Phenethylferulate as a natural inhibitor of inflammation in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages: focus on NF-κB, Akt and MAPK signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND: Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix (NRR) is commonly used for the treatment of inflammation-linked diseases. Phenethylferulate (PF) is high content in NRR crude, but its anti-inflammatory effect remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of PF and its underlying molecular mechanisms in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. METHODS: The effect of PF on cell viability was measured by MTT assay. The anti-inflammatory properties of PF were studied by detecting the levels of inflammatory mediators and cytokines using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of PF were determined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: PF was not cytotoxic to RAW 264.7 macrophages at the concentrations of below 48 µM. ELISA showed that PF conspicuously inhibited overproduction of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Western blot analysis showed that PF remarkably suppressed overproduction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), the phosphorylation of inhibitor of NF-κB kinase α (IκB-α), protein kinase B (Akt), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and p38, as well as the degradation and subsequent nuclear translocation of p65. CONCLUSIONS: PF is a potent inhibitor of inflammation acting on nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. This work provides evidence for the suitability of PF as a therapeutic candidate for the management of inflammatory-mediated immune disorders.

Copper isotope evidence for sulfide fractionation and lower crustal foundering in making continental crust.

The continental crust is strongly depleted in copper compared with its building blocks-primary arc magmas-and this depletion is intrinsically associated with continental crust formation. However, the process by which Cu removal occurs remains enigmatic. Here we show, using Cu isotopes, that subduction-zone processes and mantle melting produce limited fractionation of Cu isotopes in arc magmas, and, instead, the heterogeneous Cu isotopic compositions of lower crustal rocks, which negatively correlate with Cu contents, suggest segregation or accumulation of isotopically light sulfides during intracrustal differentiation of arc magmas. This is supported by the extremely light Cu isotopic compositions of lower crustal mafic cumulates and heavy Cu isotopic compositions of differentiated magmas in thick continental arcs. Intracrustal differentiation of mantle-derived magmas and subsequent foundering of sulfide-rich mafic cumulates preferentially removes isotopically light Cu, leaving a Cu-depleted and isotopically heavy continental crust.

Amide-Directed, Rhodium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydrosilylation of Unactivated Internal Alkenes.

Despite the recent advances made in the area of asymmetric hydrosilylation, metal-catalyzed enantioselective hydrosilylation of unactivated internal alkenes remains a challenge. Here, we report a rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective hydrosilylation of unactivated internal alkenes bearing a polar group. The coordination assistance by an amide group enables the hydrosilylation to occur with high regio- and enantioselectivity.

Recent Progresses in Chalcone Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents.

Chalcones are members of the flavonoid family and act as intermediates in the biosynthesis of flavonoids, which are widespread in plants. Meanwhile, chalcones are important precursors for synthetic manipulations and act as mediators in the synthesis of useful therapeutic compounds, which have demonstrated a wide range of biological activities. Numerous studies have reported the synthesis and medicinal significance of chalcone derivatives. Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Although various therapies have been proposed for diverse types of cancer, their associated limitations and side effects urged researchers to develop more safe, potent and selective anticancer agents. Based on the literature review, the presence of chalcone derivatives as the main component, a substituent, or a side-chain in different biologically active compounds could serve as a reliable platform for synthetic organic chemists to synthesize new compounds bearing this moiety, owing to their similar or superior activities compared to those of the standards. The diversity of the chalcone family also lends itself to broad-spectrum biological applications in oncology. This review, therefore, sheds light on the latest structure and the anticancer potency of different synthetics (bearing other anticancer pharmacophores based on simple, functional groups, and dimer chalcone derivatives) and natural chalcone hybrids. It is confirmed that the information compiled in this review article, many chalcone hybrids have been found with promising anticancer activities. Therefore, this review may be convenient for designing novel chalcone molecules with enhanced medicinal properties according to the structure of the compounds.

Mancozeb induces nephrotoxicity by impairing the oxidative phosphorylation pathway: A transcriptome study.

