An Evaluation of the Impact of 60Co Irradiation on Volatile Organic Compounds of Olibanum Using Gas Chromatography Ion Mobility Spectrometry.

Olibanum is a resinous traditional Chinese medicine that is directly used as a powder. It is widely used in China and is often combined with other traditional Chinese medicine powders to promote blood circulation and relieve pain, as well as to treat rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Powdered traditional Chinese medicine is often easily contaminated by microorganisms and 60Co irradiation is one of the good sterilization methods. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the main active ingredient of olibanum. The aim of this study was to validate the optimum doses of 60Co irradiation and its effect on VOCs. 60Co irradiation was applied in different doses of 0 kGy, 1.5 kGy, 3.0 kGy, and 6.0 kGy. Changes in VOCs were detected using gas chromatography ion mobility spectrometry. A total of 81 VOCs were identified. The odor fingerprint results showed that, with an increase in irradiation dose, most of the VOCs of olibanum changed. Through principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and partial least squares discriminant analysis, it was demonstrated that, at 1.5 kGy, the impact of radiation on the VOCs of olibanum was minimal, indicating this is a relatively good irradiation dose. This study provides a theoretical basis for the irradiation processing and quality control of resinous medicinal materials such as olibanum and it also provides a good reference for irradiation technology development and its application to functional foods, thus making it both significant from a research perspective and useful from an application perspective.

Efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment to patients with stable COPD: a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease and the third leading cause of death worldwide. Previous evidence has shown that acupuncture may be an effective complementary alternative therapy for stable COPD. However, large-sample, rigorously designed long-term follow-up studies still need to be completed. Notably, the relationship between the frequency of acupuncture and clinical efficacy in studies on acupuncture for stable COPD still needs further validation. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for stable COPD and further investigate the dose-effect relationship of acupuncture. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial that uses central randomization to randomly allocate 550 participants in a 1:1:1:1:1 ratio to once a week acupuncture group, twice a week acupuncture group, three times a week acupuncture group, sham acupuncture group and waiting-list control group. The sham acupuncture group will receive placebo acupuncture treatments three times per week, and the waiting-list control group will not receive any form of acupuncture intervention. The study consists of a 2-week baseline, 12-week of treatment, and 52-week of follow-up. Patients with COPD between 40 to 80 years old who have received stable Western medication within the previous 3 months and have had at least 1 moderate or severe acute exacerbation within the past 1 year will be included in the study. Basic treatment will remain the same for all participants. The primary outcome is the proportion of responders at week 12. Secondary outcomes include the proportion of responders at week 64, change in the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) Scale, change in the Modified-Medical Research Council (mMRC) Scale, change in the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) Scale, change in the Lung Function Screening Indicators (LFSI), change in the 6-min walk distance (6-MWD), change in Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) Scale, the number of moderate and severe acute exacerbations and adverse event rate during the follow-up period. DISCUSSION: This study will provide robust evidence on whether acupuncture is safe and effective for treating stable COPD. Meanwhile, comparing the differences in efficacy between different acupuncture frequencies will further promote the optimization of acupuncture for stable COPD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200058757), on April 16, 2022.

Lignan glucosides from Gentiana macrophylla with potential anti-arthritis and hepatoprotective activities.

Ten lignans, including six previously undescribed phenolic ester glycosyl lignans (1-6), were isolated from a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, Qin-Jiao, which is the dry root of Gentiana macrophylla Pall. (Gentianaceae). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic and chemical methods, especially 2D NMR techniques. Quantum chemical calculations of theoretical ECD spectra allowed the determination of their absolute configurations. Refer to its traditional applications for the treatment of rheumatic arthralgia and hepatopathy, these compounds were evaluated on a TNF-α induced MH7A human synoviocyte inflammation model and a D-GalN induced AML12 hepatocyte injury model. Compounds 1, 2, 5, and 6 significantly reduced the release of proinflammatory cytokine IL-1ß in MH7A cells at 15 µM and they also could strongly protect AML12 cells against D-GalN injury at 30 µM. Flow cytometry and Western blot analysis showed that compound 5 ameliorated D-GalN induced AML12 cell apoptosis by upregulating the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and down-regulating the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax protein.

