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BACKGROUND: We aim to investigate the effect of YiQi GuBen formula (YQGB) on airway inflammation and airway remodeling in the ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma model to further explore the potential mechanisms of YQGB in treating allergic asthma. METHODS: Mice were divided into five groups randomly (n = 10): the control group, OVA group, OVA + Dex (0.1 mg/kg) group, OVA + low-dose (1.1 g/kg) YQGB group, and OVA + high-dose (2.2 g/kg) YQGB group. Inflammatory cell count and IgE were detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Lung tissue histopathology was observed by using H&E, PAS, Masson, and immunohistochemistry staining. qRT-PCR and western blot were applied to analyze key genes and proteins associated with TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathways. RESULTS: In OVA-induced asthma mice, YQGB decreased eosinophils and IgE in BALF. YQGB alleviated the OVA-induced inflammatory infiltration and declined IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, Eotaxin, ECP, GM-CSF, LTC4, and LTD4. YQGB attenuated the OVA-induced goblet cell metaplasia and mucus hypersecretion. YQGB mitigated the OVA-induced subepithelial fibrosis and lowered TGF-ß1, E-Cadherin, Vimentin, and Fibronectin. YQGB ameliorated the OVA-induced airway smooth muscle thickening and lessened α-SMA and PDGF levels. YQGB reduced the expression of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, IκBα, and p65 mRNAs, and IκBα and p-p65 protein levels were also reduced. CONCLUSION: YQGB exhibits the anti-asthma effect by reducing airway inflammation and airway remodeling through suppressing TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, and is worth promoting clinically.
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Growing evidence suggests that maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy may be associated with the risk of childhood asthma, but these findings remain controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the association between maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and the risk of childhood asthma, and to determine the safe dose of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy based on a dose-response analysis to lower the risk of childhood asthma. The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies published before April 2022. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of eligible studies, and a fixed-effect model was employed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of asthma with 95% confidence intervals (CI). In addition, the generalized least-squares trend (GLST) was used to explore a nonlinear dose-response relationship. Stata 15.0 was used for the statistical analysis mentioned above. This systematic review included 18 studies (13 cohort studies, 5 case-control studies) with a total of 252,770 participants, 50,248 of whom were children with asthma. The meta-analysis showed that maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy was significantly associated with the risk of childhood asthma (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.04-1.11). The subgroup analysis revealed a significant correlation between the risk of childhood asthma and the folic acid supplementation in the first Trimester (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.05-1.12), the third Trimester (OR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.04-1.26) and the whole pregnancy (OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.10-1.16). At the same time, the dose-response analysis showed a nonlinear relationship between maternal folic acid intake during pregnancy and the risk of childhood asthma. The risk of asthma in children significantly increased when maternal folic acid intake reached 581â µg/day. This meta-analysis showed that maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy increased the risk of asthma in children. Based on the results of the dose-response analysis, less than 580â µg folic acid per day is advised in order to effectively prevent birth defects without increasing the risk of childhood asthma. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?, identifier: CRD42022332140.
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BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely integrated into cancer care in China. An overview in 2011 identified 2384 randomized and non-randomized controlled trials (RCTs, non-RCTs) on TCM for cancer published in the Chinese literature. This article summarizes updated evidence of RCTs on TCM for cancer care. METHODS: We searched 4 main Chinese databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, SinoMed, and Wanfang. RCTs on TCM used in cancer care were analyzed in this bibliometric study. RESULTS: Of 5834 RCTs (477 157 cancer patients), only 62 RCTs were indexed in MEDLINE. The top 3 cancers treated were lung, stomach, and breast cancer. About 4752 RCTs (81.45%) tested TCM combined with conventional treatment, and 1082 RCTs (18.55%) used TCM alone for treating symptoms and side-effects. Herbal medicine was the most frequently used TCM modality (5087 RCTs; 87.20%). The most frequently reported outcome was symptom improvement (3712 RCTs; 63.63%) followed by quality of life (2725 RCTs; 46.71%), and biomarkers (2384 RCTs; 40.86%). The majority of RCTs (4051; 69.44%) concluded there were beneficial effects using either TCM alone or TCM plus conventional treatment compared with conventional treatment. CONCLUSION: Substantial randomized trials demonstrated different types/stages of cancer were treated by various TCM modalities, alone or in combination with conventional medicine. Further evaluation on the effects and safety of TCM modalities focusing on outcomes such as quality of life is required.