The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides Sieb. et. Zucc (Rutaceae): an important medicinal plant.

Zanthoxylum ailanthoides is a deciduous tree, with important medicinal and economic values. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Z. ailanthoides was assembled and the phylogenetic relationship to other species was inferred in this study. The chloroplast genome is 157,209 bp in length, including two inverted repeats of 26,408 bp, a large single-copy of 86,099 bp and a small single copy of 18,294 bp. Moreover, the chloroplast genome contains 129 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome is 38.4%. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that Z. ailanthoides was grouped with a clade containing the species of Z. multijugum, Z. calcicola, Z. oxyphyllum, Z. stenophyllum, and the genus was closely related to Phellodendron. This study contributes to a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships among Zanthoxylum species.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the anti-tumor effects of Paeoniae Radix Rubra in animal models.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Paeoniae Radix Rubra (PRR) is the dried root of Paeonia lactiflora Pall, which has been widely used to anti-thrombotic, lipid-lowering, anti-spasmodic, antioxidant, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, and anti-tumor in Chinese clinical practice. Recent research has demonstrated that PRR plays a significant anti-tumor role in animal models of tumor-bearing. AIM OF THE STUDY: There has not been the evaluation of the anti-tumor effects of PRR. This study conducts a meta-analysis to assess the anti-tumor efficacy of PRR on animal models, providing scientific evidence for clinical application of PRR in the adjuvant therapy of tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: English databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science) and Chinese databases (CNKI, WanFang, SinoMed, CTSJ-VIP) were used to search all pertinent animal studies investigating the anti-tumor effects of PRR and its extracts. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the SYRCLE animal experiment risk assessment tool, and statistical analysis was carried out using Revman 5.3 software. Egger's test and funnel plots were used to assess potential publication bias in the studies. RESULTS: The initial search produced a total of 3905 potentially pertinent studies, and 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies included animal tumor models of hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, sarcoma, bladder cancer, leukemia, colon cancer, glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer. The meta-analysis findings demonstrated that both PRR and its extracts significantly inhibited tumor growth in animals. Compared with the control group, PRR substantively inhibited tumor volume (SMD, -3.09; 95% CI, [-4.05, -2.13]; P < 0.0001), reduced tumor weight (SMD, -1.08; 95% CI, [-1.37, -0.78]; P < 0.0001), decreased tumor number (SMD, -2.16; 95% CI, [-3.45, -0.86]; P = 0.001), and prolonged the survival duration time (SMD, 0.97; 95% CI, [0.23, 1.71]; P = 0.01) on the experimental animals. CONCLUSIONS: PRR displayed a potential therapeutic efficacy on eight tumors in animal models including hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, sarcoma, bladder cancer, leukemia, colon cancer, glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer. However, the quality and quantity of included studies may affect the accuracy of positive results. In the future, more high-quality randomized controlled animal experiments are need for meta-analysis.

[Saikosaponin D regulates apoptosis and autophagy of pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells via Akt/mTOR pathway].

This study aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of saikosaponin D on the proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy of pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells. The cell counting kit(CCK-8) was used to examine the effects of 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, and 28 µmol·L~(-1) saikosaponin D on the proliferation of Panc-1 cells. Three groups including the control(0 µmol·L~(-1)), low-concentration(10 µmol·L~(-1)) saikosaponin D, and high-concentration(16 µmol·L~(-1)) saikosaponin D groups were designed. The colony formation assay was employed to measure the effect of saikosaponin D on the colony formation rate of Panc-1 cells. The cells treated with saikosaponin D were stained with hematoxylin-eosin(HE), and the changes of cell morphology were observed. Hoechst 33258 fluorescent staining was used to detect the effect of saikosaponin D on the cell apoptosis. The autophagy staining assay kit with MDC was used to examine the effect of saikosaponin D on the autophagy of Panc-1 cells. Western blot and immunocytochemistry(ICC) were employed to examine the effect of saikosaponin D on the expression levels and distribution of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3(caspase-3), cleaved caspase-3, autophagy-associated protein Beclin1, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3), protein kinase B(Akt), phosphorylated protein kinase B(p-Akt), mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR), and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin(p-mTOR). The results showed that compared with the control group, saikosaponin D decreased the proliferation rate of Panc-1 cells in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. The colony formation rate of the cells significantly decreased after saikosaponin D treatment. Compared with the control group, the cells treated with saikosaponin D became small, accompanied by the formation of apoptotic bodies. The saikosaponin D groups showed increased apoptosis rate and autophagic vesicle accumulation. Compared with the control group, saikosaponin D up-regulated the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase3, Beclin1, LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2, caspase-3, p-Akt/Akt, and p-mTOR/mTOR. In addition, these proteins mainly existed in the cytoplasm. In conclusion, saikosaponin D can inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis and autophagy of Panc-1 cells via inhibiting the Akt/mTOR pathway.

