Developing an ontology of non-pharmacological treatment for emotional and mood disturbances in dementia.

Emotional and mood disturbances are common in people with dementia. Non-pharmacological interventions are beneficial for managing these disturbances. However, effectively applying these interventions, particularly in the person-centred approach, is a complex and knowledge-intensive task. Healthcare professionals need the assistance of tools to obtain all relevant information that is often buried in a vast amount of clinical data to form a holistic understanding of the person for successfully applying non-pharmacological interventions. A machine-readable knowledge model, e.g., ontology, can codify the research evidence to underpin these tools. For the first time, this study aims to develop an ontology entitled Dementia-Related Emotional And Mood Disturbance Non-Pharmacological Treatment Ontology (DREAMDNPTO). DREAMDNPTO consists of 1258 unique classes (concepts) and 70 object properties that represent relationships between these classes. It meets the requirements and quality standards for biomedical ontology. As DREAMDNPTO provides a computerisable semantic representation of knowledge specific to non-pharmacological treatment for emotional and mood disturbances in dementia, it will facilitate the application of machine learning to this particular and important health domain of emotional and mood disturbance management for people with dementia.

Developing an Instrument to Evaluate the Quality of Dementia Websites.

In today's digital era, health information, especially for conditions like dementia, is crucial. This study aims to develop an instrument, demenTia wEbsite measSurement insTrument (TEST), through four steps: identifying existing instruments, determining criteria, selecting and revising measurement statements, and validating the instrument from March to August 2020. Five health informatics experts used the content validity ratio (CVR) test for validation. Thirteen evaluators compared Fleiss Kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values across four dementia websites using TEST and another tool, DISCERN. TEST consists of seven criteria and 25 measurement statements focusing on content quality (relevance, credibility, currency) and user experience (accessibility, interactivity, attractiveness, privacy). CVR = 1 confirmed all statements as essential. The TEST demonstrated stronger consistency and assessor agreement compared to DISCERN, measured by Fleiss Kappa and ICC. Overall, it is a robust tool for reliable and user-friendly dementia resources, ensuring health holistic information accessibility.

Nucleophilic aromatization of monoterpenes from isoprene under nickel/iodine cascade catalysis.

As a large number of organic compounds possessing two isoprene units, monoterpenes and monoterpenoids play important roles in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agricultural, and food industries. In nature, monoterpenes are constructed from geranyl pyrophosphate (C10) via various transformations. Herein, the bulk C5 chemical-isoprene, is used for the creation of various monoterpenoids via a nucleophilic aromatization of monoterpenes under cascade catalysis of nickel and iodine. Drugs and oil mixtures from conifer and lemon can be convergently transformed to the desired monoterpenoid. Preliminary mechanistic studies are conducted to get insights about reaction pathway. Two types of cyclic monoterpenes can be respectively introduced onto two similar heterocycles via orthogonal C-H functionalization. And various hybrid terpenyl indoles are programmatically assembled from abundant C5 or C10 blocks. This work not only contributes a high chemo-, regio-, and redox-selective transformation of isoprene, but also provides a complementary approach for the creation of unnatural monoterpenoids.

Wet cupping with rehabilitation training for upper-limb poststroke spasticity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Upper-limb poststroke spasticity (PSS) negatively impacts on patients' quality of life. An increasing number of clinical trials have indicated that wet cupping with rehabilitation training is conductive to alleviate spastic muscle tone, thereby to improve upper-limb function. However, related evidence base is insufficient. This study systematically investigates the efficacy and safety of wet cupping with rehabilitation training on stroke patients with upper-limb spasticity. Methods: Eight separate databases and two clinical trial registries were searched from their inception to December 6, 2022. Two reviewers extracted the data and assessed the quality of the literature, independently. The mean difference (MD) or risk ratio (RR) were used as measure of effect size in meta-analysis. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was used for the certainty of evidence. Results: Eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were quantified for meta-analysis. The results indicated that in comparison with the control group, wet cupping with rehabilitation training was more effective in reducing modified Ashworth scale score (MD = -0.60, 95% CI: -0.74, -0.46; P < 0.00001) and the integral electromyography value of biceps muscle (MD = -4.71, 95% CI: -6.74, -2.67; P < 0.00001), but improving effective rate (RR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.41; P < 0.00001), Fugl-Myer Assessment score (MD = 4.84, 95% CI: 3.05, 6.64; P < 0.00001) as well as Barthel Index score (MD = 6.38, 95% CI: 2.20, 10.57; P = 0.003). However, no significant difference was found regarding the integral electromyography value of triceps muscle between groups (MD = 1.72, 95% CI: -2.05, 5.48; P = 0.37). Conclusion: Wet cupping with rehabilitation training should be included in a comprehensive therapeutic regimen for stroke patients with upper-limb spasticity. However, these results need to be further verified by more RCTs with rigorous design and large sample size.