Long-term outcome of children with acute promyelocytic leukemia: a randomized study of oral versus intravenous arsenic by SCCLG-APL group.

Realgar-Indigo naturalis formula (RIF), an oral traditional Chinese medicine mainly containing Realgar (As4S4), is highly effective in treating adult acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). However, the treatment efficacy and safety of RIF have not been verified in pediatric patients. SCCLG-APL group conducted a multicenter randomized non-inferiority trial to determine whether intravenous arsenic trioxide (ATO) can be substituted by oral RIF in treating pediatric APL. Of 176 eligible patients enrolled, 91 and 85 were randomized to ATO and RIF groups, respectively. Patients were treated with the risk-adapted protocol. Induction, consolidation, and 96-week maintenance treatment contained all-trans-retinoic acid and low-intensity chemotherapy, and either ATO or RIF. The primary endpoint was 5-year event-free survival (EFS). The secondary endpoints were adverse events and hospital days. After a median 6-year follow-up, the 5-year EFS was 97.6% in both groups. However, the RIF group had significantly shorter hospital stays and lower incidence of infection and tended to have less cardiac toxicity. All 4 relapses occurred within 1.5 years after completion of maintenance therapy. No long-term arsenic retentions were observed in either group. Substituting oral RIF for ATO maintains treatment efficacy while reducing hospitalization and adverse events in treating pediatric APL patients, which may be a future treatment strategy for APL.

[Correlation of traditional Chinese medicine to reduced re-admission risk in ankylosing spondylitis patients with dampness-heat syndrome: a retrospective cohort study].

This study aimed to analyze the impact of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) on the risk of re-admission for ankylosing spondylitis(AS) patients with dampness-heat syndrome. In this study, a telephone follow-up was conducted on 1 295 AS inpatients, and after screening and exclusions, 1 044 successfully followed-up patients were included. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using propensity score matching(PSM), and a Cox proportional risk model was employed to assess the effect of various factors on the risk of re-admission for AS patients with dampness-heat syndrome. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze the effect of TCM intervention time on re-admission. The incidence rate of dampness-heat syndrome in AS patients was found to be 51.3% in this study. After 1∶1 PSM, 385 AS patients with dampness-heat syndrome and 385 AS patients without dampness-heat syndrome were included for analysis. The results indicated that the re-admission rate was higher for patients with dampness-heat syndrome compared with those without dampness-heat syndrome(P<0.05). AS patients with dampness-heat syndrome in the TCM group had a lower admission rate than those in the non-TCM group(P=0.01). The cox proportional risk model demonstrated that TCM was an independent protective factor, as it reduced the risk of re-admission by 35%(HR=0.35, 95%CI[0.26, 0.95], P<0.05). Moreover, the subgroup with high exposure(time to use Chinese medicine >12 months) had a significantly lower risk of re-admission than that with low TCM exposure(time to use Chinese medicine ≤12 months). The re-admission rate for AS patients with dampness-heat syndrome was higher than that without dampness-heat syndrome, and TCM was identified as a protective factor in reducing the risk of re-admission. Furthermore, a longer duration of TCM intervention was associated with a lower risk of re-admission.

Thirteen new peptaibols with antimicrobial activities from Trichoderma sp.

From the fungus Trichoderma sp., we isolated seven novel 18-residue peptaibols, neoatroviridins E-K (1-7), and six new 14-residue peptaibols, harzianins NPDG J-O (8-13). Additionally, four previously characterized 18-residue peptaibols neoatroviridins A-D (14-17) were also identified. The structural configurations of the newly identified peptaibols (1-13) were determined by comprehensive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS/MS) data. Their absolute configurations were further determined using Marfey's method. Notably, compounds 12 and 13 represent the first 14-residue peptaibols containing an acidic amino acid residue. In antimicrobial assessments, all 18-residue peptaibols (1-7, 14-17) exhibited moderate inhibitory activities against Staphylococcus aureus 209P, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 8-32 µg·mL-1. Moreover, compound 9 exhibited moderate inhibitory effect on Candida albicans FIM709, with a MIC value of 16 µg·mL-1.

Acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for patients with AECOPD: study protocol for a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

Background: The acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a common respiratory disease among older adults, which imposes a significant burden on individuals and society and poses a major challenge to the global public health system due to its high morbidity and mortality. Acupuncture is effective for AECOPD, but its efficacy has been questioned due to the limited methodological quality. Thus, we aim to investigate the efficacy of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for AECOPD and determine whether the efficacy of acupuncture differs with the type of acupoint combinations. Methods and analysis: This study proposes a prospective, multicenter randomized controlled trial that will comprise four groups, including two acupuncture treatment groups, one sham acupuncture group, and one basic treatment group. The acupuncture treatment groups will be distinguished by their focus on different patterns of acupoint combination, namely the Xi-cleft and He-sea acupoint combination and the Eight Confluence points acupoint combination, which may vary in clinical efficacy based on traditional acupuncture theories. The study aims to randomize 556 patients in a 1:1:1:1 ratio across the four groups. Each patient in acupuncture group or sham acupuncture group will receive routine drug therapy and 7 sessions of acupuncture treatment over 1 week. Participants in the basic treatment group will only receive routine drug therapy. The trial will be conducted in seven hospitals located in China. The primary outcomes in this trial will include differences in the Breathlessness, Cough, and Sputum Scale (BCSS) before randomization, 7 days after randomization, 5 and 9 weeks after randomization. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval was obtained from the Sichuan Regional Ethics Review of Committee on Traditional Chinese Medicine (Approval ID: 2022KL-068). The results of this study will be distributed through peer-reviewed journals.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier ChiCTR2200064484.

Factors and Molecular Mechanisms of Vitamin A and Childhood Obesity Relationship: A Review.

Childhood obesity has become a public health concern. As the importance of vitamin A (VA) in the body has become increasingly acknowledged, there is limited clinical trial evidence to substantiate the association between VA and childhood obesity. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) increases the risk of childhood obesity, a finding consistently reported in pregnant women. VA could regulate the adipogenic process, inflammation, oxidative stress and metabolism-related gene expression in mature adipocytes. VAD disrupts the balance of obesity-related metabolism, thus affecting lipid metabolism and insulin regulation. Conversely, VA supplementation has a major impact on efficacy in obesity, and obese individuals typically have a lower VA status than normal-weight individuals. Several studies have attempted to identify the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the association between VA and obesity. In this review, we summarize and discuss recent new developments focusing on retinol, retinoic acid, and RBP4 and elucidate and provide an overview of the complex interrelationships between these critical components of VA and childhood obesity. However, the causal relationship between VA status and childhood obesity remains unclear. It is also unknown whether VA supplementation improves the overall obesogenic metabolic profile.

Optimized extraction of polysaccharide from Pinus elliottii: Characterization, antioxidant, and moisture-preserving activities.

The study on the extraction conditions, purification, and biological activity of slash pine (Pinus elliottii.) is important for the development of slash pine resources. The optimal process conditions for the extraction of slash pine polysaccharide (SPP) were determined, resulting in a liquid-solid ratio of 66.94 mL/g, extraction temperature of 83.74 °C and extraction time of 2.56 h by using the response surface methodology, and the yield of SPP was 5.99% under the optimized conditions. Following the purification of SPP, the SPP-2 component was obtained and its physicochemical properties, functional group composition, antioxidant capacity, and moisturizing capacity were determined. Structural analysis suggested that SPP-2 has a molecular weight of 118.407 kDa, and was composed of rhamnose, arabinose, fucose, xylose, mannose, glucose, and galactose in a ratio of 5.98: 14.34: 1: 1.75: 13.50: 3.43: 15.79. The antioxidant activity analysis showed that SPP-2 has good free radical scavenging activity, and it was also found to have in vitro moisturizing activity and low irritation. These results suggest that SPP-2 has the potential for applications in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries.

Effects of long-term no-tillage on the functional potential of microorganisms involved in the nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur cycles of black soil.