[Improvement of solubility of epimedium flavonoid secondary glycoside components by traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides and its mechanism].

The poor solubility of insoluble components of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is an important factor restricting the development of its preparations. Natural polysaccharides of TCM can be used as functional components to increase the solubility of insoluble components. Epimedium flavonoid secondary glycoside components(EFSGC) have been shown to have positive effects on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, but they exhibit poor solubility. Therefore, the strategy of solubilizing EFSGC with TCM polysaccharides was adopted, and its effect on the permeability and stability of EFSGC was evaluated in this study. Based on the equilibrium solubility experiment of EFSGC, it was found that Panax notoginseng crude polysaccharide(PNCP) had the best solubilization effect on EFSGC among the ten kinds of TCM polysaccharides, which increased the solubility of EFSGC from 0.8 mg·mL~(-1) to 13.3 mg·mL~(-1). It should be noted that after the solubilization of EFSGC by preparation technology, the effects on permeability and stability should be considered. Therefore, this study also investigated these two properties. The results showed that PNCP increased the effective transmittance of EFSGC from 50.5% to 71.1%, which could increase the permeability of EFSGC significantly. At the same time, it could improve the stability of EFSGC in the simulated gastric juice environment. In order to explain the solubilization mechanism of PNCP on EGSGC, critical micelle concentration, particle size, potential, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy were analyzed. It was preliminarily inferred that the mechanism was as follows: PNCP and EFSGC could self-assemble into aggregates for solubilization by intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction in water. In summary, PNCP can not only improve the solubility of EFSGC but also improve its permeability and stability. This study lays the foundation for the application of TCM polysaccharides as a functional component to solubilize insoluble components.

Research trends of acupuncture therapy on stress urinary incontinence from 1992 to 2022: A bibliometric analysis.

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), the most prevalent type of urinary incontinence disorder, has aroused increasing attention among societies since it has caused much inconvenience in daily life. In addition to conventional conservative treatments like medication and pelvic floor muscle training, acupuncture is now frequently advised. However, a bibliometric analysis of the trend of SUI therapies is still lacking. Objectives: This article was carried out using CiteSpace (6.3.1) software to research the use of acupuncture therapy on SUI worldwide over the past 30 years (since the database's inception). Methods: All related articles included were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace (6.3.1) software was used to analyze the number of publications, countries and institutions, authors and cited authors, and burst keywords to assess the hotspots and trends over the previous three decades. And Microsoft Office Excel 2019 was also used for sorting data and generating tables. Results: The articles were retrieved on August 31, 2022. A total of 108 records with publication dates ranging from 1992 to 2022 were discovered. The annual number of publications generally increased. In the aspect of publication regions, the USA ranked first in centrality, but China had the largest number of publications. The China Academic of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were the top 3 institutions, according to the institution map. Liu Z (Liu ZS) was the most productive author, and Chen Y ranked first in the centrality. The article published by Liu Z (Liu ZS) in 2017 was the most cited reference. "Bladder neck suspension", "electrical stimulation" and "acupuncture" were popular therapies mentioned among the top ten hot topics. The keywords "therapy", "postprostatectomy incontinence", "muscle", "cell therapy", and "symptom" ranked in the top five on citation burst. The four frontier topics were "efficacy", "symptom", "cell therapy", and "medical technology". Conclusion: This study illustrated that the application of acupuncture on SUI had an increasing acceptance worldwide. Recent research has concentrated mainly on acupuncture and electroacupuncture, however, there is still not enough literature on these topics. The valuable information was provided for acupuncture researchers to identify prospects including potential collaborators, cooperation institutions, hot themes, and research frontiers.

