Identification of Panax notoginseng origin using terahertz precision spectroscopy and neural network algorithm.

Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng), a Chinese herb containing various saponins, benefits immune system in medicines development, which from Wenshan (authentic cultivation) is often counterfeited by others for large demand and limited supply. Here, we proposed a method for identifying P. notoginseng origin combining terahertz (THz) precision spectroscopy and neural network. Based on the comparative analysis of four qualitative identification methods, we chose high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and THz spectroscopy to detect 252 samples from five origins. After classifications using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) model, we found that the performance of THz spectra was superior to that of HPLC. The underlying mechanism is that there are clear nonlinear relations among the THz spectra and the origins due to the wide spectra and multi-parameter characteristics, which makes the accuracy of five-classification origin identification up to 97.62%. This study realizes the rapid, non-destructive and accurate identification of P. notoginseng origin, providing a practical reference for herbal medicine.

Integrated database-based Screening Cohort for Asian Nomadic descendants in China (Scan-China): Insights on prospective ethnicity-focused cancer screening.

Established in 2017, the Screening Cohort for Asian Nomadic descendants in China (Scan-China) has benefited over 180,000 members of a multi-ethnic population, particularly individuals of Mongolian descent compared with the general population (Han ethnicity), in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. This cohort study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cancer screening and serve as a real-world data platform for cancer studies. The 6 most prevalent cancers in China are considered-namely, breast, lung, colorectal, gastric, liver and esophageal cancer. After baseline cancer risk assessments and screening tests, both active and passive follow-up (based on the healthcare insurance database, cancer registry, the front page of hospital medical records, and death certificates) will be conducted to trace participants' onset and progression of cancers and other prevalent chronic diseases. Scan-China has preliminarily found a disproportionately lower screening participation rate and higher incidence/mortality rates of esophageal and breast cancer among the Mongolian population than among their Han counterparts. Further research will explore the cancer burden, natural history, treatment patterns, and risk factors of the target cancers.

Intrinsic Radical Species Scavenging Activities of Tea Polyphenols Nanoparticles Block Pyroptosis in Endotoxin-Induced Sepsis.

Sepsis, a life-threating illness caused by deregulated host immune responses to infections, is characterized by overproduction of multiple reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and excessive pyroptosis, leading to high mortality. However, there is still no approved specific molecular therapy to treat sepsis. Here we reported drug-free tea polyphenols nanoparticles (TPNs) with intrinsic broad-spectrum RONS scavenging and pyroptosis-blocking activities to treat endotoxin (LPS)-induced sepsis in mice. The RONS scavenging activities originated from the polyphenols-derived structure, while the pyroptosis blockage was achieved by inhibiting gasdermin D (GSDMD) mediating the pore formation and membrane rupture, showing multifunctionalities for sepsis therapy. Notably, TPNs suppress GSDMD by inhibiting the oligomerization of GSDMD rather than the cleavage of GSDMD, thus displaying high pyroptosis-inhibition efficiency. As a result, TPNs showed an excellent therapeutic efficacy in sepsis mice model, as evidenced by survival rate improvement, hypothermia amelioration, and the organ damage protection. Collectively, TPNs present biocompatible candidates for the treatment of sepsis.

Imatinib co-loaded targeted realgar nanocrystal for synergistic therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Discovery of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has revolutionized the therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a malignant myeloproliferative disease characterized by abnormal activation of BCR-ABL fusion oncoprotein with protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity. However, the long-term treatment outcomes with TKIs are strongly limited by multiple drug resistances, resulting in relapse albeit with initial high response rate. Here, we reported a realgar (As4S4) nanocrystal-based delivery system to reverse drug resistance for synergistic CML therapy. While As4S4 is extremely insoluble in water, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was rationally screened to effectively stabilize As4S4 nanocrystal with uniformed size of ~40 nm. Imatinib (IMA), a representative TKIs, can be readily loaded into the hydrophobic domain of BSA to develop As4S4/IMA co-delivery system. Mechanistically, IMA inhibits PTK activity, while As4S4 degrades BCR-ABL1, which co-contribute to tumor suppression via complementary pathways for synergistic effect. Moreover, the nanosystem was modified with folic acid (FA) to enable tumor targetability, which has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo, resulting in robust tumor growth inhibition and significantly prolonged mice survival without any noticeable adverse effects. This work designed a synergistic nanoplatform for targeted CML therapy, provided a strategy to address the key limitation of As4S4 for biomedical applications, and highlighted the advantages of the combination between traditional Chinese and western medicine for diseases treatment.