Identification of bioactive compounds and potential mechanisms of scutellariae radix-coptidis rhizoma in the treatment of atherosclerosis by integrating network pharmacology and experimental validation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims at investigating the potential targets and functional mechanisms of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma (QLYD) against atherosclerosis (AS) through network pharmacology, molecular docking, bioinformatic analysis and experimental validation. METHODS: The compositions of QLYD were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and literature, where the main active components of QLYD and corresponding targets were identified. The potential therapeutic targets of AS were excavated using the OMIM database, DrugBank database, DisGeNET database, CTD database and GEO datasets. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of common targets was constructed and visualized by Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed to analyze the function of core targets in the PPI network. Molecular docking was carried out using AutoDockTools, AutoDock Vina, and PyMOL software to verify the correlation between the main components of QLYD and the core targets. Mouse AS model was established and the results of network pharmacology were verified by in vivo experiments. RESULTS: Totally 49 active components and 225 corresponding targets of QLYD were obtained, where 68 common targets were identified by intersecting with AS-related targets. Five hub genes including IL6, VEGFA, AKT1, TNF, and IL1B were screened from the PPI network. GO functional analysis reported that these targets had associations mainly with cellular response to oxidative stress, regulation of inflammatory response, epithelial cell apoptotic process, and blood coagulation. KEGG pathway analysis demonstrated that these targets were correlated to AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, TNF signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. Results of molecular docking indicated good binding affinity of QLYD to FOS, AKT1, and TNF. Animal experiments showed that QLYD could inhibit inflammation, improve blood lipid levels and reduce plaque area in AS mice to prevent and treat AS. CONCLUSION: QLYD may exert anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress effects through multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway to treat AS.

Stimulus-Detonated Biomimetic "Nanobomb" with Controlled Release of HSP90 Inhibitor to Disrupt Mitochondrial Function for Synergistic Gas and Photothermal Therapy.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is considered a promising treatment for tumors; however, its efficacy is restricted by heat shock proteins (HSPs). Herein, a stimuli-responsive theranostic nanoplatform (M/D@P/E-P) is designed for synergistic gas therapy and PTT. This nanoplatform is fabricated by a load of manganese carbonyl (MnCO, CO donor) in dendritic mesoporous silicon (DMS), followed by the coating with polydopamine (PDA) and loading of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG, HSP90 inhibitor). Upon near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, the photothermal effect of PDA can kill tumor cells and allow for the controlled drug release of MnCO and EGCG. Moreover, the acidity and H2 O2 -rich tumor microenvironment enable the decomposition of the released MnCO, accompanied by the production of CO. CO-initiated gas therapy can realize to disrupt the mitochondrial function, which will accelerate cell apoptosis and down-regulate HSP90 expression by decreasing intracellular ATP. The combination of EGCG and MnCO can significantly minimize the thermo-resistance of tumors and improve PTT sensitivity. In addition, the released Mn2+ enables T1 -weighted magnetic imaging of tumors. The therapeutic efficacy of the nanoplatform is methodically appraised and validated both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, this study affords a prime paradigm for applying this strategy for enhanced PTT via mitochondrial dysfunction.

