Acupuncture treated oculomotor nerve palsy with diabetes mellitus: A case reported.

The incidence of diabetes mellitus is increasing rapidly, and this condition often results in severe complications. One such complication, diabetic oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP), that can lead to significant impairment of visual function is increasingly recognized. However, there are few reports in the literature on the treatment of diabetic ONP. In the present case, the use of needling a selection of local and distal acupoints showed promising results for the treatment of diabetic ONP. We also present a brief literature review related to this case.

Effects of thinning on soil nutrient availability and fungal community composition in a plantation medium-aged pure forest of Picea koraiensis.

Thinning is an important silvicultural practice for improving the productivity and wood production in plantation forest. Different intensities of thinning management can affect tree growth and alter soil nutrient effectiveness, thus affecting soil fungal community structure and diversity. Our objective is to determine the soil factors and their regulatory mechanisms that influence stand growth by thinning, and to provide data to support the establishment of large diameter timber cultivation technology for Picea koraiensis. In this study, we conducted medium- and high-intensity thinning in 43a P. koraiensis plantation middle-aged forests and investigated the growth indexes, soil physicochemical properties, and fungal community diversity in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils of the stands after thinning at different densities (904 plants/ha for control, 644 plants/ha for 30% thinning intensity, and 477 plants/ha for 50% thinning intensity). The results showed that all growth indicators (annual growth of tree height, diameter at breast height, height under live branches and crown width) of the plantation after high-intensity thinning (477 plants/ha) were higher than those of the control (no thinning, significant) and medium-intensity thinning (644 plants/ha). Mycorrhizal infection rate was higher at the beginning of the growing season than at the end of the growing season, and increased slightly with decreasing stand density. Compared to the control, all medium- and high-intensity thinning treatments significantly improved soil nutrient content (P < 0.05), including total carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, Available phosphorus and Available potassium. Fungal diversity was higher but lower in abundance than the control in both rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils after thinning. The number of OTUs and fungal richness and diversity indices of non-rhizosphere soil fungi were higher than those of rhizosphere soil fungi. In conclusion, this study provides new evidence that reasonable intercalation can increase the radial and vertical growth of P. koraiensis plantation forests and promote the diversity of subsurface soil fungal communities. It is shown that thinning intensity regulates biogeochemical cycles in P. koraiensis plantation ecosystems by affecting soil nutrients and fungal community structure. Therefore, 50% thinning intensity can be used to increase timber production in plantation forests during large diameter timber cultivation of P. koraiensis and improve predictions associated with achieving long-term forest management strategies.

Component identification and analysis in vivo of Sanhan Huashi formula / 中国中药杂志

Sanhan Huashi formula(SHF) is the intermediate of a newly approved traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) Sanhan Huashi Granules for the treatment of COVID-19 infection. The chemical composition of SHF is complex since it contains 20 single herbal medicines. In this study, UHPLC-Orbitrap Exploris 240 was used to identify the chemical components in SHF and in rat plasma, lung and feces after oral administration of SHF, and heat map was plotted for characterizing the distribution of the chemical components. Chromatographic separation was conducted on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C_(18)(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) using 0.1% formic acid(A)-acetonitrile(B) as mobile phases in a gradient elution. Electrospray ionization(ESI) source was used to acquire data in positive and negative mode. By reference to quasi-molecular ions and MS/MS fragment ions and in combination with MS spectra of reference substances and compound information in literature reports, 80 components were identified in SHF, including 14 flavonoids, 13 coumarins, 5 lignans, 12 amino-compounds, 6 terpenes and 30 other compounds; 40 chemical components were identified in rat plasma, 27 in lung and 56 in feces. Component identification and characterization of SHF in vitro and in vivo lay foundations for disclosure of its pharmacodynamic substances and elucidation of the scientific connotation.