Understanding the effects of different tillage practices on functional microbial abundance and composition in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) cycles are essential for the sustainable utilization of black soils. Based on an 8-year field experiment located in Changchun, Jilin Province, we analyzed the abundance and composition of N, P and S cycling microorganisms and their driving factors in different depths of black soil under no til-lage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT). Results showed that compared with CT, NT significantly increased soil water content (WC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) at soil depth of 0-20 cm. Compared with CT, NT significantly increased the abundances of functional and encoding genes related to N, P and S cycling, including the nosZ gene encoding N2O reductase, the ureC gene performing organic nitrogen ammoniation, the nifH gene encoding nitrogenase ferritin, the functional genes phnK and phoD driving organic phosphorus mineralization, the encoding pyrroloquinoline quinone synthase ppqC gene and the encoding exopolyphosphate esterase ppX gene, and the soxY and yedZ genes driving sulfur oxidation. The results of variation partitioning analysis and redundancy analysis showed that soil basic properties were the main factors affecting the microbial composition of N, P and S cycle functions (the total interpretation rate was 28.1%), and that MBC and WC were the most important drivers of the functional potential of soil microorganisms in N, P and S cycling. Overall, long-term no tillage could increase the abundance of functional genes of soil microorganisms by affecting soil environment. From the perspective of molecular biology, our results elucidated that no tillage could be used as an effective soil management measure to improve soil health and maintain green agricultural development.

The role of Sirtuin 1 and its activators in age-related lung disease.

Aging is a major driving factor in lung diseases. Age-related lung disease is associated with downregulated expression of SIRT1, an NAD+-dependent deacetylase that regulates inflammation and stress resistance. SIRT1 acts by inducing the deacetylation of various substrates and regulates several mechanisms that relate to lung aging, such as genomic instability, lung stem cell exhaustion, mitochondrial dysfunction, telomere shortening, and immune senescence. Chinese herbal medicines have many biological activities, exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, and immune regulatory effects. Recent studies have confirmed that many Chinese herbs have the effect of activating SIRT1. Therefore, we reviewed the mechanism of SIRT1 in age-related lung disease and explored the potential roles of Chinese herbs as SIRT1 activators in the treatment of age-related lung disease.

Panax notoginseng saponins promote hair follicle growth in mice via Wnt/ß-Catenin signaling pathway.

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS), the active ingredients of the traditional Chinese medicine Panax notoginseng, have strong neuroprotective and anti-platelet aggregation effects. To investigate whether PNS can promote hair follicle growth in C57BL/6J mice, the optimal concentration of PNS was initially determined, followed by clarification of the mechanism underlying their effects. Twenty-five male C57BL/6J mice had the hair on a 2 × 3 cm2 area of the dorsal skin shaved and were equally divided into five groups: control group, 5% minoxidil (MXD) group, and three PNS treatment groups [2% (10 mg/kg), 4% (20 mg/kg), and 8% (40 mg/kg) PNS]. They were then intragastrically administered the corresponding drugs for 28 days. The effects of PNS on C57BL/6J mice were analyzed by subjecting their dorsal depilated skin samples to different assessments, including hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting (WB). The group with 8% PNS exhibited the largest number of hair follicles from 14 days onwards. Compared with the control group, the number of hair follicles increased significantly in the mice treated with 8% PNS and 5% MXD, which significantly increased in a PNS-dose-dependent manner. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence results revealed that treatment with 8% PNS activated the metabolism of hair follicle cells, with them showing higher rates of proliferation and apoptosis than those in the normal group. In qRT-PCR and WB analysis, the expression of ß-catenin, Wnt10b, and LEF1 was upregulated in the PNS and MDX groups compared with that in the control group. Examination of the WB bands revealed that the greatest inhibitory effect of Wnt5a occurred in mice in the 8% PNS group. PNS may promote the growth of hair follicles in mice, with 8% PNS demonstrating the strongest effect. The mechanism behind this may be related to the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

One-pot synthesis of novel flower-like LaCO3OH adsorbents for efficient scavenging of phosphate from wastewater.