[Acupuncture for prevention of moderate to severe seasonal allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture for prevention of moderate to severe seasonal allergic rhinitis. METHODS: A total of 105 patients with moderate to severe seasonal allergic rhinitis were randomly divided into an observation group (53 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a control group (52 cases, 4 cases dropped off). The patients in the observation group were treated with acupuncture at Yintang (GV 24+), Yingxiang (LI 20), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Fengchi (GB 20), Feishu (BL 13), etc. 4 weeks before the seizure period, once every other day, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. The patients in the control group were not given any intervention before the seizure period. Emergency drugs can be given appropriately during the seizure period in both groups. After seizure period, the seizure rate was recorded in the two groups; before treatment and on week 1, 2, 4, 6 of seizure period after treatment, the rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) score and total nasal symptom score (TNSS) were observed in the two groups; the rescue medication score (RMS) was recorded on week 1-6 of seizure period in the two groups. RESULTS: The seizure rate of the observation group was 84.0% (42/50), which was lower than 100.0% (48/48) in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of RQLQ and TNSS at each time point of seizure period were decreased compared with before treatment in the observation group (P<0.01), which were lower than the control group (P<0.01). The RMS score at each time point of seizure period in the observation group was lower than the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture can reduce the incidence of moderate to severe seasonal allergic rhinitis, relieve the symptoms, improve the quality of life and reduce the use of emergency drugs.

Bio-inspired Oxidative Stress Amplifier for Suppressing Cancer Metastasis and Imaging-Guided Combination Therapy.

Antioxidant-defense systems of tumor cells protect them from oxidative damage and is strongly associated with tumor metastasis. In this work, a mussel-inspired multifunctional nanomedicine (ZS-MB@P) has been designed for inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis through amplified oxidative stress and photothermal/magnetothermal/photodynamic triple-combination therapy. This nanomedicine was fabricated via loading a silica shell on the magnetic nano-octahedrons [zinc-doped magnetic Fe3O4 nano-octahedrons] by encapsulating photosensitizer methylene blue (MB) and subsequently coating polydopamine (PDA) shells as "gatekeeper." The nanomedicine could realize photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and magnetic hyperthermia after treatment with near-infrared (NIR) irradiation and applied magnetic field. Under pH and NIR stimulation, controlled amount of MB was released to produced exogenous reactive oxygen species. Noteworthy, PDA can amplify intracellular oxidative stress by depleting glutathione, thus inhibiting breast cancer metastasis effectively since oxidative stress is an important barrier to tumor metastasis. The outstanding ability to suppress tumor growth and metastasis was comprehensively assessed and validated both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the nanomedicine showed outstanding T2 magnetic resonance imaging for tracking the treatment process. Taken together, this work offers an innovative approach in the synergistic treatment of recalcitrant breast cancer.

Effects of Ziyin Qianyang Formula on Renal Fibrosis through the TGF-ß1/Smads Signaling Pathway in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

Objective: The aim of the study is to explore the effects and mechanisms of action of Ziyin Qianyang Formula (ZYQYF) on renal fibrosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Methods: Forty SHRs were randomly divided into a model group, Ziyin Qianyang Formula regular-dose and high-dose groups (ZYQYF-R, 20 g/kg; ZYQYF-H, 40 g/kg), and a western medicine group (enalapril 10 mg/kg), and 10 Sprague-Dawley rats were selected as the normal group. The rats received continuous gavage administration for 6 weeks and systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements were obtained every fortnight. The serum levels of urea, serum creatinine (sCr), and uric acid (UA) were measured; the pathological morphology and collagen content of the kidneys were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Masson staining; and the serum Ang II level was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, Smad-2, Smad-3, and Smad-7 protein and mRNA expressions in kidney tissues was evaluated by western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results: The ZYQYF-H group showed significantly a lower renal weight and renal weight/body weight than the model group. The enalapril and ZYQYF-H groups showed significantly lower SBP than other groups after 6 weeks of administration. The ZYQYF-H group showed better improvement than the ZYQYF-R and enalapril groups in glomerular and tubular morphology and better reductions in inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen volumetric fraction. The ZYQYF-H group also showed better reductions in serum UA and Ang II levels; collagen-I, collagen-III, and p-Smad2/Smad-2 protein expression; and Smad-2 mRNA expression and a better increase in Smad-7 protein and mRNA expression than the enalapril group. Besides, the degree of renal function and fibrosis improvement was positively correlated with the dose of ZYQYF. Conclusion: ZYQYF can significantly reduce SHR blood pressure, protect renal function and structure, and improve renal fibrosis by regulating Smad proteins through TGF-ß1.

