cardiac autonomic neural regulation in healthy subjects, manifest as increased HRV, most likely via the parasympathetic system. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR-TRC-08000302.

Effect of aqueous extracts of several kinds of herbs on human platelet aggregation and expression of P-selectin in vitro / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of aqueous extract of several kinds of herbs on human platelet aggregation and expression of P-selectin in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Blood was collected from volunteers. Effects of the prepared water extracts of herbs on platelet aggregation were monitored on a Packs-4 aggregometer. The fluorescence intensity of water extracts of Caulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae on the expression of P-selectin in human platelets of healthy persons was measured with flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Out of several herbs investigated, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae potently inhibited platelet aggregation after incubation with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for 15 min. Caulis Spatholobi Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae inhibited adenosine-5'-diphosphate (ADP) or platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet aggregation in PRP in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast to Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae, Caulis Spatholobi could not inhibit thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Despite its inability to inhibit thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in PRP, Caulis Spatholobi had a greater anti-aggregating activity in PRP induced by ADP or PAF. Caulis Spatholobi and Flos Carthami showed significant inhibitory effects on the expression of P-selectin.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Caulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae have potent anti-platelet properties, and their inhibitory actions are mediated via different mechanisms. Caulis Spatholobi inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation but not by thrombin, indicating that its mechanism of action might be independent of the thromboxane pathway. The effect of Caulis Spatholobi and Flos Carthami were associated with suppressing the expression of P-selectin.</p>

[Construction and thinking of data element standard directory of traditional Chinese medicine clinical pharmacy information].

The aim of this study was to develop the data element standard directory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical pharmacy information, to provide application standards and models of TCM clinical pharmacy for the electronic medical record (EMR). The developed line of work is as follows: initially establish research through four forms: literature analysis, questionnaires, discussion groups, expert advice. The research range from the Chinese herbal medicine research, herbal origin, harvesting, processing, identification of traits, physical and chemical identification, modern research, character, taste, Indications, clinical application, processing, dispensing medicine, Chinese medicine specifications, usage, dosage, caution, efficacy indications to small packaging applications, drug research, management and other related issues, including traditional Chinese medicine theory, application and hospital management information; according to the general and part 16 content of the national "Health Information Data Element Standards", and the basic method of extracting data element to study and develop the data element of TCM clinical pharmacy information from the defining content. Correspondingly propose the ideas and methods of construction of the "Data Element Standard Directory of TCM Clinical Pharmacy Information", sort out medicine clinical information data element standard catalog, divided into basic categories, clinical application class, management class three parts, and set norms and standards of identifying data elements, definitions, allowable value of traditional Chinese medicine clinical information, and discuss the sources and standards of information collection, leaving the interface, standardized and scientific terminology, docking with the existing standards, maintenance and management program and oter issues.

Protective effects of traditional Chinese medicine formula NaoShuanTong capsule on haemorheology and cerebral energy metabolism disorders in rats with blood stasis.

NaoShuanTong capsule (NSTC), an oral traditional Chinese medicine formula, is composed of Pollen Typhae, Radix Paeoniae Rubra, Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Radix Rhapontici and Radix Curcumae. It has been widely used to treat ischemic stroke in clinic for many years in China. In addition to neuronal apoptosis, haemorheology and cerebral energy metabolism disorders also play an important role in the pathogenesis and development of ischemic stroke. The present study was designed to evaluate the in vivo protective effects of NSTC on haemorheology and cerebral energy metabolism disorders in rats with blood stasis. Sixty specific pathogen-free sprague-dawley rats, male only, were randomly divided into six groups (control group, model group, aspirin (100 mg/kg/d) group, NSTC low-dose (400 mg/kg/d) group, NSTC intermediate-dose (800 mg/kg/d) group, NSTC high-dose (1600 mg/kg/d) group) with 10 animals in each. The rats except those in the control group were placed in ice-cold water (0-4 °C) for 5 min during the time interval (4 h) of two adrenaline hydrochloride injections (0.8 mg/kg) to induce blood stasis. After treatment, whole blood viscosity at three shear rates, plasma viscosity and erythrocyte sedimentation rate significantly decreased in NSTC intermediate- and high-dose groups; erythrocyte aggregation index and red corpuscle electrophoresis index significantly decreased in all the three dose NSTC groups. Moreover, treatment with high-dose NSTC could significantly improve Na+-K+ adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and Ca2+ ATPase activity, as well as lower lactic acid level in brain tissues. These results demonstrated the protective effects of NSTC on haemorheology and cerebral energy metabolism disorders, which may provide scientific information for the further understanding of mechanism(s) of NSTC as a clinical treatment for ischemic stroke. Furthermore, the protective effects of activating blood circulation as observed in this study might create valuable insight for the utilisation of NSTC to be a feasible alternative therapeutic agent for patients with blood stasis.

The metabolic fingerprint of the compatibility of Radix Aconite and Radix Paeoniae Alba and its effect on CYP450 enzymes / 药学学报

Using a UPLC-MS/MS (MRM) and cocktail probe substrates method, the metabolic fingerprint of the compatibility of Radix Aconite (RA) and Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) and its effect on CYP450 enzymes were investigated. These main CYP isoforms include CYP 1A2, CYP 2C, CYP 2E1, CYP 2D and CYP 3A. Compared with the inhibition effect of RA decoctions on CYP450 isoforms, their co-decoctions of RA and RPA with different proportions can decrease RA' inhibition on CYP3A, CYP2D, CYP2C and CYP1A2, but can not reduce RA' effect on CYP2E1. The metabolic fingerprints of RA decoction and co-decoctions with different proportions of RPA in CYP450 of rat liver were analyzed by UPLC-MS. Compared with the metabolic fingerprints of RA decoction, the intensity of diester-diterpenoid aconitum alkaloids decreased significantly, while the intensity of monoester-diterpenoid alkaloids significantly increased in the metabolic fingerprints of co-decoctions of RA and RPA. The results suggest that RA coadministration with RPA increased the degradation of toxic alkaloid and show the effect of toxicity reducing and efficacy enhancing.