Phosphorus removal from wastewater has been considered as an effective method to control eutrophication and mitigate phosphorus deficiency. Phosphate adsorption using lanthanum-based materials has awakened much attention and triggered extensive research. In this study, novel flower-like LaCO3OH materials were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method and evaluated for phosphate removal from wastewater. The adsorbent with flower-like structures prepared at the hydrothermal reaction time of 4.5 h (BLC-4.5) exhibited the optimum adsorption performance. BLC-4.5 had a rapid removal rate with more than 80% of the saturated adsorbed phosphate removed within 20 min. Furthermore, the maximum phosphate adsorption capacity of BLC-4.5 was as high as 228.5 mg/g. Notably, the La leaching amount of BLC-4.5 was negligible in the pH range of 3.0-11.0. BLC-4.5 outperformed most of the reported La-based adsorbents in terms of removal rate, adsorption capacity, and La leaching amount. Moreover, BLC-4.5 had broad pH adaptability (3.0-11.0) and high selectivity for phosphate. BLC-4.5 also displayed excellent phosphate removal efficiency in actual wastewater and great recyclability. The potential adsorption mechanisms of phosphate on BLC-4.5 were precipitation, electrostatic attraction, and inner-sphere complexation via ligand exchange. This study demonstrates that the newly developed flower-like BLC-4.5 reported here is a promising adsorbent for the effective treatment of phosphate in wastewater.

Association of food groups and dietary pattern with breast cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of current evidence for the association between food groups, dietary patterns, and breast cancer risk among the Asian population. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We performed a systematic literature search up to December 2022 in English in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted as effect sizes. Publication bias was estimated by two different funnel plot methods. RESULTS: We collected the data from 15 cohort studies and 34 case-control studies meeting the search criteria. The meta-analysis found that the consumption of fruits and, likewise, vegetables were associated with a 29% lower risk of breast cancer, respectively [RR = 0.71 (0.55, 0.93); RR = 0.71 (0.53, 0.95)]. By contrast, no significance was found between meat, soy foods, and green tea consumption and breast cancer risk (P > 0.05). However, soy protein and isoflavone intake could lower breast cancer risk by 35% and 32%, respectively [RR = 0.65 (0.51, 0.83); RR = 0.68 (0.55, 0.82)]. As for the dietary pattern, high adherence to a healthy dietary pattern and, similarly, to a healthy eating index was associated with a 38% and 51% reduction in breast cancer risk, respectively [RR = 0.62 (0.44, 0.88; RR = 0.49 (0.27, 0.87)], while high adherence to an unhealthy dietary pattern was associated with a 44% increased risk [RR = 1.44 (1.06, 1.96)]. Considering alcohol consumption, a 75% increased risk of breast cancer was found [RR = 1.75 (1.33, 2.30)]. CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis found that high intakes of fruits, vegetables, soy protein, and soy isoflavone significantly reduced the risk of breast cancer, while high intake of alcohol had a significantly increased risk. Meat, soy food, and green tea consumption were not significantly associated with breast cancer risk. Considering dietary patterns, high adherence to a healthy eating index and a healthy dietary pattern may reduce breast cancer risk. Conversely, adherence to unhealthy dietary patterns may increase breast cancer risk. However, further studies are needed to confirm the associations between dietary patterns and breast cancer in the Asian population.

Scavenging of reactive oxygen species effectively reduces Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms through disrupting policing.

Biofilm formation is likely to contribute greatly to antibiotic resistance in bacteria and therefore the efficient removal of bacterial biofilms needs addressing urgently. Here, we reported that the supplement of non-inhibitory concentration of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a common reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, can significantly reduce the biomass of mature Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms (corroborated by crystal violet assay and laser scanning confocal microscopy). 1 mM NAC increased the cheater (ΔlasR mutant) frequency to 89.4 ± 1.5% in the evolved PAO1 after the 15-day treatment. Scavenging of ROS by NAC induced the collapse of P. aeruginosa biofilms, but it did not alter quorum sensing-regulated genes expression (e.g., hcnC and cioAB) and hydrogen cyanide production. The replenishment of public good protease contributed to the recovery of biofilm biomass, indicating the role of disrupting policing in biofilm inhibition. Furthermore, 7 typical ROS scavengers (e.g., superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase, etc.) also effectively inhibited mature P. aeruginosa biofilms. This study demonstrates that scavenging of ROS can promote the selective control of P. aeruginosa biofilms through policing disruption as a targeted biofilm control strategy in complex water environments.

Calcipotriol abrogates cancer-associated fibroblast-derived IL-8-mediated oxaliplatin resistance in gastric cancer cells via blocking PI3K/Akt signaling.