Moderate potassium ferrate dosage enhances methane production from the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.

The annual increase of waste activated sludge (WAS) has become an urgent problem to be solved in sewage plants worldwide. Anaerobic digestion (AD) of WAS is an attractive choice to maximize the resource utilization rate. Nevertheless, the disintegration of sludge complex polymers is difficult, resulting in a low bioconversion rate. Potassium ferrate (PF), as a green oxidant with strong oxidizing property, has attracted great attention in WAS pretreatment recently. The effects of PF pretreatment on WAS hydrolysis and its dosage-response on methane production were investigated in the present study. Results show that as PF dosage raise from 0 to 50 g-K2FeO4/ kg-TS (total solids), the methane yield enhanced significantly by 40.3% from 0.083 to 0.12 L/g-VSadded (volatile solids). Nevertheless, the further increase in PF dosage resulted in decreased methane production. Especially with the PF dosage of 500 g-K2FeO4/ kg-TS, methane production is even slightly lower than the control reactor without PF oxidation. The mechanism analysis showed that although the dissolution of polysaccharides and proteins was enhanced with the high dosage of PF, the accompanying released humic-like substances and high concentration of ferric ions should be the main reasons inhibiting methane production.

MnO2 nanoparticles as a minimalist multimode vaccine adjuvant/delivery system to regulate antigen presenting cells for tumor immunotherapy.

In the field of tumor immunotherapy, tumor vaccines have unique advantages including fewer side effects, tumor-specificity and immune memory, and hence attract more and more attention. In the development of tumor vaccines, a critical challenge lies in the exploitation of appropriate vaccine adjuvants/delivery systems that need to meet multiple requirements to achieve potent cellular immunity while simultaneously requiring single composition to simplify the clinical translation process. Among numerous materials, only manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoparticles with rare physicochemical properties seem to meet the demanding criteria of simplicity and multifunctionality. However, the potential of MnO2 nanoparticles as vaccine adjuvants/delivery systems has not been well exploited, despite their widespread applications in the biomedical field. In this study, the mechanism and efficacy of single MnO2 nanoparticles as a minimalist multi-mode tumor vaccine adjuvant/delivery system were fully investigated by using a model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) to construct tumor vaccines OVA/MnO2. The obtained results show that MnO2 nanoparticles act as an ideal delivery system by multiple modes to deliver the antigen to the cytoplasm of dendritic cells to induce cellular immune response. Moreover, MnO2 nanoparticles also act as a superior adjuvant depot to sustainably release Mn2+ to enhance the immune response through a STING pathway in dendritic cells. Both the delivery function and the adjuvant effect of MnO2 nanoparticles contribute to improved cellular immunity and anti-tumor efficacy of tumor vaccines OVA/MnO2. From the results, MnO2 nanoparticles are found to be a promising minimalist multi-mode vaccine adjuvant/delivery system for the development of practical tumor vaccines.

Berberine inhibited carotid atherosclerosis through PI3K/AKTmTOR signaling pathway.

Atherosclerosis, a multifactorial vascular disease resulting from lipid metabolism disorders, features chronic inflammatory damage resulting from endothelial dysfunction, which usually affects multiple arteries. The carotid artery is a common site for clinical atherosclerosis evaluation. The aortic root is the standard site for quantifying atherosclerosis in mice. Due to the adverse reactions of first-line drugs, it is necessary to discover new drugs to prevent and treat atherosclerosis. Berberine (BBR) is one of the most promising natural products derived from herbal medicine Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian) that features significant anti-atherosclerosis properties. However, overall BBR mechanism against carotid atherosclerosis has not been clearly discovered. Our work aimed to investigate potential BBR mechanism in improving carotid atherosclerosis in ApoE knockout mice. Here, we proved that in ApoE -/- mice receiving high-fat diet for 12 weeks, BBR can reduce serum lipid levels, improve intimal hyperplasia, and antagonize carotid lipid accumulation, which may be achieved through regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, regulating autophagy, promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis. In summary, these data indicate that BBR can ameliorate carotid atherosclerosis. Therefore, it could be a promisingly therapeutic alternative for atherosclerosis.