This study analyzed the mechanism underlying mancozeb (MCZ)-induced kidney injury by detecting kidney function indicators, combined with transcriptome and metabolome sequencing. Twenty mice were randomly assigned into two groups (control and MCZ groups) to explore the MCZ-induced kidney toxicity. The control group was gavaged with 0.2 mL of deionized water, and the MCZ group with 0.2 mL of 100 mg/kg MCZ for 30 days. The kidney structure of the MCZ group was damaged, with slight hyaline degeneration in the kidney tubular epithelial envelope. The creatinine (CRE) and uric acid (UA) were significantly increased in the MCZ group than in the control group. Moreover, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly accumulated in the MCZ group kidneys. Compared to the control group, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) were significantly decreased in the MCZ group, while the MDA content was substantially increased. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the MCZ group were mainly enriched in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. Besides, in the MCZ group, ndufs1 and ndufab1 genes were significantly up-regulated, while cox5b, ndufa5, and ndufa6 genes were significantly down-regulated, consistent with the PCR verification results. The metabolomic analysis identified cGMP-PKG signaling pathway of MCZ-induced nephrotoxicity, with Guanosine monophosphate and Adenosine 5'-monophosphate as the main altered metabolites. These results indicated that MCZ impairs the mice kidneys by obstructing the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, which increases oxidative stress in the kidneys, resulting in kidney injury.

Nitric oxide inhibitory phenolic constituents isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Notopterygium incisum.

Fourteen phenolic constituents, notopheninetols A-E (1-5), notoflavinols A and B (6 and 7), and (2R)-5,4'-dihydroxy-7-O-[(E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienyl]flavanone (8a), along with 12 known analogues (8b and 9-19) were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Notopterygium incisum. Compounds 1-4 and 6-8 were seven pairs of enantiomers, and they were separated by chiral HPLC to obtain the optically pure compounds. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on detailed analyses of 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS data, and the absolute configurations were determined by quantum chemical calculations of the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, comparison of the experimental ECD data with those reported, and chemical methods. Compounds 1 and 2 possessed a 1-benzyl-2-methyl-indane skeleton, which was unprecedented in natural source. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory effects on RAW264.7 cells induced by LPS, and compounds 6a/6b, 7a, 8a/8b, and the hydrogenated products 6'a and 7'a showed moderate inhibitory activities with IC50 values in the range of 6.2-20.6 µM. Moreover, the interactions of these bioactive compounds with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were explored by employing molecular docking simulation.

Tapped-inductor bi-directional Cuk converter with high step-up/down conversion ratio and its optimum design.

A bidirectional DC-DC converter is required for an energy storage system. High efficiency and a high step-up and step-down conversion ratio are the development trends. In this research, a series of bidirectional high-gain Cuk circuits was derived by combining tapped inductors and bidirectional Cuk. After analyzing and comparing the characteristics of each circuit, a bidirectional high-gain Cuk circuit with a tapped-inductor (reverse coupling) was proposed. The proposed converter has a simple structure and a high voltage gain in both the step-down (Buck) and step-up (Boost) operation modes. The voltage stress of S2 was low. The voltage stress of S1 was high, however, and this is a disadvantage of the proposed converter. The proposed circuit's characteristics were thoroughly examined, including the voltage gain characteristics and the design of the main parameters. We established a power loss model of the new topology, and the tapped-inductor turn ratio was optimized for high efficiency. Finally, a 400 W experimental implementation of the converter was shown to achieve efficiencies of 93.5% and 92.4% in the step-up and step-down modes, respectively. These findings verified the validity of the proposed circuit's theoretical analysis.

The protective effects of natural product tunicatachalcone against neuroinflammation via targeting RIPK2 in microglia BV-2 cells stimulated by LPS.

Microglia-induced neuroinflammation plays a critical role in neurological diseases. At present, RIPK2 is considered to participate in inflammatory and autoimmune cellular pathways and diseases. RIPK2 is found to be a pivotal therapeutic target in neurologic disorders related to inflammation. In our research, we discovered the protective function of tunicatachalcone (TC) against neuroinflammation. TC is a natural chalcone compound derived from Pongamia pinnata, a medicinal plant. The results revealed that TC (5-20 µM) ameliorated the activation of BV-2 microglia induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a dose-dependent way, which was proved by the reduced production of inflammation-related mediators. By using SPR-LC-MS/MS analysis, we revealed the potent inhibitory function of TC against neuroinflammation mediated by microglia via targeting RIPK2. A strong binding between TC and RIPK2 was further demonstrated based on the results of SPR, MST and molecular modeling. Through applying mRNA transcriptomics and bioinformatics analysis, it was demonstrated that TC could mediate RIPK2-dependent gene transcription to exert the neuroprotective effect. In summary, our research presented that RIPK2 was a possible therapeutic target of TC.