Activation of vitamin D receptor (VDR) in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) has been implicated in hesitating tumor progression and chemoresistance of several human malignancies. Yet, the role of VDR in CAF-induced chemotherapy resistance of gastric cancer (GC) cells remains elusive. In this study we first conducted immunohistochemistry analysis on tissue microarrays including 88 pairs of GC and normal mucosa samples, and provided clinical evidence that VDR was mainly expressed in gastric mucous cells but almost invisible in CAFs, and VDR expression was negatively correlated with malignant clinical phenotype and advanced stages, low VDR expression confers to poor overall survival rate of patients with GC. In a co-culture system of primary CAFs and cancer cells, we showed that treatment of HGC-27 and AGS GC cells with VDR ligand calcipotriol (Cal, 500 nM) significantly inhibited CAF-induced oxaliplatin resistance. By using RNA-sequencing and Human Cytokine Antibody Array, we demonstrated that IL-8 secretion from CAFs induced oxaliplatin resistance via activating the PI3K/AKT pathway in GC, whereas Cal treatment greatly attenuated the tumor-supportive effect of CAF-derived IL-8 on GC cells. Taken together, this study verifies the specific localization of VDR in GC tissues and demonstrates that activation of VDR abrogates CAF-derived IL-8-mediated oxaliplatin resistance in GC via blocking PI3K/Akt signaling, suggesting vitamin D supplementation as a potential strategy of enhancing the anti-tumor effect of chemotherapy in GC.

Systems biology strategy and experimental validation to uncover the pharmacological mechanism of Xihuang Pill in treating non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for almost 85% of lung cancer-related deaths worldwide. Xihuang Pill (XHP) is a representative anticancer Chinese patented medicine used to treat NSCLC in China. However, to date, a systematic analysis of XHP's antitumour effects and its impact on the immune microenvironment has not been performed. PURPOSE: Based on the systems biology strategy and experimental validation, the present study aimed to investigate the pharmacological mechanisms involved in treating NSCLC with XHP. METHODS: A subcutaneous tumour model was established to evaluate XHP's tumour-inhibitory effect in BALB/c nude mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and bioinformatics analysis were conducted to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and signalling pathways related to XHP treatment. Network analysis based on network pharmacology and protein-to-protein networks was applied to identify the compounds and genes targeted by XHP. External data from the TCGA-NSCLC cohort were used to verify the clinical significance of XHP-targeted genes in NSCLC. The expression of survival-related candidate genes after XHP treatment was verified via qPCR. The protein expression of calcium voltage-gated channel subunit alpha 1C (CACNA1C) in different NSCLC cell lines was analysed in the Human Protein Atlas database (HPA) and DepMap Portal. Using the Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumour tissues using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm and the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm uncovered the role of CACNA1C in the NSCLC tumour microenvironment (TME). RESULTS: XHP (2 g/kg/d) significantly inhibited the growth of transplanted A549 tumours. RNA-seq identified a total of 529 DEGs (189 upregulated and 340 downregulated). In addition, 542 GO terms, 41 significant KEGG pathways, 9 upregulated hallmarks pathways, and 18 downregulated hallmark pathways were enriched. These GO terms and signalling pathways were closely related to cell proliferation, immunity, energy metabolism, and the inflammatory response of NSCLC. In addition, XHP's network pharmacology analysis identified 301 compounds and 1,432 target genes. A comprehensive strategic analysis identified CACNA1C as a promising gene by which XHP targets and regulates the TME of NSCLC, benefiting patient survival. CACNA1C expression was positively correlated with both the immune score and stromal score but negatively correlated with the tumour purity score. Additionally, CACNA1C expression was significantly correlated with the infiltration levels of 15 types of immune cells and the expression levels of 6 well-known checkpoint genes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that by regulating the pathways associated with cell proliferation and immunity, XHP can suppress cancer cell growth in NSCLC. Additionally, XHP may increase the expression of CACNA1C to suppress immune cell infiltration and regulate the expression of checkpoint-related genes, thereby improving the overall survival of NSCLC patients.

HPLC Coupled with Chemical Fingerprinting for Multi-Pattern Recognition for Identifying the Authenticity of Clematidis Armandii Caulis.