Cdc25C/cdc2/cyclin B, raf/MEK/ERK and PERK/eIF2α/CHOP pathways are involved in forskolin-induced growth inhibition of MM.1S cells by G2/M arrest and mitochondrion-dependent apoptosis.

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable hematological malignancy characterized by proliferation and accumulation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Innovative and effective therapeutic approaches that are able to improve the outcome and the survival of MM sufferers, especially the identification of novel natural compounds and investigation of their anti-MM mechanisms, are needed. Here, we investigated the effects and the potential mechanisms against MM of forskolin, a diterpene derived from the medicinal plant Coleus forskohlii, in MM cell line MM.1S. CCK-8 assay showed that forskolin significantly inhibited MM.1S cells viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrated that forskolin induced G2/M phase arrest with a remarkable increase of p-cdc25c, p-cdc2, and a decrease of cyclin B1, indicating the suppression of cdc25C/cdc2/cyclin B pathway. Moreover, we found that forskolin induced mitochondrion-dependent apoptosis which was accompanied by the increase of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, Bad, Bim and Bid, the decrease of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl, the changes of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and increase of cleaved caspase-9, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. Of note, we demonstrated that forskolin induced a decrease of p-C-Raf, p-MEK, p-ERK1/2 and p-p90Rsk, and an increase of p-PERK, p-eIF2α and CHOP, which indicated that the inhibition of Raf/MEK/ERK pathway and activation of PERK/eIF2α/CHOP pathway were involved, at least partially, in forskolin-induced MM.1S cells apoptosis. These findings confirm the anti-MM action of forskolin and extend the understanding of its anti-MM mechanism in MM.1S cells, as well as reinforcing the evidence for forskolin as a natural chemotherapeutic compound against MM.

Evaluation of Mogroside V as a Promising Carrier in Drug Delivery: Improving the Bioavailability and Liver Distribution of Silybin.

The objective of this work was to investigate the capacity of mogroside V (MOG-V), a food additive, as a novel carrier to improve the bioavailability and liver distribution of silybin (SLY). Solid dispersion particles (SDPs) of SLY/MOG-V were prepared utilizing the solvent evaporation method. The physicochemical characterizations of SDPs were evaluated by using dynamic light scattering (DLS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) measurements. DLS results demonstrated the formation of nanoparticles (206 nm) of SDPs in water. DSC and PXRD analysis revealed that SLY was in amorphous form or molecularly dispersed in SDPs. SDPs also exhibited a major increase in both dissolution rate and saturation solubility, as evidenced by a 1931-fold improvement (2201 µg/mL) in solubility compared with pure SLY (1.14 µg/mL). The pharmacokinetic study in rats showed that oral absorption of SLY/MOG-V SDPs was dramatically increased. The mean value of AUC until 12 h for SLY/MOG-V SDPs (27,481 ng·min/mL) was 24.5-fold higher than that of pure SLY (1122 ng·min/mL). In vivo tissue distribution experiment in mice confirmed that the major distribution tissue was changed from lungs to liver after SLY was loaded into MOG-V. In addition, even orally administrated to mice at a high dose (4.2 g/kg), MOG-V exhibited no undesirable effect on the plasma glucose concentrations. Thus, MOG-V may have the applicability to serve as an ideal excipient for solubilization or as a novel liver targeting carrier for the delivery of SLY.

[Talking about the key factors to improve the therapeutic effect of acupuncture from "the arrival of qi ensures curative effect"].