Low level of mancozeb exposure affects ovary in mice.

Mancozeb (MCZ) is widely used as a protective fungicide. This study aimed to explore the effects of low level MCZ exposure on ovary in mice. Twenty Kunming mice were randomly divided into control and MCZ groups (10 mice each). The mice in the MCZ group were given 100 mg/kg MCZ daily via gavage. The mice were sacrificed to collect serum and ovaries on day 31. The experimental indicators were then assessed. The weight of MCZ-exposed mice significantly reduced while ovarian index significantly increased compared with the control group. The FSH, LH, E2, P, CAT, SOD and MDA contents in the serum were significantly decreased and the content of estradiol significantly increased after MCZ exposure. Histological observation showed that the ovarian structure of mice exposed to MCZ was damaged, and the apoptosis was increased. Immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR showed that the expression of Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9 significantly increased in the MCZ- group. Conversely, Bcl-2 expression significantly decreased. Transcriptome sequencing showed that the expression of NADH dehydrogenase ND3, ND4L, ND6 subunits, Cyt b, and SDHC genes in mitochondria were down-regulated after MCZ exposure, similar to real-time PCR analysis. These results collectively indicate that the MCZ can affect the abnormal function of mitochondrial respiratory chain, lead to oxidative phosphorylation decoupling, produce oxidative stress, and finally cause ovarian injury and apoptosis in mice.

Evaluation of Dominant Diseases of Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Case Study of Ischemic Stroke / 中国实验方剂学杂志

The present study explored the effective approaches to realize the leading role of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in preventing diseases， the synergistic role in treating serious diseases， the core role in the rehabilitation of diseases and summarized the experience to provide feasible plans for the evaluation of other dominant diseases of TCM. To evaluate the effectiveness， safety， and economy of TCM in the treatment of ischemic stroke， encephalopathy project team of the China Center for Evidence-based Traditional Chinese Medicine（CCEBTCM） established an evaluation group to determine the work plan and complete the evaluation work. The concepts of the evaluation involved high-quality evidence， expert opinion survey， expert interview， and drug catalog. Under the guidance of clinical experts and methodologists， the evaluation work was completed in accordance with four steps， i.e.， plan making， data collection and data extraction， evidence synthesis and evaluation， and report writing with the rapid review method. Through the review of TCM and western medicine experts， the advantage of TCM in the treatment of ischemic stroke was positioned in the convalescence period with the predominant effects of improving the neurological function defect and improving the daily living ability. In the convalescence period of stroke， TCM treatment could improve post-stroke motor dysfunction， post-stroke cognitive impairment， consciousness disorder， swallowing disorder， aphasia， constipation， urinary function， diplopia， etc.， and the advantages of acupuncture， Chinese medicine， and traditional exercise were more prominent. In terms of safety， TCM treatment of ischemic stroke showed lower incidence of adverse reactions， fewer adverse events， and a milder degree of related symptoms. In terms of economic performance， the combined treatment of TCM and western medicine played a synergistic role and made the treatment cost more reasonable. Compared with conventional intervention， the integrated TCM and western medicine rehabilitation program showed more economic and social benefits.

[Evidence of clinical randomized controlled trial study in treatment of acute cerebral infarction with traditional Chinese medicine in recent five years].