A method for identifying Chinese medicinal materials and their related adulterants was constructed by taking Clematidis Armandii Caulis (Chuanmutong, a universally used traditional Chinese medicine) as an example. Ten batches of genuine Chuanmutong varieties and five batches of related adulterants were analyzed and compared based on the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints combined with chemometrics, including cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). In addition, the content of ß-sitosterol was determined. The control chemical fingerprint of Chuanmutong was established, and 12 common peaks were identified. The similarity between the fingerprint of 10 batches of genuine Chuanmutong varieties and the control fingerprint was 0.910-0.989, while the similarity of five batches of adulterants was only 0.133-0.720. Based on the common peaks in the chromatogram, 15 batches of samples were classified into three content levels by PCA, and were aggregated into four categories by CA, achieving a clear distinction between authentic Chuanmutong and adulterants of Chuanmutong. Further, seven differential components that can effectively identify authentic Chuanmutong and adulterants of Chuanmutong were found through OPLS-DA. The ß-sitosterol content of 10 batches of genuine Chuanmutong varieties was 97.53-161.56 µg/g, while the ß-sitosterol content of the five batches of adulterants varied greatly, among which the ß-sitosterol content of Clematis peterae Hand.-Mazz. and Clematis gouriana Roxb. Var. finetii Rehd. et Wils. was significantly lower than that of authentic varieties of Chuanmutong. The HPLC index component content and chemical fingerprint multi-pattern recognition method established in this study provide a new strategy for effectively identifying authentic Chinese medicinal materials and related adulterants.

A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials of Runzao Zhiyang Capsule in Chronic Urticaria.

Chinese herbal medicine has many advantages in the treatment of chronic urticaria (CU). Herein, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of the Runzao Zhiyang (RZZY, Chinese patent herbal medicine capsule) capsule for CU through a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). This meta-analysis included 17 RCTs involving 1,760 patients. RZZY capsule combined with conventional drugs showed a better clinical total effective rate (risk ratio (RR) = 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.15, 1.24), P < 0.00001), significantly reduced the adverse reaction rate [RR = 0.68, 95% CI (0.50, 0.92), P=0.01] and recurrence rate [RR = 0.29, 95% CI (0.18, 0.46), P < 0.00001], and improved the life quality of patients (mean difference (MD) = -2.95, 95% CI (-4.32, -1.57), P=0.0001). Meanwhile, the serum Interleukin-4 (IL-4) (MD = -13.83, 95% CI (-23.45, -4.20), P=0.005) and immunoglobulin E (IgE) (MD = -22.99, 95% CI (-31.48, -14.50), P < 0.00001) of patients in the intervention group decreased more significantly. In all, the RZZY capsule has potential therapeutic advantages and is relatively safe for CU. However, we are cautious about the conclusion, which needs to be further confirmed by more large samples, multicenter, and high-quality research in the later stage.

Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza for Ankylosing Spondylitis: Determining Potential Inflammatory Molecular Targets and Mechanism Using Network Pharmacology.

Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza (RSM) is widely used for the clinical improvement of inflammatory diseases. However, the actions of RSM in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have not been fully explored. Therefore, this study was designed to use retrospective clinical data mining approach to understand the effects of RSM on AS-related immuno-inflammatory processes, use network pharmacology to predict therapeutic targets of RSM, and to further investigate the pharmacological molecular mechanism in vitro. RSM treatment has a long-term correlation with the improvement of AS-related immuno-inflammatory indicators through computational models. We established protein-protein interaction networks, conducted KEGG analysis to enrich significant TNF pathways, and finally obtained three core targets of RSM in the treatment of AS, namely, prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Screening of RSM active ingredients with node degree greater than 20 yielded cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA, and previous studies have reported their anti-inflammatory effects. In vitro, both cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA significantly inhibited the expressions of PTGS2, IL-6, and TNF-α in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in AS patients. In conclusion, cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA, which are the active components of RSM, may inhibit the activation of TNF signaling pathway in AS patients by downregulating the expression of PTGS2, IL-6, and TNF-α. These findings illustrate that RSM may be a promising therapeutic candidate for AS, but further validation is required.