Angelica keiskei water extract Mitigates Age-Associated Physiological Decline in Mice.

OBJECTIVE: Angelica keiskei is a medicinal and edible plant that has been reported to possess potent antioxidant properties in several in vitro models, but its effectiveness on naturally aging organisms is still lacking. This study explores the antioxidant and health-promoting effects of Angelica keiskei in naturally aging mice. METHODS: We treated 48-week-old mice with Angelica keiskei water extract (AKWE) 30 days, and measured indicators related to aging and antioxidants. In addition, we conducted network pharmacology analysis, component-target molecular docking, real-time PCR, and MTS assays to investigate relevant factors. RESULTS: The results indicated that administration of AKWE to mice led to decrease blood glucose levels, improve muscle fiber structure, muscle strength, gait stability, and increase levels of glutathione and superoxide dismutase in serum. Additionally, it decreased pigmentation of the heart tissues. Angelica keiskei combats oxidative stress by regulating multiple redox signaling pathways, and its ingredients Coumarin and Flavonoids have the potential to bind to SIRT3 and SIRT5. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated the potential of Angelica keiskei as a safe and effective dietary supplement to combat aging and revealed the broad prospects of medicinal and edible plants for addressing aging and age-related chronic diseases.

Qili Qiangxin (QLQX) capsule as a multi-functional traditional Chinese medicine in treating chronic heart failure (CHF): A review of ingredients, molecular, cellular, and pharmacological mechanisms.

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a key part of cardiovascular continuum. Under the guidance of the theory of vessel-collateral doctrine, the present study proposes therapeutic benefits of Qili Qiangxin (QLQX) capsules, an innovative Chinese medicine, on chronic heart failure. The studies show that multiple targets of the drug on CHF, including enhancing myocardial systole, promoting urine excretion, inhibiting excessive activation of the neuroendocrine system, preventing ventricular remodeling by inhibiting inflammatory response, myocardial fibrosis, apoptosis and autophagy, enhancing myocardial energy metabolism, promoting angiogenesis, and improving endothelial function. Investigation on the effects and mechanism of the drug is beneficial to the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) through multiple targets and/or signaling pathways. Meanwhile, it provides new insights to further understand other refractory diseases in the cardiovascular continuum, and it also has an important theoretical and practical significance in enhancing prevention and therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine for these diseases.

Clinical Efficacy of Modified Fangji Huangqitang on Early Renal Damage with Qi Deficiency and Dampness Obstruction Syndrome in Hypertension / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the efficacy of modified Fangji Huangqitang on early renal damage in hypertension (Qi deficiency and dampness obstruction syndrome) and its effect in resisting inflammation and protecting vascular endothelium. Method:One hundred and forty-four patients were randomly divided into control group and observation group by random number table. Patients in control group got losartan potassium tablets, 50 mg/time, 1 time/day, and nifedipine controlled-release tablets, 30 mg/time, 1 time/day. In addition to the therapy of control group, patients in observation group were alsog given modified Fangji Huangqitang, 1 dose/day. The qualification rate of blood pressure was recorded for every week, and ambulatory blood pressure was detected before and after treatment. Standard deviation of systolic blood pressure for 24 h (24 hSSD), standard deviation of diastolic pressure for 24 h (24 hDSD), mean systolic blood pressure for 24 h (24 hSBP), average diastolic pressure for 24 h (24 hDBP) were recorded, and dynamic pulse pressure index (PPI), dynamic arteriosclerosis index (AASI), and ratio of UmALB and creatinine (CR) were calculated, levels of beta 2 microglobulin (β2-MG), urinary N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG), serum cystatin C (CysC), urinary microalbumin (UmALB), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1) were detected, and symptoms and signs were scored. Result:During the 12-week observation period, the qualification rate of blood pressure in observation group was 89.09%, which was higher than 81.52%in control group (χ2=18.776, Pβ2-MG, CysC, NAG, UmALB, UACR, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and ET-1 were lower than those in control group (PPZ=2.146, PConclusion:In addition of the western medicine therapy, modified Fangji Huangqitang can be added to control blood pressure level, improve blood pressure compliance rate, reduce blood pressure variability, protect renal function, prevent and relieve clinical symptoms, improve the clinical efficacy, inhibit inflammatory reaction and improve endothelial function.

TNM-PNI: a novel prognostic scoring system for patients with gastric cancer and curative D2 resection.

PURPOSE: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies and has a high mortality rate. In recent years, several nutritional or inflammatory biomarkers have been shown to effectively predict the prognosis of tumors. In this study, we intended to establish a prognostic scoring system for GC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study included a total of 501 GC patients who were diagnosed with GC stage I-III and received curative gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy between January 2011 and December 2012. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests. Two Cox multivariate models, one for continuous and one for categorical variables, were established to identify independent prognostic factors. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0. RESULTS: Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and adjuvant therapy were independent prognostic factors for GC patients. We established a new composite variable, TNM-PNI, which was confirmed to be a major prognostic factor for curative D2 resection, independent of whether adjuvant therapy was administered. GC patients with higher TNM-PNI scores always had worse cancer outcomes. In addition, we found that adjuvant therapy might be beneficial for the survival of GC patients with TNM-PNI =4 or 5. CONCLUSION: Preoperative PNI plays a distinctly subsidiary role to the TNM stage when predicting patient prognosis. TNM-PNI is a novel and an effective prognostic index for GC patients with curative D2 resection and a good supplement for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines.