To systematically search and sort out the clinical randomized controlled trial(RCT) on the prevention and treatment of acute cerebral infarction with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) by using the method of evidence map, and to understand the evidence distribution of related studies. CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were retrieved from January 2016 to September 2020, and literatures related to the prevention and treatment of acute cerebral infarction with traditional Chinese medicine were included. Text description combined with table and bubble chart were used to analyze the distribution characteristics of evidence. A total of 1 102 clinical articles in recent five years were retrieved. The annual trend of clinical study publication, study size, TCM therapy category and main scheme, and study literature quality were analyzed. We find that TCM treatment of acute cerebral infarction has become a hot topic of clinical research, the number of literature showed a trend of increased year by year, various means of intervention of TCM in the treatment of the advantages of increasingly highlight. Follow-up clinical research should highlight the characteristics of TCM: in the analysis of outcome indicators; increase the neuropsychological patients after stroke and cognitive ability, and the theory of combined treatment of TCM disease when thoughts; At the same time, the quality of clinical research needs to be improved. At present, there is still a lack of unified standards for the production of evidence map. This study is the first to explore the application of evidence map to summarize and display the clinical research status of TCM treatment of acute cerebral infarction, and combine it with the setting of priority areas of TCM clinical research, so as to provide a reference basis for determining the priority topic selection of TCM treatment optimization research.

[Analysis of status quo of outcome indicators of randomized controlled trials in treatment of acute ischemic stroke with acupuncture in recent three years].

To analyze the use of outcome indicators of randomized controlled trial(RCT) of acupuncture in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in recent three years, so as to provide a basis for building a study on the core outcome indicators for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with acupuncture. The RCTs of acupuncture treatment for acute ischemic stroke in recent three years were collec-ted through computer retrieval of eight Chinese and English databases and two clinical trial registries at home and abroad. Literature was screened out, and data was extracted. Risk of assessment bias tool Cochrane 6.1 was used for bias risk assessment, outcome indicators were summarized and analyzed. A total of 47 RCTs were included, and 3 studies were trials registration scheme. Outcome indicators were divided into 6 categories according to functional attributes, namely physical symptoms/signs, physical and chemical examination, quality of life, traditional Chinese medicine symptoms/syndromes, safety events and long-term prognosis. The study found that in addition to the common problems in previous studies covered by the status quo of outcome indicators selection of RCT of acupuncture in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, there were also the other problems as follows: emphasis on macroscopic efficacy indicators but neglect of acupuncture specific indicators, lack of characteristic indicators and economic indicators of traditional Chinese medicine therapy, and unification of indicators measurement tool and measurement time point. In the future, the outcome indicators set for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with acupuncture shall be established, and the core outcome indicators set shall be in line with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

[Overview of systematic reviews/Meta-analysis of Xingnaojing Injection in treatment of cerebral ischaemic stroke].

There have been many clinical trials, systematic reviews/Meta-analysis proving that Xingnaojing Injection has a good clinical efficacy in treatment of cerebral ischaemic stroke, but with fewer comprehensive descriptions. In this study, an overview of systematic reviews/Meta-analysis of Xingnaojing Injection in treating cerebral ischaemic stroke was performed to provide current situation of evidences and basis for clinical practice. CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, EMbase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science were retrieved through computers. A total of 6 literatures were included in this study. By AMSTAR-2 checklist and GRADE, the quality of included systematic reviews and the efficacy of Xingnaojing Injection were evaluated. The results of AMSTAR-2 checklist showed an extremely low quality for all of the 6 systematic reviews. According to the results of GRADE evaluation, among 55 outcomes, there were 2 outcomes with a medium quality, 4 outcomes with a low quality and 49 outcomes with an extremely low quality. The 6 systematic reviews reached a consistent conclusion that Xingnaojing Injection was effective in the treatment of cerebral ischaemic stroke. This therapy could improve the total efficacy, neurological deficit scores, hemodynamic and hemodynamic parameters. However, the methodolo-gical quality of all literatures was extremely low. The evidence levels of outcomes were between extremely low to medium. The effectiveness of Xingnaojing Injection in the treatment of cerebral ischaemic stroke still needs to be further verified by more high-quality studies. In the future, relevant clinical studies and systematic reviews/Meta-analysis shall be carried out in a strict accordance with relevant regulations.

[Overview of systematic reviews of Panax notoginseng saponins in treatment of acute cerebral infarction].