"The arrival of qi ensures curative effect" reminds us that the key to acupuncture is "the arrival of qi ". And "arrival of qi " has the dual meanings of "qi arriving at the needles" (getting qi ) and "qi arriving at the pathogenic locations". "Qi arriving at the needles" is the starting point, the nature and strength of the arrival of qi is closely related to the efficacy; "qi arriving at the pathogenic locations" is the end point, so the speed of the qi is an important part of the final effect. This paper mainly discusses the meaning of the above two aspects and its value in improving the efficacy of acupuncture.

[Cohort Study of EGFR-TKIs Combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Single EGFR-TKIs for Advanced NSCLC (Non₋small Cell Lung Cancer)].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the curative effect of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKIs) combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) versus single EGFR-TKIs for Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A total of 59 NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation were divided (2:1) into treatment group and control group. Patients in treatment group (39 cases) take EGFR-TKIs plus TCM and control group (20 cases) take EGFR-TKIs. Analysis the progression-free survival (PFS), disease control rate (DCR) and treatment-related adverse events of two groups. RESULTS: The DCR of the treatment group and control group was 94.1% and 84.2% respectively (P=0.24). In the total population, PFS was 12.1 months in treatment group and 9.1 months in control group [hazard ratio (HR) 0.46; 95%CI 0.23-0.9; P=0.025]. Among patients with exon 19 deletion (19-del), PFS between treatment group and control group was 10.5 months and 9.5 months respectively (P=0.17). For patients with exon Leu858Arg point mutation (L858R), PFS was significantly longer with treatment group than withcontrol group (median 13.2 months vs. 7.8 months; HR 0.32, 95%CI 0.10-0.97; P=0.046). Grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events were less common withtreatment-group (8.33 %) than control group (15.00%) (P=0.65). CONCLUSION: For NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation, EGFR-TKIs combined with TCM has a certain effect to prolong PFS, especially for the patients with L858R.

Effects of Acupuncture on Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment in Chinese Gynecological Cancer Patients: A Pilot Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Among women in China, gynecological cancers are the second most common cancers after breast cancer. Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) has emerged as a significant problem affecting gynecological cancer survivors. While acupuncture has been used in different aspects of cancer care, the possible positive effects of acupuncture on cognitive impairment have received little attention. This study hypothesized that patients would demonstrate lower neurocognitive performance and lower structural connectivity compared to healthy controls. This pilot study also hypothesized that acupuncture may potentially be effective in treating CRCI of cancer patients by increasing brain structural connectivity and integrity. METHODS: This prospective cohort study consisted of 3 stages: the first stage included a group of gynecological cancer patients and a group of age-matched healthy controls. This baseline stage used a core set of neurocognitive tests to screen patients with cognitive impairment and used a multimodal approach of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to explore the possible neurobiological mechanism of cognitive impairment in cancer patients, comparing the results with a group of noncancer controls. The second stage involved assigning CRCI patients into the acupuncture intervention group, while patients without CRCI were assigned into the cancer control group. The third stage was a postintervention assessment of neurocognitive function by the same set of neurocognitive tests at baseline. To explore the possible neurobiological basis of acupuncture for treating CRCI, this study also used a multimodal MRI approach to assess changes in brain structural connectivity, and neurochemical properties in patients at pre- and postacupuncture intervention. RESULTS: This study found that the prevalence of cognitive impairment in Chinese gynecological cancer patients at diagnosis was 26.67%. When investigating the microstructural white matter in the brain, diffusion tensor imaging data in this study indicated that premorbid cognitive functioning (before clinical manifestations become evident) has already existed, as the global and local connectome properties in the entire patient group were lower than in the healthy control group. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, this study indicated there was a significant reduction of relative concentration of NAA ( N-acetyl aspartate) in the left hippocampus, comparing these results with healthy controls. Regarding the effects of acupuncture on reducing CRCI, patients in the acupuncture group reported better neurocognitive test performance after matching for age, menopausal status, cancer stage, and chemotherapy regimen dosage. On a microstructural level, acupuncture's ability to reduce CRCI may be attributed to a reduction in demyelination and an enhancement of the neuronal viability of white matter in the hippocampus. CONCLUSION: This pilot study indicates that acupuncture is a promising intervention in treating CRCI in gynecological cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy; however, it requires evaluation in larger randomized controlled studies to definitively assess its benefit. By using a multimodal imaging approach, this pilot study also provides novel insights into the neurobiological basis of cognitive impairment on the human brain that has been induced by cancer and/or its treatment.