Exploring the bidirectional relationship between pain and mental disorders: a comprehensive Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: The close relationship between pain and mental health problems is well-known, and psychological intervention can provide an effective alternative to medication-based pain relief. However, previous studies on the connection between pain and psychological problems, the findings thus far have been inconclusive, limiting the potential for translating psychological interventions into clinical practice. To complement the gap, this study utilized genetic data and Mendelian randomization (MR) to examine the potential relationship between pain in different parts and common mental disorders. METHODS: Based on the instrumental variables selected from the Genome-wide association study summary statistics of localized pain and mental disorders, we conducted bidirectional two-sample MR analyses to infer bidirectional causal associations between pain and mental disorders. The inverse-variance weighted MR method and MR-Egger were used as the primary statistical method according to the horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity level. We reported the odds ratio to infer the causal effect between pain and mental disorders. F statistic was calculated to measure the statistical efficacy of the analyses. RESULTS: Insomnia is causally related to the genetic susceptibility of multisite pain including head (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.06-1.12), neck/shoulder (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07-1.16), back (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07-1.18) and hip (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05-1.10). Reversely, headache (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.05-1.24), neck/shoulder pain (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.03-3.68), back pain (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.22-1.60), and hip pain (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.18-4.45) promote the genetic liability of insomnia. Depression is strongly associated with the predisposition of multisite pain including headache (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.08-1.52), neck/shoulder pain (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.16-1.50), back pain (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.10-1.66) and stomach/abdominal pain (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.05-1.25), while headache (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03-1.08), neck/shoulder (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.17), back (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03-1.14), and stomach/abdominal pain (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.11-1.26) are predisposing factors for depression. Additionally, insomnia is associated with the predisposition of facial, stomach/abdominal, and knee pain, anxiety was associated with the predisposition of neck/shoulder and back pain, while the susceptibilities of hip and facial pain are influenced by depression, but these associations were unidirectional. CONCLUSIONS: Our results enhance the understanding of the complex interplay between pain and mental health and highlight the importance of a holistic approach to pain management that addresses both physical and psychological factors.

Phytochemical consumption and the risk of teratozoospermia: findings from a hospital-based case-control study in China.

STUDY QUESTION: Are dietary phytochemicals associated with the risk of teratozoospermia? SUMMARY ANSWER: Dietary intake of carotene, including total carotene, α-carotene, ß-carotene as well as retinol equivalent, and lutein + zeaxanthin, were inversely correlated with the risk of teratozoospermia. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Phytochemicals are natural plant derived bioactive compounds, which have been reported to be potentially associated with male reproductive health. To date, no study has investigated the association between phytochemical intake and the risk of teratozoospermia. STUDY DESIGN SIZE DURATION: This hospital-based case-control study, which included 146 newly diagnosed teratozoospermia cases and 581 controls with normozoospermia from infertile couples, was conducted in a hospital-based infertility clinic in China, from June 2020 to December 2020. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS SETTING METHODS: Dietary information was collected using a validated semi-quantitative 110-item food frequency questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression was applied to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between phytochemical (i.e. phytosterol, carotene, flavonoid, isoflavone, anthocyanidin, lutein + zeaxanthin, and resveratrol) intake and the risk of teratozoospermia. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: We observed a decreased risk of teratozoospermia for the highest compared with the lowest tertile consumption of total carotene (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.21-0.77), α-carotene (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.30-0.93), ß-carotene (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.25-0.88), retinol equivalent (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.24-0.90), and lutein + zeaxanthin (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.19-0.66), with all of the associations showing evident linear trends (all P trend <0.05). In addition, significant dose-response associations were observed between campestanol and α-carotene consumption and the risk of teratozoospermia. Moreover, there was a significant multiplicative interaction between BMI and lutein + zeaxanthin intake (P interaction <0.05). LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION: The cases and controls were not a random sample of the entire target population, which could lead to admission rate bias. Nevertheless, the controls were enrolled from the same infertility clinic, which could reduce the bias caused by selection and increase the comparability. Furthermore, our study only included a Chinese population, therefore caution is required regarding generalization of our findings to other populations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Dietary phytochemicals, namely carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, might exert a positive effect on teratozoospermia. These phytochemicals are common in the daily diet and dietary supplements, and thus may provide a preventive intervention for teratozoospermia. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This study was funded by Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (No. 2022-MS-219 to X.B.W.), Outstanding Scientific Fund of Shengjing Hospital (No. M1150 to Q.J.W.), Clinical Research Cultivation Project of Shengjing Hospital (No. M0071 to B.C.P.), and JieBangGuaShuai Project of Liaoning Province (No. 2021JH1/1040050 to Y.H.Z.). All authors declared that there was no conflict of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Magnesium transporter CsMGT10 of tea plants plays a key role in chlorosis leaf vein greening.