To overview the systematic reviews of Panax notoginseng saponins in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction. CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMbase databases were retrieved to collect the systematic reviews of the efficacy of P. notoginseng saponins in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction. The retrieval time was from the time of database establishment to January 2021. After two researchers independently screened out the literature and extracted the data, AMSTAR-2 scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included systematic reviews, GRADE system was used to grade the quality of evidences of the outcome indicators, and the efficacy evaluation was summarized. A total of 5 systematic reviews were included. AMSTAR-2 evaluation results showed that 3 items were relatively complete, while 4 items had a poor overall quality. P. notoginseng saponins combined with conventional Western medicine therapy was superior to single conventional therapy in the recovery of neurological function, enhancement of the total effective rate in clinic, and improvement of activities of daily living. GRADE evaluation results showed that the quality of evidence was from low quality to very low quality. In conclusion, in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction, P. notoginseng saponins can improve the clinical efficacy, with a good safety but a not high methodological quality and a low evidence quality. It is suggested that high-quality clinical studies shall be further carried out to provide evidence-based basis for the application of P. notoginseng saponins in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Randomized Controlled Trials on Efficacy and Safety of Panax Notoginseng Saponins in Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of PNS on antiplatelet therapy in the treatment of AIS. METHODS: We searched 7 literature databases and 2 clinical studies databases for randomized controlled studies (RCTs) evaluating PNS as an adjuvant therapy for AIS. Relevant studies were retrieved and screened, and data were extracted independently by two reviewers. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk Assessment Tool. Meta-analysis was carried out with the Rev Man 5.4 software. RESULTS: Of 8267 records identified, 43 RCTs met our inclusion criteria (n = 4170 patients). Patients assigned to PNS with conventional treatments (CTs) had improved functional independence at 90 days compared with those assigned to CTs alone (RR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.37, to 2.55, P < 0.0001). Patients who received PNS combined with CTs showed significantly high improvements in neurological function among individuals with AIS on the neurologic deficit score (NDS) (MD CSS = -5.71, 95% CI = -9.55 to -1.87, P=0.004; MD NIHSS = -3.94, 95% CI = -5.65 to -2.23, P < 0.00001). The results also showed PNS contributed to a betterment in activities of daily living (ADL) on the Barthel index (MD day 10 BI = 4.86, 95% CI = 2.18, to 7.54, P < 0.00001; MD day 14 BI = 13.92, 95% CI = 11.46 to 16.38, P < 0.00001; MD day 28 BI = 7.16, 95% CI = 0.60, to 13.72, P < 0.00001). In addition, PNS, compared with CTs alone, could significantly improve overall response rate (ORR) (RR NIHSS = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.16, to 1.24, P < 0.00001; RR CSS = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.08, to 1.24, P < 0.0001), hemorheological parameters, maximum platelet aggregation rate (MPAR) (MD = -6.82, 95% CI = -9.62 to -4.02, P < 0.00001), platelet parameters (MD PLT = 4.85, 95% CI = 1.82 to 7.84, P=0.002; MD MPV = -0.79, 95% CI = -1.09 to -0.48, P < 0.00001), and serum CD62P (MD = -0.21, 95% CI = -0.29 to -0.13, P < 0.00001). The incidence of adverse reactions in PNS was lower than that in the control group (RR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.39 to 0.97, P=0.04). Adverse reactions in the PNS were mild adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: PNS may be effective and safe in treating AIS on ameliorating neurological deficit, improving activities of daily living function, and enhancing antiplatelet effects. However, more high-quality evidence is needed before it can be recommended for routine antiplatelet therapy in patients with AIS.

Study on ageing characteristics and evaluation methods of RTV silicone rubber in high humidity area.

Due to high humidity, the ageing of room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (RTV) has been a serious problem in Southwestern China. In order to solve the problem of RTV life prediction, the aging classification method was established by analyzing the microtopography of RTV samples in this paper. Besides, the comprehensive analysis of RTV element content, partial element content ratio, and major chemical groups of RTV samples in each aging level were conducted. It is found that as the ageing level increases, the element contents of C, Si, O, Al change accordingly and the ratio of C:Si drops from 2.39 to 1.54, and absorption peaks of the chemical groups of Si-(CH3)2, Si-O-Si, Si-CH3 and C-H in CH3 decrease. This work can enrich the investigation of RTV, and may provide useful reference for performance evaluation and replacement of RTV in substations.