[Effects of ShenFu Injection on Peripheral Neurotoxicity of Paclitaxel].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects and the underlying mechanisms of ShenFu Injection on paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy. METHODS: Twenty-eight adult male Wister rats were randomized into 4 groups (n=7) : control group, paclitaxel group, paclitaxel combined with low or high dose of ShenFu Injection groups. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with paclitaxel 8 mg/kg every 4 d for a total of 4 doses except control group. From Day 1 of the experiment (injection),low dose (4 mL/kg) and high dose (8 mL/kg) of Shenfu Injection were intraperitoneally injected daily in the combination groups for a total of 21 d respectively,while normal saline (NS) was injected in control group in the same way instead. Mechanical withdraw threshold (MWT) and thermal withdraw latency (TWL) of rats' hind paw were measured before (0 d) and after the first injection (6 d,14 d). The level of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the serum was measured at 22 d before the euthanasia,and the ultrastructure of the sciatic nerve was observed with transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: The MWT and TWL of 14 d in paclitaxel group significantly increased compared with those of 0 d and control group ( P<0.05). The combination of paclitaxel with ShenFu Injection,especially the high dose ( P<0.05),significantly reduced the MWT and TWL when compared to paclitaxel group at 14 d. Compared with simultaneous control group,there was no remarkably increased MWT and TWL in the low and high dose of ShenFu Injection (P>0.05) . Compared with control group,the serum NGF level significantly decreased ( P<0.05) in paclitaxel group,while the serum NGF level in low and high dose of ShenFu Injection groups were higher than paclitaxel group,particularly in the high dose group ( P<0.05). When compared to control group,the sciatic nerve fiber structure in the paclitaxel group was generally damaged,including myelin sheath swelling,fragmentation and vacuolization,endoplasmic reticulum swelling and matrix structure disorder in Schwann cells. The structural damages were mitigated in the low dose and high dose groups,especially the latter one,when compared to the paclitaxel group. CONCLUSION: Shenfu Injection can reduce the peripheral neurotoxicity of paclitaxel by promoting the expression of NGF in serum.

[A quantitative method for simultaneous assay of seven active ingredients with one marker in Scrophularia ningpoensis root].

To establish a new quantitative method for simultaneous determination of multi-components in Scrophularia root by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and validate its feasibilities．Meanwhile,using catalpol as one chemical reference substance to establish the relative correct factors and relative retention values of aucubin,harpagide,acteoside,angoroside C,harpagoside and cinnamic acid．Then using the quantitative analysis of multi-components by single-marker (QAMS)model,the six analytes can be quantitatively determined in Scrophularia root．The method was evaluated by comparison of the quantitative results to external standard method．No significant differences were observed between the quantitative results of the two methods．The obtained RCFs were credible．It is feasible and suitable to evaluate the quality of Scrophularia root.

An approach based on antioxidant fingerprint-efficacy relationship and TLC bioautography assay to quality evaluation of Rubia cordifolia from various sources.

In this work, an approach based on antioxidant fingerprint-efficacy relationships and TLC bioautography assay was developed for quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). First, chemical fingerprints of 20 batches of different sources of Rubia cordifolia were established by HPLC. The antioxidant activities of these samples were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. Then, five active components from fingerprint peaks were determined by both multiple correlation analysis and TLC bioautography assay. Similarity analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) based on these active peaks were chosen to evaluate the quality of R. cordifolia from different sources. The samples with similarities below 0.9 had poorer antioxidant activities and those having stronger activities fell into the same cluster in HCA. Finally, five batches of commercial samples were processed in the same way to verify the feasibility of this method. The results suggested that chemical fingerprinting combined with similarity analysis based on fingerprint-efficacy relationship and TLC bioautography could evaluate the antioxidant activity of R. cordifolia from various sources. The established technique would also provide an easy method of evaluating the quality of other TCMs.