Research progress in chemical constituent and pharmacological activity of Punica granatum L / 中国药科大学学报

@#Punica granatum L.(pomegranate) is a medicinal plant belonging to the genus Punica Linn..The peel, seed, flower, leaf and root of P.granatum is widely used as traditional medicine in China.Phytochemical studies showed that the major chemical constituents of P.granatum were tannins, flavonoids, terpenes, alkaloids, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, fatty acids, etc.Biological studies on extracts and active ingredients of P.granatum show some bioactivities, such as antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antibacterial activities.Herein, the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of different parts of pomegranate were reviewed, providing a theoretical basis for the further research and utilization of pomegranate.

Effects of butylphthalide combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy on post-stroke cognitive impairment / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of butylphthalide combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy on post-stroke cognitive impairment in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:A total of 90 patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment who were hospitalized within 72 hours of onset in Suining County People's Hospital from December 2019 to November 2020 were included in this study. They were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group ( n = 45/group). The control group was given conventional treatment and the observation group was given butylphthalide combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy in addition to conventional treatment. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, Montreal Cognitive Assessment score, and Activities of Daily Living score were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results:Before treatment, there were no significant differences in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, Montreal Cognitive Assessment score, and Activities of Daily Living score between the two groups (all P > 0.05). At 14 days and 1 month after surgery, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores in the observation group were (4.02 ± 2.18) points and (3.21 ± 2.03) points, which were significantly lower than (5.21 ± 2.24) points and (4.62 ± 2.68) points in the control group ( t =2.55, 2.81, both P < 0.05). At 1 and 3 months after treatment, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score in the observation group were (19.79 ± 5.67) points and (23.69 ± 2.67) points, which were significantly higher than (16.88 ± 5.12) points and (19.74 ± 2.29) points in the control group ( t = 2.56, 7.53, both P < 0.05). At 1 and 3 months after treatment, Activities of Daily Living scores in the observation group were (54.85 ± 5.69) points and (74.38 ± 4.98) points, which were significantly higher than (46.78 ± 6.24) points and (63.21 ± 5.24) points in the control group ( t = 6.41, 9.76, both P < 0.05). Conclusion:Butylphthalide combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of post-stroke cognitive impairment in patients with acute ischemic stroke can alleviate neurologic deficits, and improve cognitive function and the ability of daily life.

The Mechanism Study of Moxa Combustion Products on Regulating Vascular Endothelial Function in Atherosclerotic Mice.

Objective: To evaluate the anti-atherogenic effect of moxa combustion products (MCPs) and whether it is mediated through improving the vascular endothelial function in ApoE-/- mice. Methods: A total of 60 male ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into the moxa smoke (MS) group, filtered moxa smoke (FMS) group, moxa floss volatile (MFV) group, essential oil of Artemisia argyi (EOAA) group, and model group (n = 12/group), while 12 male C57BL/6 mice were used as the control group. The six groups were intervened for 20 min/day, 6 days/week. After 14 weeks of intervention, the mice were euthanized and their blood lipids were measured. The aortic roots and thoracic aortas were collected for haematoxylin and eosin (HE) or Oil Red O staining, respectively. The contents of AMPK, PI3K, Akt, and eNOS mRNA in the thoracic aortas were examined by RT-qPCR. Results: The MS group and FMS group showed significantly lower plaque area percentage in the aortic roots and thoracic aortas and higher contents of AMPK-mRNA and eNOS-mRNA in the thoracic aortas compared with the model group. Conclusion: MS and FMS equally suppressed the progression of atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE-/- mice. It was suggested that the particulate matter in MS may not be the key components of moxibustion.

Huangqi decoction attenuates renal interstitial fibrosis transforming growth factor-ß1/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways in 5/6 nephrectomy mice.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Huangqi decoction on renal interstitial fibrosis and its association with the transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) / mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. METHODS: 120 C57/BL mice were randomly divided into six groups: sham group, Enalapril (20 mg/kg) group, 5/6 nephrectomy model group, and 5/6 nephrectomy model plus Huangqicoction (0.12, 0.36 and 1.08 g/kg respectively) groups. Detecting 24hours urinary protein, blood pressure, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen content changes. Periodic Acid-Schiff stain (PAS) and Masson's trichrome staining was used to observe the renal tissue pathological changes. Protein expression of TGF-ß1, Phosphorylated P38 mitogen activated protein kinases (P-P38), Phosphorylated c-jun N-terminal kinase (P-JNK), Phosphorylated extracellular regulated proteinhnase (P-ERK), Fibroblast-specific protein-1 (FSP-1), Alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Type III collagen (Collagen III), Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), Bcl-2 Assaciated X protein (Bax) and B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) were measured with western blot and immunohistochemical. RESULTS: Both Huangqi decoction and Enalapril improved the kidney function, 24 h urinary protein and the fibrosis in 5/6 nephrectomy mice, Huangqi decoction downregulated the expressions of TGF-ß1, FSP-1, α-SMA, Collagen III and CTGF in a dose-dependent manner, and it has a significant difference ( 0.01) compared with model group.Huangqi decoction downregulated the expressions of P-P38, P-JNK, P-ERK and Bcl-2 in a dose-dependent manner, while upregulated the expression of Bax. CONCLUSIONS: The protective effect of Huangqi decoction for renal interstitial fibrosis in 5/6 nep-hrectomized mice the inhibition of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transitions and downregulating the TGF-ß1/ MAPK signaling pathway.

Manual therapy combined with posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical decompression for the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of manual therapy combined with posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical decompression(PECD) in the treatment of intractable cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.@*METHODS@#From May 2016 to May 2018, 23 CSR patients who responded poorly to conservative treatment for at least 6 weeks underwent the combination management. Firstly, the patients received the posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical decompression routine care for the following 4 weeks and manual therapy for another 4 weeks. A total of 23 patients were followed up, including 14 males and 9 females, the age ranged from 29 to 78 years old with an average of (50.30±12.28) years, the course of disease was 3 to 24 months with an average of (9.74±5.76) months. The lesion segment involved C4,5 in 4 cases, C5,6 in 13 cases, C6,7 in 6 cases. The visual analogue scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), changes of cervical physiological curvature and interbody stability, adverse events were observed before and after operation. The follow-up time points were before operation, 1 day after operation and 1, 3 and 6 months after operation.@*RESULTS@#All patients successfully completed the operation and manual treatment for 4 to 8 times. Among the 29 cases, 23 patients were followed up for more than 6 months. There was no spinal cord and nerve root injury during the treatment and follow-up. Operation time was from 80 to 120 min with a median of 90 min;intraoperative blood loss was from 35 to 80 ml with a median of 50 ml. NDI, VAS of neck, shoulder and arm each period after operation were significantly lower than those before PECD(P<0.05), while there were no significant improvement in cervical physiological curvature and target segment intervertebral space height(P>0.05);there was no significant change in interbody stability (P>0.05). After received the manual therapy, NDI significantly decreased (P<0.05), however, there was no significant difference in VAS of neck, shoulder and arm, physiological curvature of cervical spine and intervertebral space height of target segment compared with that before manual treatment (P>0.05);there was no significant change in interbody stability (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Manual therapy combined with PECD in the treatment of intractable cervical spondylotic radiculopathy can not only quickly improve the symptoms, but also alleviate the residual symptoms after PECD safely and effectively, and can not cause obvious signs of accelerated instability of cervical adjacent segments in the short term.

Identification of potential anti-pneumonia pharmacological components of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma after the treatment with Gan An He Ji oral liquid / 药物分析学报

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,a traditional Chinese medicine also known as Gan Cao(GC),is frequently included in clinical prescriptions for the treatment of pneumonia.However,the pharmacological com-ponents of GC for pneumonia treatment are rarely explored.Gan An He Ji oral liquid(GAHJ)has a simple composition and contains GC liquid extracts and paregoric,and has been used clinically for many years.Therefore,GAHJ was selected as a compound preparation for the study of GC in the treatment of pneumonia.We conducted an in vivo study of patients with pneumonia undergoing GAHJ treatments for three days.Using the intelligent mass spectrometry data-processing technologies to analyze the meta-bolism of GC in vivo,we obtained 168 related components of GC in humans,consisting of 24 prototype components and 144 metabolites,with 135 compounds screened in plasma and 82 in urine.After analysis of the metabolic transformation relationship and relative exposure,six components(liquiritin,liquiritigenin,glycyrrhizin,glycyrrhetinic acid,daidzin,and formononetin)were selected as potential effective components.The experimental results based on two animal pneumonia models and the in-flammatory cell model showed that the mixture of these six components was effective in the treatment of pneumonia and lung injury and could effectively downregulate the level of inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS).Interestingly,glycyrrhetinic acid exhibited the strongest inhibition on iNOS and the highest exposure in vivo.The following molecular dynamic simulations indicated a strong bond between glycyrrhetinic acid and iNOS.Thus,the current study provides a pharmaceutical basis for GC and reveals the possible corresponding mechanisms in pneumonia treatment.

Analysis of the medication rules and academic thoughts of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of premature ejaculation based on the ancient Chinese medicine books / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To explore the medication and prescription rules in ancient Chinese medicine books in the treatment of premature ejaculation based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Inheritance Supporting Platform.Methods:Search for the relevant literature concerning treating premature ejaculation with TCM in the ancient books before 1949, conduct data mining with Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Supporting Platform, analyze the medication and the prescription rules, so as to summarize the academic thoughts of the ancient physicians in treating premature ejaculation.Results:Among 39 selected eligible ancient books, a total of 45 prescriptions were included, involving 118 kinds of Chinese medicines. Among them, 14 Chinese medicines were used more than 10 times. The top five Chinese medicines were Ginseng radix et rhizoma, Schisandrae chinensis fructus, Dioscoreae rhizoma, Polygalae radix, Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma; in the classification of Chinese medicines tonic Chinese medicine, tranquilizers, and astringent are used frequently. The most frequently used Chinese medicine pairs were Corni fructus- Ginseng radix et rhizoma, Ginseng radix et rhizoma- Dioscoreae rhizoma, Ginseng radix et rhizoma- Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma; 33 core combinations of 3 Chinese mediciness and 4 core combinations of 4 Chinese medicines were obtained. Conclusion:The medication that could treat premature ejaculation in the ancient TCM books are mainlythe kidney, liver, and heart meridian. The main principle is to invigorate the kidney, replenish the essence, and replenishing qi and soothing the nerves. It can provide reference for clinical treatment of premature ejaculation.

Transcriptome sequencing and metabolome analysis reveal the mechanism of Shuanghua Baihe Tablet in the treatment of oral mucositis / 中国天然药物

Oral mucositis (OM) caused by cancer therapy is the most common adverse reaction in the radiotherapy of head and neck tumors. In severe cases, it can lead to the interruption of treatment, which affects the control of the disease and the quality of life. Shuanghua Baihe Tablet (SBT) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, which is administerd to treat OM in China. It has been clinically effective for more than 30 years, but the underlying mechanism is not completely understood. With the development of multiple omics, it is possible to explore the mechanism of Chinese herbal compound prescriptions. Based on transcriptomics and metabolomics, we explored the underlying mechanism of SBT in the treatment of OM. An OM model of rats was established by 5-FU induction, and SBT was orally administered at dosages of 0.75 and 3 g·kg

Discovery of Eucalyptin C, derived from the fruits of Eucalyptus globulus Labill., as a novel selective PI3Kγ inhibitor for immunosuppressive treatment / 中国天然药物

The fruits of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. are known to have a plenty of medicinal properties, such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and immunosuppressive activity. Our previous study found that the phloroglucinol-sesquiterpene adducts in the fruits of E. globulus were immunosuppressive active constituents, especially Eucalyptin C (EuC). Phosphoinositide 3-kinases-γ (PI3Kγ) plays a pivotal role in T cell mediated excessive immune responses. In this study, EuC was first discovered to be a novel selective PI3Kγ inhibitor with an IC

Study on fragmentation patterns of coumarins in Notopterygium inchum with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry / 中国中药杂志

To demonstrate the fragmentation patterns of simple coumarins furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8), furanocourmarin(C_6-C_7) and dihydrofuran coumarin by mass spectrometry, with fraxin, scopoletin, isopsoralen, pimpinellin, isoimperatorin, notopterol and noda-kenin as study subjects, so as to provide a basis for rapid identification of compounds in different subtypes of coumarins. Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography combined with quardrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was implemented in both positive and negative ion modes. Masslynx software was employed to provide the elemental constituents of each detected ion based on its accurate molecular weight. Chemdraw 2014 was used to cultivate mass number of each inferred structure. The fragment pattern of each compound was determined based on the structures inferred from all the relevant ions. And the patterns were drawn by Chemdraw 2014. The deviation between the calculated molecular weight of the inferred structure and the detected value of the ions was used to assess the correctness of the inferred structures in the fragmentation patterns. The results showed that with UPLC-Q-TOF, neutral loss of CO_2 and CO was reflected in lactone and furan skeletons from the courmarin structure. An even mass was attributed to the loss of an odd number of methyl radicals from compounds with a methoxy substituent. Furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8) produced a protonated molecular ion([M+H]~+), while the other courmarin subtypes produced either a sodium adduct of the molecular ion([M+Na]~+) or a sodium adduct of the molecular ion([M+Na]~+) with a protonated molecular ion([M+H]~+). The m/z 203.03 was a diagnostic ion for furanocourmarin(C_6-C_7), and the m/z 147.04 was supplementary evidence for furanocourmarin(C_6-C_7) identification. The characteristic ion of furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8) was m/z 131.05, while m/z 187.04 was the characteristic ion of dihydrofuran coumarin. The m/z 203.03 ion for furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8) was pretty weak. In negative ion mode, furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8) did not have any signals that were different from the other subtypes of courmarins. The fragmentation patterns in negative ion mode for the other subtypes of courmarins were similar to those in positive ion mode. Four types of fragmentation patterns were identified as forcourmarins from Notopterygium inchum. This study provides the basis for the rapid identification of courmarin subtypes by mass spectrometry.

Exploring and practicing over 80 years in traditional Chinese medicine: the academic career of professor / 中国针灸

This paper reviewes the clinical and scientific research history of professor

Cognition on diagnosis and treatments of bronchiectasis among respiratory specialists / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To investigate the cognition of the diagnosis and management of bronchiectasis among respiratory specialists.Methods:Between May and June 2020, a questionnaire survey based on expert consensus and guidelines was conducted among respiratory specialists from 50 hospitals from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Total 691 questionnaires were distributed and 641 were received. 601 valid questionnaires were chosen for further analysis with an effective recovery rate of 87.0%. The respondents were required to finish the e-questionnaires independently in terms of cognition of diagnosing, severity assessment, treatments and Chinese medicines of bronchiectasis. The responses were collected online and the cognitive levels were evaluated by calculating the correct rates of corresponding questions.Results:540 (89.9%) of the respondents agreed that high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) was the gold standard for diagnosing of bronchiectasis, but 318 (52.9%) had an incomplete understanding of common radiographic manifestations of bronchiectasis, and different cognitive degrees of common radiographic manifestations of bronchiectasis existed among respondents with different qualifications or working in different levels of hospitals ( P<0.05). Only 118 (19.6%) of the respondents were familiar with severity assessments of bronchiectasis, but 65 (55.1%) of the 118 respondents said they won′t apply these severity assessments to patient during their clinical works. For the treatment of patients with stable bronchiectasis, airway clearance techniques were most recommended by specialists surveyed [410 (68.2%)], among which, postural drainage was the most known method [559 (93.0%)]. For patients undergoing an acute exacerbation, most respondents recommended antibiotics [600 (99.8%)] as the primary treatment, and examinations such as sputum culture [544 (90.5%)], inflammatory markers [523 (87.0%)] should be performed as well. 504 (83.9%) thought that pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common conditioned pathogen for bronchiectasis. For patients with frequent exacerbations (≥3 per year), 385 (64.1%) of the respondents supported the therapeutic effect of long-term antibiotics, however, among the 385 respondents supporting long-term antibiotics, only [113 (29.4%)] were willing to recommend long-term antibiotic treatment actively during their clinical practice. Besides, 304 (50.6%) respondents held a positive attitude to the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine therapies. Among 304 respondents holds the point of supporting, only 86 (28.3%) were willing to recommend traditional Chinese medicine to patients actively, differences about the attitude and clinical behaviors were found between respondents working in different levels of hospitals ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Respiratory specialists′ cognition on diagnosis and treatments of bronchiectasis remains inadequate, and cognitive levels differ among respondents working in different levels of hospitals. There is a gap between respondents′ cognition and clinical practice. Further education and trainings are necessary for improving respiratory specialists′ knowledge for timely diagnosis and standard treatment of bronchiectasis.

[Effects of foliar selenium fertilizer on fruit yield, quality and selenium content of three varieties of Vitis vinifera]. / 叶面喷施硒肥对3个葡萄品种果实产量、品质和硒含量的影响.

With three grape varieties, Red Barbara, Summer Black and Hutai No. 8 as test mate-rials, we investigated the effects of foliar spraying of organic selenium fertilizer on greenhouse grape quality and selenium content. The results showed that spraying 12 mg·L-1 amino acid chelated selenium-enriched foliar fertilizer on grape leaves significantly increased selenium content and the quantity and quality of grape yield, including the contents of soluble sugar, organic acid, soluble protein, soluble solids, vitamin C and proanthocyanidins. However, there was no increase in resveratrol. Among the three varieties, selenium content of Summer Black in 2017 and 2018 was increased by 36.7% and 37.1%, respectively, being higher than that of Red Barbara and Hutai No. 8. Red Barbara sprayed with selenium fertilizer had better quality due to high sugar and low acid contents, as well as high health-care components. Moreover, the selenium content of Hutai No. 8 in 2018 was 53.26 µg·kg-1, higher than the others, indicating a stronger ability of selenium enrichment. We concluded that the increase range of Se content was larger in Summer Black, Red Barbara showed the better nutrition value and quality, and Hutai No. 8 was a suitable variety for selenium-rich grape production.

Discussion of Correlation Between Chronic Psychological Stress Induced Liver Depression and Spleen Deficiency Syndrome and Microbiota-gut-brain Axis and Study on Intervention Mechanism of Xiaoyaosan / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Psychological stress （pressure） has gradually become an important factor affecting human physical and mental health， and is one of the important factors in the progression of clinical chronic refractory diseases. Psychological stress response can be attributed to the category of emotional illness in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. In the theory of TCM， the liver controls dispersion and regulates mental activity. Relevant scholars believe that the liver is the core of psychological stress response in the TCM theory. When being stimulated by chronic or repeated psychological stress， the body can gradually change from the initial depression and anxiety-rela behaviors to the gastrointestinal dysfunctions， which is similar to the formation process of the syndrome of liver depression and spleen deficiency with liver-spleen disharmony. The syndrome of liver depression and spleen deficiency is also the common syndrome of TCM for psychological stress-related diseases. With the effect in soothing liver and invigorating spleen， Xiaoyaosan has been regarded as the classic formula for anti-stress. Modern studies have showed that gut microbiota not only get involved in the movement， structure and function of the digestive tract， but also affect the brain function and behavior of the host through the gut-brain axis. Therefore， the microbiota-gut-brain axis has become an important part of psychological stress to trigger the body's gastrointestinal symptoms and abnormal brain behaviors. Focusing on psychological stress， the authors explored the correlation between the syndrome of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency and the microbiota-gut-brain axis， and the intervention mechanism of Xiaoyaosan， so as to enrich the scientific connotation of the syndrome of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency.

Is dorsal vagal complex the key nucleus of acupuncture regulation of gastric function？ / 中国针灸

Acupuncture has remarkable effects on treating functional gastrointestinal diseases, but its central mechanism is not clear. At present, the research has mainly focused on several central nuclei, such as the dorsal vagus complex (DVC), nucleus raphe magnus (NRM), locus coeruleus (LC), subnucleus reticularis dorsalis (SRD), hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN), central amygdala (CeA), etc. It is not clear whether the nuclei are involved in acupuncture regulation of gastric function through certain interrelation. A further summary of related literature indicates that many brain regions or nuclei in the central nervous system are closely related to gastric function, such as DVC, NRM, parabrachial nuclei (PBN), LC, periaqueductal gray (PAG), cerebellum, PVN, arcuate nucleus (Arc), hippocampus, CeA, etc. Most of these nuclei have certain fiber connections with each other, in which DVC is the basic center, and other nuclei are directly or indirectly involved in the regulation of gastric function through DVC. Is DVC the key target in acupuncture regulation of gastric function? Does other nuclei have direct or indirect neural circuit with DVC to participate in the regulation of gastric function by acupuncture, such as the possibility of CeA-DVC neural loop in acupuncture regulating gastric function. Therefore, more advanced techniques such as photogenetics, chemical genetics should be introduced and the central mechanism of acupuncture on regulating gastric function with DVC as center, from the view of nerve loop, will become the focus of further research, which could explain the central integration mechanism of acupoint compatibility by modern neuroscience technology.

In Silico Screening of Potential Spike Glycoprotein Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 with Drug Repurposing Strategy / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To select potential molecules that can target viral spike proteins, which may potentially interrupt the interaction between the human angiotension-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and viral spike protein by virtual screening.@*METHODS@#The three-dimensional (3D)-coordinate file of the receptor-binding domain (RBD)-ACE2 complex for searching a suitable docking pocket was firstly downloaded and prepared. Secondly, approximately 15,000 molecular candidates were prepared, including US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs from DrugBank and natural compounds from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), for the docking process. Then, virtual screening was performed and the binding energy in Autodock Vina was calculated. Finally, the top 20 molecules with high binding energy and their Chinese medicine (CM) herb sources were listed in this paper.@*RESULTS@#It was found that digitoxin, a cardiac glycoside in DrugBank and bisindigotin in TCMSP had the highest docking scores. Interestingly, two of the CM herbs containing the natural compounds that had relatively high binding scores, Forsythiae fructus and Isatidis radix, are components of Lianhua Qingwen (), a CM formula reportedly exerting activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-Cov-2. Moreover, raltegravir, an HIV integrase inhibitor, was found to have a relatively high binding score.@*CONCLUSIONS@#A class of compounds, which are from FDA-approved drugs and CM natural compounds, that had high binding energy with RBD of the viral spike protein. Our work provides potential candidates for other researchers to identify inhibitors to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, and highlights the importance of CM and integrative application of CM and Western medicine on treating COVID-19.

In Silico Screening of Potential Spike Glycoprotein Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 with Drug Repurposing Strategy / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To select potential molecules that can target viral spike proteins, which may potentially interrupt the interaction between the human angiotension-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and viral spike protein by virtual screening.@*METHODS@#The three-dimensional (3D)-coordinate file of the receptor-binding domain (RBD)-ACE2 complex for searching a suitable docking pocket was firstly downloaded and prepared. Secondly, approximately 15,000 molecular candidates were prepared, including US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs from DrugBank and natural compounds from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), for the docking process. Then, virtual screening was performed and the binding energy in Autodock Vina was calculated. Finally, the top 20 molecules with high binding energy and their Chinese medicine (CM) herb sources were listed in this paper.@*RESULTS@#It was found that digitoxin, a cardiac glycoside in DrugBank and bisindigotin in TCMSP had the highest docking scores. Interestingly, two of the CM herbs containing the natural compounds that had relatively high binding scores, Forsythiae fructus and Isatidis radix, are components of Lianhua Qingwen (), a CM formula reportedly exerting activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-Cov-2. Moreover, raltegravir, an HIV integrase inhibitor, was found to have a relatively high binding score.@*CONCLUSIONS@#A class of compounds, which are from FDA-approved drugs and CM natural compounds, that had high binding energy with RBD of the viral spike protein. Our work provides potential candidates for other researchers to identify inhibitors to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, and highlights the importance of CM and integrative application of CM and Western medicine on treating COVID-19.