Evodiamine induces apoptosis of leukemia cell line K562 VIA modulation of TRIB2/AKT pathway / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effects of Evodiamine (EVO) on proliferation and apoptosis of human leukemia cell line K562 and its potential mechanisms. Methods K562 cells were treated with EVO at different concentrations (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 jxmol • L

Evidence of clinical randomized controlled trial study in treatment of acute cerebral infarction with traditional Chinese medicine in recent five years / 中国中药杂志

To systematically search and sort out the clinical randomized controlled trial(RCT) on the prevention and treatment of acute cerebral infarction with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) by using the method of evidence map, and to understand the evidence distribution of related studies. CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were retrieved from January 2016 to September 2020, and literatures related to the prevention and treatment of acute cerebral infarction with traditional Chinese medicine were included. Text description combined with table and bubble chart were used to analyze the distribution characteristics of evidence. A total of 1 102 clinical articles in recent five years were retrieved. The annual trend of clinical study publication, study size, TCM therapy category and main scheme, and study literature quality were analyzed. We find that TCM treatment of acute cerebral infarction has become a hot topic of clinical research, the number of literature showed a trend of increased year by year, various means of intervention of TCM in the treatment of the advantages of increasingly highlight. Follow-up clinical research should highlight the characteristics of TCM: in the analysis of outcome indicators; increase the neuropsychological patients after stroke and cognitive ability, and the theory of combined treatment of TCM disease when thoughts; At the same time, the quality of clinical research needs to be improved. At present, there is still a lack of unified standards for the production of evidence map. This study is the first to explore the application of evidence map to summarize and display the clinical research status of TCM treatment of acute cerebral infarction, and combine it with the setting of priority areas of TCM clinical research, so as to provide a reference basis for determining the priority topic selection of TCM treatment optimization research.

Analysis of status quo of outcome indicators of randomized controlled trials in treatment of acute ischemic stroke with acupuncture in recent three years / 中国中药杂志

To analyze the use of outcome indicators of randomized controlled trial(RCT) of acupuncture in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in recent three years, so as to provide a basis for building a study on the core outcome indicators for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with acupuncture. The RCTs of acupuncture treatment for acute ischemic stroke in recent three years were collec-ted through computer retrieval of eight Chinese and English databases and two clinical trial registries at home and abroad. Literature was screened out, and data was extracted. Risk of assessment bias tool Cochrane 6.1 was used for bias risk assessment, outcome indicators were summarized and analyzed. A total of 47 RCTs were included, and 3 studies were trials registration scheme. Outcome indicators were divided into 6 categories according to functional attributes, namely physical symptoms/signs, physical and chemical examination, quality of life, traditional Chinese medicine symptoms/syndromes, safety events and long-term prognosis. The study found that in addition to the common problems in previous studies covered by the status quo of outcome indicators selection of RCT of acupuncture in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, there were also the other problems as follows: emphasis on macroscopic efficacy indicators but neglect of acupuncture specific indicators, lack of characteristic indicators and economic indicators of traditional Chinese medicine therapy, and unification of indicators measurement tool and measurement time point. In the future, the outcome indicators set for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with acupuncture shall be established, and the core outcome indicators set shall be in line with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

Overview of systematic reviews of Panax notoginseng saponins in treatment of acute cerebral infarction / 中国中药杂志

To overview the systematic reviews of Panax notoginseng saponins in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction. CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMbase databases were retrieved to collect the systematic reviews of the efficacy of P. notoginseng saponins in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction. The retrieval time was from the time of database establishment to January 2021. After two researchers independently screened out the literature and extracted the data, AMSTAR-2 scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included systematic reviews, GRADE system was used to grade the quality of evidences of the outcome indicators, and the efficacy evaluation was summarized. A total of 5 systematic reviews were included. AMSTAR-2 evaluation results showed that 3 items were relatively complete, while 4 items had a poor overall quality. P. notoginseng saponins combined with conventional Western medicine therapy was superior to single conventional therapy in the recovery of neurological function, enhancement of the total effective rate in clinic, and improvement of activities of daily living. GRADE evaluation results showed that the quality of evidence was from low quality to very low quality. In conclusion, in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction, P. notoginseng saponins can improve the clinical efficacy, with a good safety but a not high methodological quality and a low evidence quality. It is suggested that high-quality clinical studies shall be further carried out to provide evidence-based basis for the application of P. notoginseng saponins in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction.