The efficacy and safety of Longmu Tang granule for the treatment of atopic dermatitis: study protocol for a single-centred, double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing skin disease that has long-term physical and mental health impacts on children with this condition. Current treatments mainly include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-allergic interventions, systemic therapy, and recently emerging target-focused agents. However, these treatments have limited effectiveness and unwanted side effects. The use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of AD has a long history, with promising efficacies, low toxicity, and improvements in the quality of life of patients with AD. Longmu Tang granule, a TCM, has been used to effectively treat AD since 2008 through doctors' prescriptions. To scientifically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Longmu Tang granule, we proposed to launch a single-centred, double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. METHODS: In this single-centred, double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted at Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, a total of 60 participants will be randomly assigned (1:1) to receive the Longmu Tang granule or placebo granule for 8 weeks. The primary outcome will be evaluated using the index of Scoring Atopic Dermatitis. The secondary outcomes will be evaluated using the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index and the number cancellation test. The mechanistic evidence will be the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, including immunoglobulin E, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1, and interleukin-6. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial will provide evidence of the efficacy and safety of the Longmu Tang granule and prove its anti-inflammatory action in patients with AD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Chictr.org ID: ChiCTR2100041591 . Registered on 1 January 2021.

In Vitro and In Vivo Inhibitory Effect of Gujin Xiaoliu Tang in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a serious threat to people's health. This study aims to determine the possible effect of Gujin Xiaoliu Tang (GJXLT) on NSCLC, which is an empirical formula from Professor Dai-Han Zhou. In this study, chromatographic fingerprinting of GJXLT and A549 cell model in vitro and in vivo was established. We cultured A549 cells in vitro and found that GJXLT inhibited A549 cell growth and induced apoptosis. Compared with the control group, the expression of p-STAT3 and VEGF proteins in the GJXLT groups was decreased. Similar findings were also observed in vivo. First, GJXLT inhibited the growth of transplanted tumor and did not reduce the weight of the tumor-bearing mice in comparison with that of the control group. Then, the Ki-67 expression of transplanted tumor in the GJXLT groups was decreased. In addition, the apoptosis rate of transplanted tumor in the GJXLT groups was increased. Overall, our data showed that GJXLT inhibited A549 cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, GJXLT inhibited the growth of lung cancer xenograft in nude mice model with no obvious side effects. The anti-tumor effect of GJXLT might also be related to the inhibition of p-STATS and VEGF expression in the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Our results demonstrated the potential of GJXLT as a novel treatment for NSCLC.

Autotrophic antimonate bio-reduction using hydrogen as the electron donor.

Antimony (Sb), a toxic metalloid, is soluble as antimonate (Sb(V)). While bio-reduction of Sb(V) is an effective Sb-removal approach, its bio-reduction has been coupled to oxidation of only organic electron donors. In this study, we demonstrate, for the first time, the feasibility of autotrophic microbial Sb(V) reduction using hydrogen gas (H2) as the electron donor without extra organic carbon source. SEM and EDS analysis confirmed the production of the mineral precipitate Sb2O3. When H2 was utilized as the electron donor, the consortium was able to fully reduce 650 µM of Sb(V) to Sb(III) in 10 days, a rate comparable to the culture using lactate as the electron donor. The H2-fed culture directed a much larger fraction of it donor electrons to Sb(V) reduction than did the lactate-fed culture. While 98% of the electrons from H2 were used to reduce Sb(V) by the H2-fed culture, only 12% of the electrons from lactate was used to reduce Sb(V) by the lactate-fed culture. The rest of the electrons from lactate went to acetate and propionate through fermentation, to methane through methanogenesis, and to biomass synthesis. High-throughput sequencing confirmed that the microbial community for the lactate-fed culture was much more diverse than that for the H2-fed culture, which was dominated by a short rod-shaped phylotype of Rhizobium (α-Protobacteria) that may have been active in Sb(V) reduction.