An analytical study of drug utilization, disease progression, and adverse events among 165 COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic has lasted for nearly 4 months by this study was conducted. We aimed to describe drug utilization, disease progression, and adverse drug events of COVID-19. METHODS: A retrospective, single-center case series study enrolled 165 consecutive hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were followed up until March 25, 2020, from a designated hospital in Wuhan. Patients were grouped by a baseline degree of severity: non-severe and severe. An analytical study of drug utilization, disease progression, and adverse events (AEs) of COVID-19 was conducted. RESULTS: Of the 165 COVID-19 cases, antivirals, antibacterials, glucocorticoids, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were administered to 92.7%, 98.8%, 68.5%, and 55.2% of patients, respectively. The total kinds of drugs administered to the severe subgroup [26, interquartile range (IQR) 18-39] were 11 more than the non-severe subgroup (15, IQR 10-24), regardless of comorbidities. The 2 most common combinations of medications in the 165 cases were 'antiviral therapy + glucocorticoids + TCM' (81, 49.1%) and 'antiviral therapy + glucocorticoids' (23, 13.9%). Compared with non-severe cases, severe cases received more glucocorticoids (88.5% vs. 66.2%, P=0.02), but less TCM (50.0% vs. 63.3%, P=0.20), and suffered a higher percentage of death (34.6% vs. 7.2%, P=0.001). At the end of the follow-up, 130 (78.8%) patients had been discharged, and 24 (14.5%) died. There were 13 patients (7.9%) who had elevated liver enzymes, and 49 patients (29.7%) presented with worsening kidney function during the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Of the 165 COVID-19 patients, the fatality rate remained high (14.5%). Drug utilization for COVID-19 was diverse and generally complied with the existing guidelines. Combination regimens containing antiviral drugs might be beneficial to assist COVID-19 recovery. Additionally, liver and kidney AEs should not be ignored.

Trends and Patterns in Traditional Chinese Medicine Use Among Chinese Population in Late Adulthood: An Eight-Year Repeated Panel Survey.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), originated from China, is different from Western medicine in theory and practice. This study aimed to document the longitudinal trends and the patterns by demographical characteristics in the prevalence of TCM among the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population. This study used nationally representative longitudinal survey data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), covering approximately 20,000 individuals in each panel survey from 2011 to 2018. The questions regarding medication use in the questionnaire was used to identify the TCM users. The prevalence of using TCM for treating chronic diseases among the patients with chronic diseases stabilized between 2011 and 2018, while the prevalence of TCM use for any purpose among the overall population climbed from 19.03% (95% CI 18.37% to 19.69%) in 2011 to 23.91% (95% CI 23.23% to 24.60%) in 2015. Moreover, the prevalence of TCM use for nonchronic conditions among the overall population increased during the same period as well. The TCM users were more likely to be females and city dwellers. The increasing prevalence of TCM use for any purpose among the overall population reflects the increasing influence and potentials of TCM by year. With the expected rising demand in TCM for the following decades in China, more clinical trials on safety and healthcare policy regarding TCM are merited in the future.

Inhibitory effects of oxymatrine on hepatic stellate cells activation through TGF-ß/miR-195/Smad signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Oxymatrine (OM), a quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from a herb Sophorae Flavescentis Radix, has been used to treat liver fibrotic diseases. However, the mechanism of its anti-fibrosis effects is still unclear. TGF-ß/Smad signaling and miR-195 have been proved to paly an important role in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation and liver fibrosis. In this study, we investigated whether OM could inhibit HSCs activation through TGF-ß1/miR-195/Smads signaling or not. METHODS: First, the effects of OM on HSC-T6 in different concentrations and time points were tested by MTT assay. We choose three appropriate concentrations of OM as treatment concentrations in following experiment. By Quantitative Real-time PCR and Western Blot, then we investigated the effect of OM on miR-195, Smad7 and α-SMA's expressions to prove the correlation between OM and the TGF-ß1/miR-195/Smads signaling. Last, miR-195 mimic and INF-γ were used to investigate the relation between miR-195 and OM in HSC activation. RESULTS: Our results showed that the proliferation of HSC was significantly inhibited when OM concentration was higher than 200 µg/mL after 24 h, 100 µg/mL after 48 h and 10 µg/mL after 72 h. The IC50 of OM after 24, 48 and 72 h were 539, 454, 387 µg/mL respectively. OM could down-regulate miR-195 and α-SMA (P < 0.01), while up-regulate Smad7 (P < 0.05). In HSC-T6 cells transfected with miR-195 mimic and pretreated with OM, miR-195 and α-SMA were up-regulated (P < 0.05), and Smad7 was down-regulated (P < 0.05) . CONCLUSIONS: Given these results, OM could inhibit TGF-ß1 induced activation of HSC-T6 proliferation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner to some extent. We proved that OM inhibited HSC activation through down-regulating the expression of miR-195 and up-regulating Smad7.

The Pharmacokinetics of Morphine and Codeine in Human Plasma and Urine after Oral Administration of Qiangli Pipa Syrup.

Papaveris pericarpium, a natural source of morphine and codeine, is the principal active component in many antitussive traditional Chinese medicines. We herein report the first PK study of papaveris pericarpium in human plasma and urine following oral administration of single (15, 30, 60 mL) and multiple dose (15 mL) of Qiangli Pipa Syrup (MOR 0.1 mg/mL, COD 0.028 mg/mL) by monitoring morphine and codeine using a HPLC-MS/MS method. Their Tmax and t1/2 values are independent of dosages, while the AUC0-t linearly increased with higher dosages, indicating linear PK characteristics. AUC0-t increased obviously after multiple doses, indicating possible risk of accumulative toxicity. Urine studies suggested risks of positive opiate drug tests with a cutoff of 300 ng/mL, which lasted 6-14 h at different doses. These results provide important information for clinical safety, efficacy and rational drug use of Qiangli Pipa Syrup and also guide the related judicial expertise of its administration.

[Research progress on chemical compounds and pharmacological effects of Caesalpinia].

Consult literature, the chemical composition of the type of system Caesalpinia plants were summarized and discussed in detail its pharmacological effects. The genus contains major chemical components of high isoflavones, chalcones and diterpenoids, pharmacological effects inhibit melanin production, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, immune regulation, and further research in this genus offer reference.

Prevalence, awareness and treatment of chronic kidney disease among middle-aged and elderly: The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

AIM: To provide reliable estimates of the prevalence, awareness, and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and their distribution and related influencing factors in middle-aged and elderly population in China. METHODS: A cross-sessional survey called the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) was conducted in 2011-2012 in Chinese people aged 45 years or older. This was to evaluate the prevalence of CKD, disease awareness compared to other chronic diseases in the population, and whether they were being treated for their CKD. Estimated GFR (eGFR) was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration eGFR creatinine-cystatin C (eGFRcreat-cys) equation. CKD was defined as eGFR less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) . Multivariable logistic regressions were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for the risk factors. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of CKD was 11.5% (95%CI: 10.1% ∼ 12.8%). It was higher in urban than rural population (13.0% vs 10.0%, P < 0.05). Among all patients with CKD, only 8.7% were aware of the diagnosis. 4.9% of the patients were receiving treatment. The proportion of those aware of their condition and those who were treated decreased with age in both sexes. Of those aware (8.9%), 55.9% were treated. 31.4% of the treated patients took Chinese traditional medicine. CONCLUSIONS: There is a surprising prevalence of CKD in the Chinese middle-aged and elderly population, with disproportionately low awareness and treatment. A comprehensive strategy toward prevention, screening, treatment and control of CKD is needed to slow the epidemic of CKD.

The changes of nutrition labeling of packaged food in Hangzhou in China during 2008-2010.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the changes of the nutrition labeling of packaged food in China two years after the promulgation of the Regulation for Food Nutrition Labeling, which encourages food manufacturers to identify nutrition labeling. METHODS: Investigators copied out the nutrition information panel, nutrition claim and nutrient function claim of packaged food in a supermarket with prepared questionnaire and finished normative judgment in 2008 and 2010. RESULTS: 4693 and 5526 kinds of packaged food were investigated separately. Nutrition information panel, nutrition claim and nutrient function claim were found on the food label of 27.6%, 13.0% and 1.9% of packaged food respectively in 2008, while 35.1%, 7.7% and 2.3% in 2010. The nutrition information panel which labeled energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate and sodium was 597 (43.8%) and 1661 (85.9%) in 2008 and 2010, only 134 (9.8%) and 985 (51.0%) nutrition information panel were totally normalized. Nutrition claim and nutrient function claim focused on vitamin, mineral and dietary fiber. The total qualified proportions for nutrition claim were increased significantly for most of the nutrients, except for cholesterol. There were 6 (6.4%) and 5 (3.9%) nutrient function claims with hinting of therapeutic effects on diseases separately. CONCLUSION: Although the voluntary regulation remarkably improved the level of normalization for nutrition labeling, its role on the prevalence was minus. It's imperative to enforce nutrition labeling for not only China but also other countries, and furthermore, health education on nutrition labeling should be initiated to support the policy.

[Study on knowledge, attitudes and use of the pre-packaged food nutrition labeling in Hangzhou supermarket consumers in 2010].

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence rates of knowledge, attitudes and use of the nutrition labeling and related influential factors in Hangzhou supermarket consumers. METHODS: Using a self-developed survey questionnaire, randomly selected customers were conducted a face-to-face interview program in a large supermarket of Hangzhou city. RESULTS: 586 people were interviewed, including 202 males and 384 females, with the mean age as 41.6 ± 17.23 years. The accuracy rates of 6 questions related to the 'ability of choosing healthier food by using the Nutrition Facts Labels' were as follows: dietary fiber (71.84%), fat (70.99%), calcium (60.75%), salt (58.36%), energy (50.85%) and sugar (39.42%). The support rates of the three attitudes indicators were "support marking the Nutrition Facts Label" (90.44%), "support marking the nutrition claims" (87.03%) and "want to know more relative knowledge" (77.13%). There were 58.36% and 80.03% first-time buyers who would read the Nutrition Facts Food Labels and the Nutrition Claims. Through logistic model analysis, male, youth, low-educated people were found to be the risk factors related to the nutrition label reading behavior. CONCLUSION: The capacity of the reading, understanding and correct application of nutrition labeling among consumers was not satisfactory. Improvement on the readability and the authority of nutrition labeling and the development of the national nutrition knowledge and health education programs were in urgent needs.