Magnesium (Mg2+), as the central atom of chlorophyll, is the most abundant divalent cation for plant growth and development in living cells. MRS2/MGT magnesium transporters play important roles in coping with magnesium stress, chloroplast development and photosynthesis. However, the molecular mechanism of MGT influencing tea plant leaf vein color remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that CsMGT10 may be a potential transporter influencing leaf vein color. CsMGT10 belongs to Clade A member of MRS2/MGT family. CsMGT10 has the highest expression level in leaves of tea plants. And it is mainly expressed in aboveground parts, especially in vascular bundles. Moreover, CsMGT10 localizes to the chloroplast envelope of tea plants with a high affinity to Mg2+. And the GMN motif is required for its magnesium transport function. Ectopic expression of CsMGT10 in Arabidopsis leaf variegation mutant var5-1 can restore green color of chlorosis leaf veins, and the contents of chlorophyll and carotenoid change significantly, proving its essential role in leaf vein greening. Furthermore, the chlorophyll and carotenoid of tea leaves treated with CsMGT10 antisense oligonucleotides also decrease significantly. Our findings indicate that CsMGT10 mainly acts as Mg2+ transporter in chloroplast envelope of leaf veins, which may play a key role in leaf vein greening of tea plants.

Efficacy of Naprapathy in Brachial Plexus Injury: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Clinical rehabilitation for brachial plexus injury is difficult in terms of chronic pain and dysfunction. Physiotherapy is considered a routine intervention for rehabilitation. Common physical therapy may require a variety of instruments. One approach that does not need instruments, but belongs to the field of complementary and alternative medicine, is naprapathy. Naprapathy, also called Tuina in China, has been applied in rehabilitation after brachial plexus injury for a long time. Naprapathy can relieve chronic neuropathic pain, promote local blood circulation, and improve body edema. Naprapathy can passively help improve motor functions in patients with peripheral nerve injury. However, the efficacy of naprapathy in improving rehabilitation after brachial plexus injury is unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the additional value of naprapathy when combined with conventional physical therapy for the treatment of brachial plexus injury. METHODS: This will be a single-center randomized controlled trial. A total of 116 eligible patients with brachial plexus injury will be randomly divided into an experimental group (naprapathy plus physical therapy group) or a control group (physical therapy group). The participants will be followed up for 4 weeks of treatment. Observation outcomes will include the visual analog scale score, upper limb index, electromyography findings, and adverse reactions, among others. The measuring points for outcomes will be the baseline and the completion of treatment. In addition, a quality control group independent from the research team will be set up to control the quality of the trial. Finally, the data will be analyzed using SPSS software (version 21.0; IBM Corp). RESULTS: The study is recruiting participants. The first participant was enrolled in September 2021. As of January 2023, a total of 100 participants have been enrolled. The trial is expected to be completed by September 2023. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Yue Yang Hospital affiliated with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2021-012). CONCLUSIONS: One limitation of this trial is that we will be unable to achieve strict double-blinding because of the features of naprapathy. The trial aims to contribute reliable evidence for decision-making in naprapathy for treating brachial plexus injury. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100043515; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=122154. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/46054.

The Efficacy of Electroacupuncture in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study aims to evaluate the comparative efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) and analgesics in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and provide evidence-based medical support for EA for the treatment of KOA. Randomized controlled trials from January 2012 to December 2021 are included in electronic databases. The Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials is used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies, while the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation is used to assess the quality of evidence. Statistical analyses are performed using Review Manager V5.4. There are 1616 patients from 20 clinical studies, including 849 patients in the treatment group and 767 patients in the control group. The effective rate in the treatment group is significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.00001). In the treatment group, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) stiffness scores are significantly improved as compared to the control group (p < 0.0001). However, EA is similar to analgesics in improving visual analog scale scores and WOMAC subitems such as pain and joint function. EA is effective in treating KOA because it can significantly improve clinical symptoms and quality of life in KOA patients.

[Substitution mode of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials and research strategy of multi-component replacement].

Rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials are the material basis for innovation and development of Chinese medicinal materials and their curative effects are remarkable. However, the resources are in shortage due to various man-made or natural factors such as rising demand, overexploitation and environmental degradation. Therefore, finding alternatives is a feasible and effective solution. This study systematically sorted out the list of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials, and combed relevant policies and regulations. According to existing research, the substitution model of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials was constructed from the theoretical level. In view of the slow search for substitutes, the failure to follow the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine in the process of research and development, the difficulty in breaking through technologies and the incomplete guarantee of the clinical efficacy of substitutes, a multi-component replacement was proposed to replace the originals with more effective components from a wide range of sources. This study was expected to promote the study on the substitutes of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials to step into a new stage.

Thalamic pathways mediating motor and non-motor symptoms in a Parkinson's disease model.

In a recent study, Zhang, Roy, and colleagues have shown that neurons in the parafascicular (PF) thalamus project to three distinct neural structures in the basal ganglia. The neural circuits identified in the study were associated with specific motor and non-motor symptoms in a Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse model. The findings provide potential actionable therapeutic targets for this disease.

Substitution mode of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials and research strategy of multi-component replacement / 中国中药杂志

Rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials are the material basis for innovation and development of Chinese medicinal materials and their curative effects are remarkable. However, the resources are in shortage due to various man-made or natural factors such as rising demand, overexploitation and environmental degradation. Therefore, finding alternatives is a feasible and effective solution. This study systematically sorted out the list of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials, and combed relevant policies and regulations. According to existing research, the substitution model of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials was constructed from the theoretical level. In view of the slow search for substitutes, the failure to follow the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine in the process of research and development, the difficulty in breaking through technologies and the incomplete guarantee of the clinical efficacy of substitutes, a multi-component replacement was proposed to replace the originals with more effective components from a wide range of sources. This study was expected to promote the study on the substitutes of rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials to step into a new stage.

[Research progress and innovation of drug delivery devices based on children's multidimensional demand for medication].

Pediatric medication in China is characterized by a lack of child-specific drugs and insufficient types, specifications, dosage forms, and delivery devices. In recent years, new dosage forms with good compliance, such as inhalation preparation, rectal delivery system, and transdermal delivery system, have attracted more attention in pediatric medication. Because of the physiological characteristics of delicate viscera, difference in swallowing ability and psychological characteristics of fear of pain and aversion to bitter taste, it is particularly important to select suitable drug delivery route and drug delivery device according to children's physiological characteristics. With the help of the special drug delivery devices, traditional Chinese medicine and innovative Chinese medicine can be administered according to the expected design path, and drug delivery devices can ensure the accurate dose and improve the complia-nce to achieve the purpose of effective and safe drug delivery. It is also a way to realize the re-innovation of traditional Chinese medicine. The present study summarized the research progress in drug delivery devices for common drug delivery routes and new drug deli-very routes, put forward the innovative design idea of children's drug delivery devices according to the special needs of children, poin-ted out the compatibility of drug delivery devices and other problems in the current development, and prospected the application of intelligent information technology and additive manufacturing technology in drug delivery device innovation. This is expected to provide references for the development of innovative drugs and drug delivery devices suitable for children's multidimensional demand for medication.

[Development strategy and current situation of Chinese patent medicine for children in China].

This study took the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia(ChP) and the 2018 edition of National Essential Drug List(NEDL) for children as research carriers to systematically analyze the current situation of and problems in the use of Chinese patent medicine for children(CPMC) in China. In view of the problems of imprecise dosage, incomplete safety information, and lack of sui-table varieties, dosage form and specification of CPMC in China, development strategy of CPMC in the future was proposed. It is reco-mmended to carry out systematic post-marketing revaluation studies of CPMC, encourage the development of new varieties or new dosa-ge forms suitable for children, advocate the continuous promotion of real-world studies on children, and expand the information on the use of CPMC with real-world data, so as to lay the foundation for post-marketing revaluation of CPMC and guide the rational use of clini-cal medicines. This study was expected to build a positive policy ecosystem to ensure the supply of CPMC, and promote the high-quality development of CPMC.

[Technical system, strategy and development trend of excipient innovation research for pediatric preparations].

Under the background of the "14th Five-Year Plan" industry development, the pharmaceutical industry has ushered in a critical period of strategic transformation. Pharmaceutical excipients are a major categoryin drugs in addition tomedicinal substances, and the research and development of industrial technologies and innovative products play a decisive role in the development of high-quality drugs. The special drug for children is the focus ofthe pharmaceutical industry in the new era, and the application of standar-dized excipients is a key step indistinguishingbetween adult drugs and special drugs for children. In the context of the policy background in China, this paper reviewed the status quo of excipient industry, technical bottlenecks, application problems of pediatric excipients, and their development hotspots, interpreted the strategic layout of excipient innovation research and development suitable for pediatric preparations, and put forward prospects for their future development technicalroutes to lay a solid foundation for the industry transformation.

[Key techniques for granulation and flavor masking of innovative Chinese medicinal preparations for children: a review].

There are many kinds of pharmaceutical preparations for children in China, which are generally divided into oral solid preparations and oral liquid preparations. Solid preparations, such as microtablets, pellets, dispersible tablets, and fine granules, have become the development trend of pediatric drugs. Liquid preparations mainly include syrup, suspension, oral solution, and drops. The poor taste and the treatment of drugs in children of different ages are the key factors affecting the efficacy, safety, and compliance of pediatric drugs. To reduce the risk caused by the fluctuation of blood concentration and improve the oral compliance of pediatric drugs, it is urgent to develop new techniques for granulation and flavor maskingto improve the poor taste of solid preparations. For liquid pre-parations with poor taste, the flavor correction technique should be used. This paper summarized the new pharmaceutical techniques for granulation and flavor masking, and it was found that sustained/controlled-releasegranules, fine granules, and chewing solid mini-tablets became the mainstream of oral solid preparations for children. Generally, multiparticle preparation, coating, microencapsulation, and other granulating techniques were involved in these preparations. Granulation and flavor masking are closely related and synergetic. Flavor masking techniques mask the bitter taste of Chinese medicine from four aspects, including confusing the brain taste, changing the compounds, reducing the exposure of bitter molecules to bitter receptors in the mouth, and numbing the taste cells to increase the threshold of bitter perception. At present, the main drugs for children on the market mainly inhibit the oral release of bitter drugs.

[Pharmacodynamic substances and mechanism of action of Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules in treatment of acute upper respiratory tract infection in children].

This study aimed to forecast the main active components of Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules(XECQ) in the treatment of children with acute upper respiratory tract infection by UPLC-MS, network pharmacology, molecular docking and cell biology, and explore the mechanism of action, so as to provide certain reference for the research on its pharmacodynamics substances and mechanism of action. The main chemical components of XECQ were comprehensively analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with UNIFI platform. According to the MS1 and MS2 data of XECQ, comparison and identification were carried out in combination with reference substances and reference articles. On this basis, the chemical components of XECQ were targeted and enriched by network pharmacology, to screen the main pharmacodynamic substances of XECQ in the treatment of acute upper respiratory tract infection in children and discuss the mechanism of action. In addition, the binding degree of core targets and main active components was verified by molecular docking. The results revealed that 202 compounds were identified from XECQ, among which 22 were the main active components, including obovatol, dihydroartemisinin, and longikaurin A. Enrichment analysis of the key target pathways showed that XECQ played its role in the treatment of children with acute upper respiratory tract infection mainly by regulating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway. In the experimental verification by Western Blot(WB), it was found that XECQ significantly inhibited the expression of PI3K and Akt, which was consistent with the prediction results of network pharmacology. In conclusion, the potential pharmacodynamic substances of XECQ were obovatol, dihydroartemisinin, longikaurin A and other 19 active components. It treated children with acute upper respiratory tract infection by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

[Digestive properties of flavonoid components in Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules in simulated infant gastrointestinal environment].

This study aimed to elucidate the digestive characteristics of flavonoid components in Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules(XECQ) in the gastrointestinal environment of infants. An in vitro model was established to simulate the gastric and intestinal environment of infants. UPLC was used to analyze the content change of flavonoid components in XECQ, and their overall content was integrated through the mass fraction weight coefficient method. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was employed to determine the digestive products of flavonoid components in gastrointestinal fluids and their metabolic pathways. The results showed that in the process of digestion, 11 digestion products were generated by oxidation, reduction, deglycosylation, methylation and other phase Ⅰ metabolism. From flavonoid content and component changes, it was found that the flavonoid components in XECQ were relatively stable in the gastric fluid, while their content in the intestinal fluid was first increased and then maintained stable. This was mainly because flavonoid components were released from proteins, polysaccharides and other macromolecular substances during gastrointestinal digestion. In addition, phase Ⅰ metabolism occurred, but with relatively low metabolic rate, resulting in their stable content. This study preliminarily explored the digestive characteristics of flavonoid components in XECQ in the infant gastrointestinal environment, which laid a foundation for further studying the absorption, transport and metabolism of pharmacodynamics components in XECQ, and facilitated the study of the biopharmaceutical pro-perties of pediatric Chinese medicine.

[Optimization and evaluation of Xiaoer Pudilan Xiaoyan Syrup based on characterization of material properties].

According to the taste analysis of Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid, the unpleasant taste of the oral liquid is mainly caused by the inherent taste of Chinese medicine and the taste introduced in the preparation process, which leads to its unpopularity among children. Therefore, aiming at the special children patient group, Xiaoer Pudilan Xiaoyan Syrup was developed via technology optimization and dosage form improvement to improve the unpleasant taste and enhance the medication compliance among children. Based on the material properties of Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid and Xiaoer Pudilan Xiaoyan Syrup extracts, the authors compared the properties(pH, density, turbidity, viscosity, chromaticity, particle size), taste, content of five quality markers and in vivo pharmacokinetic characteristics of these two preparations, to evaluate the suitability of Xiaoer Pudilan Xiaoyan Syrup. The results showed that compared with those of Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid, the pH, density, turbidity, viscosity and chromaticity of Xiaoer Pudilan Xiaoyan Syrup were significantly changed, and the unpleasant taste was reduced by 26%; the transfer rate of the main active ingredients chicoric acid was increased, while the transfer rate of baicalin had small difference from that of the oral liquid. In addition, pharmacokinetics revealed that the total absorption amount of baicalin in vivo was higher, and the time to peak T_(max) of baicalin and oroxindin in the syrup and the mean residence time MRT_(last )of corynoline in vivo were significantly prolonged. The absorption degree of Xiaoer Pudilan Xiaoyan Syrup and Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid in the body was the same: baicalin>oroxindin>corynoline. The new dosage form process was simpler than that of the original dosage form, safe, environmentally friendly, reasonable and feasible, meeting the mass production demand. This provided a basis for the reasonable and scientific optimization of Xiaoer Pudilan Xiaoyan Syrup, and also laid a foundation for its further safe and rational use, so as to expand the clinical application in children.