Clinical efficacy of simple obesity treated by catgut implantation at acupoints.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effificacy of treatment with catgut implantation at acupoints on simple obesity. METHODS: Following the theory of Chinese medicine (CM), pattern identification (PI) and treatment was based on the patient's symptoms and signs. Patients were observed during three courses and one year following treatment through self-comparison before and after six or seven acupoints catgut implantation. Obesity was divided into fifive types based on PI: (1) Stomach (Wei) and Intestine excess-heat, (2) Spleen (Pi) defificiency and phlegmwet stagnancy, (3) Liver (Gan)-qi stagnation, (4) Spleen-Kidney (Shen) yang deficiency, and (5) Liver-Kidney yin defificiency. Changes in the following measurements were recorded in 820 patients: body weight, body girth, skinfold thickness, body mass index (BMI), fat percentage (F%) and waist/hip ratio (WHR) and in the following blood values: leptin (LP), insulin (INS), blood lipids, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and insulin sensitive index (ISI) before and after the treatment. Values were compared with those of healthy controls (normal group). RESULTS: Catgut implantation showed effificacy with all fifive types of obesity. Effificacy was greater in males than in females. There was no signifificant difference between the different types by Kruskal-Wallis H test, but the effect was best and of the highest number in patients with Stomach and Intestine excess-heat. Skin-fold thickness, body weight, waist circumference, F%, BMI, and WHR in all 820 cases decreased after treatment (at 90 days and one year), with signifificant differences before and after treatment (P<0.01). Improved metabolism of blood lipids was also seen. Following treatment, LP, INS, and FBS decreased signifificantly (P<0.01) and ISI increased signifificantly (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Catgut implantation at acupoints provided effective and persistent results, convenience, safety, painlessness, and prolonged effect with no side effects, resulting in reduced body weight and fat and improvement in body shape.

Clinical characteristics of nonglaucomatous optic disc cupping.

Pathological optic disc cupping (ODC) is predominantly referred to as glaucoma; however, it is not only glaucoma that leads to pathological optic disc excavation. A number of other nonglaucomatous diseases also result in optic atrophy and excavation of the optic disc. Therefore, in the present study, the etiology of nonglaucomatous optic disc cupping (NGODC) was analyzed and differentiated from glaucomatous optic disc cupping (GODC). The morphology and clinical data of 19 eyes, from 12 patients exhibiting NGODC, were analyzed. Of the 12 cases, none were diagnosed with glaucoma, four presented with optic neuritis, one with Devic's disease, one with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, two with pituitary adenoma, one with basal ganglia cerebral hemorrhage, one with cilioretinal artery occlusion associated with central retinal vein occlusion, one with central retinal artery occlusion and the remaining patient exhibited optic nerve injuries. The key features that differentiated NGODC from GODC were the color of the optic disc rim and the correlation between visual field defects and the disc appearance. The focally notched disc also aided in distinguishing between the two disorders. The results of the present study indicated that it is critical to acknowledge that nonglaucomatous diseases also lead to ODC and that distinguishing between them is necessary.

Preparation methods for monodispersed garlic oil microspheres in water using the microemulsion technique and their potential as antimicrobials.

Garlic oil is considered as a natural broad-spectrum antibiotic because of its well-known antimicrobial activity. However, the characteristics of easy volatility and poor aqueous solubility limit the application of garlic oil in industry. The purpose of the present work is to develop and evaluate an oil-free microemulsion by loading garlic oil in microemulsion system. Microemulsions were prepared with ethoxylated hydrogenated castor (Cremophor RH40) as surfactant, n-butanol (or ethanol) as cosurfactant, oleic acid-containing garlic oil as oil phase, and ultrapure water as water phase. The effects of the ratio of surfactant to cosurfactant and different oil concentration on the area of oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsion region in pseudoternary phase diagrams were investigated. The particle size and garlic oil encapsulation efficiency of the formed microemulsions with different formulations were also investigated. In addition, the antimicrobial activity in vitro against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was assessed. The experimental results show that a stable microemulsion region can be obtained when the mass ratio of surfactant to cosurfactant is, respectively, 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1. Especially, when the mixture surfactants of RH40/n-butanol 2/1 (w/w) is used in the microemulsion formulation, the area of O/W microemulsion region is 0.089 with the particle size 13.29 to 13.85 nm and garlic oil encapsulation efficiency 99.5%. The prepared microemulsion solution exhibits remarkable antibacterial activity against S. aureus.