Effects of herbal cake separated moxibustion on Tim-4 and ubiquitination of PD-1 in rabbits with immunosuppression / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effects of herbal cake separated moxibustion on macrophage effector molecule T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-4 (Tim-4) and ubiquitination of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) in rabbits with immunosuppression, and to explore the possible mechanism on herbal cake separated moxibustion in improving immunosuppression.@*METHODS@#Thirty-two big-ear white rabbits were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a moxa stick moxibustion group and a herbal cake separated moxibustion group, 8 rabbits in each group. Except the normal group, the immunosuppression model was established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide of60 mg/kg in the other 3 groups. "Shenque" (CV 8), "Shenshu" (BL 23), "Zusanli" (ST 36), etc. were selected in both the moxa stick moxibustion group and the herbal cake separated moxibustion group. Moxa stick moxibustion was applied in the moxa stick moxibustion group, one cone at each acupoint; herbal cake separated moxibustion was applied in the herbal cake separated moxibustion group, 5 cones at each acupoint. The intervention was given once every other day for 10 times in both groups. Leukocyte content in peripheral blood was detected by blood cell analyzer; the positive expression of PD-1 in CD+4 T lymphocytes, CD+8T lymphocytes and CD+68 macrophages in peripheral blood was measured by flow cytometry, the serum levels of interleukin 2 (IL-2), CD8, CD68 and Tim-4 were detected by ELISA, and the expression of Tim-4 and F-box only protein 38 (FBXO38) in the liver and spleen tissues was measured by immunohistochemistry.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the normal group, in the model group, white blood cell count (WBC) and percentage of neutrophils (NEU%) were decreased while percentage of lymphocyte (LYM%) was increased (P<0.01) in peripheral blood; the positive expression rates of PD-1 in CD+4 T lymphocytes, CD+8T lymphocytes and CD+68 macrophages in peripheral blood were increased (P<0.01); the serum levels of IL-2, CD68 and Tim-4 were increased (P<0.01), the serum level of CD8 was decreased (P<0.01); the average optical density (AOD) of Tim-4 in the liver tissue and FBXO38 in the liver and spleen tissues was increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the moxa stick moxibustion group and the herbal cake separated moxibustion group, WBC and NEU% were increased (P<0.01); the positive expression rates of PD-1 in CD+4 T lymphocytes, CD+8T lymphocytes and CD+68 macrophages in peripheral blood were decreased (P<0.01); the serum levels of IL-2, CD68 and Tim-4 were decreased (P<0.01), the serum levels of CD8 were increased (P<0.01); the AOD of Tim-4 and FBXO38 in the liver tissue and FBXO38 in the spleen tissue was decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the moxa stick moxibustion group, in the herbal cake separated moxibustion group, the positive expression rate of PD-1 in CD+68 macrophages in peripheral blood was increased (P<0.05); serum level of Tim-4 was increased (P<0.01); AOD of Tim-4 in the liver tissue was decreased (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Herbal cake separated moxibustion can improve immunosuppression by regulating the expression of macrophage effector molecule Tim-4 and the FBXO38 mediated ubiquitination of PD-1, Tim-4 may be one of the specific indexes of immunomodulation involving with herbal cake separated moxibustion.

Application and Effectiveness of Chinese Medicine in Regulating Immune Checkpoint Pathways / 中国结合医学杂志

Immunotherapy targeting immune checkpoint molecules has emerged as a key approach in cancer treatment, representing the forefront of antitumor research. However, studies on immune checkpoint molecules have mainly focused on targeted therapies. Chinese medicine (CM) research as a complementary medicine has revealed that immune checkpoint molecules also undergo disease-specific changes in the context of autoimmune diseases. This review article presents a comprehensive analysis of CM studies on immune checkpoint molecules in the last 5 years, with a focus on their role in different diseases and treatment modalities. CM research predominantly utilizes oral administration of herbal plant extracts or acupuncture techniques, which stimulate the immune system by activating specific acupoints through temperature and needling. In this study, we analyzed the modulation and mechanisms of immune checkpoint molecules associated with different coinhibitory and costimulatory molecules, and reviewed the immune functions of related molecules and CM studies in treating autoimmune diseases and tumors. By summarizing the characteristics and research value of CM in regulating immune checkpoint molecules, this review aims to provide a useful reference for future studies in this field.

Epimedium regulates stem cell-like character of breast cancer via miR-148a / 中国药理学通报

Aim To observe the effect of epimedium on the proliferation and stem cell-like character expression of breast cancer cells, and investigate the relationship between the inhibition of stem cell-like character and miR-148a by epimedium, and its molecular mechanism. Methods After treatment with different concentrations of epimedium, cell viability and population dependence were detected by MTT assay and colony formation assay; the breast cancer stem cell-derived mammosphere formation was examined by Mammosphere assay; the expression levels of CD44,ALDH-1, Oct4,BMIl and EpCAM were detected by qPCR; the protein expression levels of EpCAM, SOX4, ZO-1, E-cadherin and vimentin were detected by Western blot; the protein localization of EpCAM was observed by im-munofluorescence assay; the effect of epimedium on migration was detected by wound healing assay. The miR-148a mimic was transfected into MDA-MB-231 cells, and the effects of epimedium on stem-like character expression of transfected MDA-MB-231 cells were observed. Results Epimedium significantly inhibited the proliferation and population dependence of MDA-MB-231 cells (P < 0.05 ), and reduced the breast cancer stem cell-derived mammosphere formation; compared with control group, epimedium significantly decreased mRNA levels of CD44, ALDH-1, Oct4, BMI1 and EpCAM (P <0.05) ,decreased protein contents of EpCAM, SOX4 and Vimentin (P < 0.05 ), up-regulated the protein expression of ZO-1 and e-cadherin ( P <0.05) ,and decreased the migration ability of MDA-MB-231 cells (P < 0.05). Epimedium up-regulated the expression of miR-148a in MDA-MB-231 cells (P <0.01). YYH + miR-148a mimic group significantly inhibited stem-like character expression and EMT process of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells compared with control group (P <0.05). Conclusions Epimedium can inhibit the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells, which may be related to the up-regulation of miR-148a, decrease of stem-like character expression of breast cancer cells,and inhibition of EMT.

Technique optimization of intravenous or intraperitoneal injection of Evans blue combined with retinal preparations in mice / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To optimize the technique of intravenous injection of Evans blue and retinal preparations in mice, improving the accuracy and repeatability of staining experiment of retinal preparations.METHODS: C57BL/6 male mice were intravenous injected with 10g/L(1%)Evans Blue 0.3mL and circulated in vivo for 10 or 20min, and the eyes were removed after sacrificed and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 20, 40 or 60min. When failure of intravenous injection, the experiment was remediated by intraperitoneal injection of 1% Evans Blue 0.3mL, circulated in vivo for 3h and fixed for 60min to observe morphology, distribution and leakage of the retinal vessels. Besides, we compared the morphology, distribution and leakage of the retinal vessels after intravenous injection with those after intraperitoneal injection to determine the optimal conditions for in vivo circulation time and retinal preparations.RESULTS: After intravenous injection, compared to the retinal vascular condition under 20min in vivo circulation time of Evans blue and 20 or 40min of fixation, with 10min of in vivo Evans blue circulation and 60min of fixation, the morphology of retinal vascular was more intact with less retinal vascular leakage, and the vascular branches are clear. When intravenous injection failed, remediated results from intraperitoneal injection showed that the morphology and distribution of retinal vessels were intact. There was no significant difference in morphology, distribution and leakage of the retinal vessels after 3h of intraperitoneal Evans blue circulation compared to 10min intravenous Evans blue circulation.CONCLUSION: This experiment optimizes the protocol, improves the accuracy and reproducibility of retinal preparations, and provides a reference for the study of related retinal vascular diseases.

Acupuncture combined with medication for postherpetic neuralgia affecting the head and face: a randomized controlled trial / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the efficacy of needling the Xi-Cleft points of yang meridians plus topical surrounding needling and pregabalin in treating postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) affecting the head and face and its influence on quality of life (QOL). Methods: Eighty patients with PHN affecting the head and face were randomized into an acupuncture-medication group and a Western medication group by their visiting sequence, with 40 cases in each group. The Western medication group took pregabalin capsules orally, 75 mg each time, twice a day. The dosage could increase to 150 mg each time and twice a day within 1 week based on the efficacy and tolerance. The treatment lasted for 5 weeks. The acupuncture-medication group was given additional surrounding needling at the herpes zoster on the head and face, and Xi-Cleft points of yang meridians were chosen according to the affected area for acupuncture, once every other day, for 5 weeks in total. Results: Prior to treatment, there were no significant differences in the visual analog scale (VAS) and QOL scores between the two groups (both P>0.05). After treatment, VAS and QOL scores dropped significantly in both groups (all P<0.01), and were significantly lower in the acupuncture-medication group than in the Western medication group (both P<0.01). The total effective rate was 67.5％ in the Western medication group, versus 92.5％ in the acupuncture-medication group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on oral administration of pregabalin, needling the Xi-Cleft points of yang meridians and topical surrounding needling can reduce PHN, notably improve patients' QOL, and produce more significant efficacy than oral administration of pregabalin alone.

Analysis on application law of dampness-removing traditional Chinese medicines in treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 / 中草药·英文版

Objective: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been diagnosed as an epidemic disease characterized by cold and dampness pathogens in TCM clinic. Due to many Chinese medicines with different functions were used in the treatment of COVID-19, it is very important to find the law of application of damp-removing traditional Chinese medicine with high frequency application, with view to providing a reference for the use and research of Chinese medicine to further control the pandemic. Methods: The publicly released diagnosis and treatment programs issued by the National Health Commission and Health Commission of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and Chinese herbs prescription information in these were collected, a database was established, and Excel and Graphpad 8.0 software were used to analyze the frequency of use of various Chinese medicines, the frequency and property characters including five flavors (bitter, pungent, sweet, sour, and salty) and four natures (warm, hot, cool, and cold) and channel tropisms of Chinese medicine for removing dampness. Results: A total of 137 prescriptions of Chinese medicine for treating COVID-19 were collected, including 178 TCMs showing functions of resolving phlegm, relieving cough and asthma, resolving dampness, clearing damp and inducing dieresis, clearing heat, tonifying deficiency, and relieving exterior syndrome, in which the TCMs with the first four functions that we called the dampness-removing TCMs, accounted for 35.78%. Also a number of TCMs in the rest functions showed removing-dampness. The first four functions were divided into subfunctions including aromatic resolving dampness, clearing heat and drying dampness, drying dampness and tonifying spleen qi, drying dampness and removing phlegm, inducing diuresis and relieving swelling, inducing diuresis and relieving exterior syndrome. Among them, the most frequently used TCMs was Ephedrae Herba, followed by Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Pogostemonis Herba, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Poria, Scutellariae Radix, and Atractylodis Rhizoma. The property character analysis in the dampness-removing TCMs showed that bitter and pungent were largely present and sour and astringent were absent, warm and hot were dominant; And the lung, spleen, stomach, large intestine, bladder were main channel tropisms. Conclusion: Dampness-removing TCMs are the first important type of traditional Chinese medicine to be considered in the treatment of COVID-19 in Chinese medicine. The application of dampness-removing TCMs in the treatment of COVID-19 needs to be combined with its application law. This study may provide meaningful and useful information on further research to investigate the effective compounds from the dampness-removing Chinese medicine with high frequency application, and also provide a reference for the clinical treatment of COVID-19 accurately against dampness evil with dampness-removing traditional Chinese medicines.

Lower expression of dynein axonemal intermediate china 1 in lung adenocarcinoma and inhibits the invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the expression of dynein axonemal intermediate chain l(DNAI1) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and its influence on invasive ability of lung adenocarcinoma. Methods Microarray gene chip analysis was used to screen different expression genes in lung adenocarcinoma (3 samples) and adjacent normal tissues(3 samples); Heatmap and volcano plot were performed demonstrate the mRNA expression and distribution after screening; DAVID database used for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes of Genomes (KEGG) analysis; STRING database and Cytoscape 3.6.1 software for protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and screening of Hub genes; Objective genes were selected based on the differential expression of each Hub gene in lung adenocarcinoma in DEGs and Ualcan database; Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of DNAI1 in BEAS-2B, H1299 and A549; observe the morphological changes after DNAI1 overexpression; Transwell invasion assay was used to detect the change of invasion ability of A549 cells after DNAI1 overexpression. Results The microarray result showed that there were 86 up-regulated genes and 396 down-regulated genes; different genes were involved in the RNA polymerase II promoter positive regulation of transcription, apoptosis process of negative regulation, protein binding, and other functions, widely distributed within the cell, and associated with the metabolic pathway, cancer and other signal pathways were closely related ; DEGs database and Ualcan database showed that DNAI1 was the most downregulated among Hub genes in LUAD; the result of Real-time PCR and Western blotting showed that DNAI1 had lower expression in H1299 and A549 compared with BEAS-2B; after DNAI1 overexpression, A549 cells became round and a few shed off; invasion assay showed that the invasion ability of A549 cells was significantly reduced. Conclusion DNAI1 has a lower expression and inhibits the ability of invasion in LUAD, and this study can provide a potential molecular target and provide a theoretical basis for targeted therapy of LUAD.

Correlation analysis of one-year postoperative mortality,preoperative serum indexes and postoperative nutrition guidance in elderly hip fracture patients / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the influence of preoperative serum nutritional indexes and postoperative nutritional guidance on 1-year mortality in elderly patients with hip fracture.@*METHODS@#From January 2015 to December 2017, 396 elderly patients with hip fracture were included in the study, including 267 females and 129 males, aged 68 to 80(75.48±2.62) years; the course of disease was 2 to 10 (6.12±1.35) days;all patients were followed up for 1-year, and were divided into death group and survival group according to whether the patients died or not. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of 1 year mortality.@*RESULTS@#Duringthe follow-up, 4 patients lost contact and were treated as shedding, among which 67 patients died and 325 patients survived. The age, male patients, patients with more than three basic diseases, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ and patients with postoperative complications in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group (all @*CONCLUSION@#Advanced age, male and multiple underlying diseases were independent risk factors for 1-year mortality in elderly patients with hip fracture, while higher preoperative nutritional level and routine nutritional guidance were protective factors.

Assessment and Management of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

@#Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the commonest chronic liver disease in the world. Overall improvement in public health, active screening of blood products, universal vaccination of hepatitis B have led to drop in incidence of hepatitis B and C worldwide. NAFLD is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome. With rise in overweight status and obesity worldwide, it is not surprising that NAFLD is on the rise. Diagnosis of NAFLD requires confirmation of fatty infiltration in liver, as well as liver damage like elevated liver enzymes and presence of fibrosis. Currently best treatment for NAFLD is weight loss, and the proven method would be dieting with regular exercises. Vitamin E and pioglitazoles are promising medications for treating NAFLD, but each has their shortcoming. Until more studies are conducted, lifestyle modification remains the only reliable way to treat NAFLD. Family physicians also ought to look out for cardiovascular diseases, as well as be vigilant in cancer screening, as NAFLD is associated with higher risks of ischemic heart disease and cancer.

Alkaloid constituents from the fruits of Flueggea virosa / 中国天然药物

Three new indole alkaloids, flueindolines A-C (1-3), along with nine known alkaloids (4-12), were isolated from the fruits of Flueggea virosa (Roxb. ex Willd.) Voigt. Compounds 1 and 2 are two new fused tricyclic indole alkaloids possessing an unusual pyrido[1, 2-a]indole framework, and 3 presents a rare spiro (pyrrolizidinyl-oxindole) backbone. Their structures with absolute configurations were elucidated by means of comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, chemical calculation, as well as X-ray crystallography. Chiral resolution and absolute configuration determination of the known compounds 4, 10, and 11 were reported for the first time. The hypothetical biogenetical pathways of 1-3 were herein also proposed.

Study on sirolimus solubilization technology based on in vitro dissolution and in vivo bioavailability / 药学实践杂志

Objective To evaluate the effects of different solubilizing techniques on the in vitro dissolution and in vivo pharmacokinetics of Sirolimus (SRL). Methods Solid dispersions (SD), inclusion complex (IC), self-micro emulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) and nano-structured lipid carrier (NLC) were selected as the solubilization technology for SRL. SRL-SMEDDS and SRL-NLC have obtained the optimal prescription in the previous studies. Additionally, the formulation process of SRL-SD and SRL-IC was screened by using inclusion rate and dissolution profiles as indicators. 0.4% SDS, water and buffer solutions with pH 1.2, 4.5, 6.8, 7.4 were used as dissolution media. The dissolution profile of the commercially available formulation Rapamune® and the lab-made solubilized preparations were investigated. The in vivo absorption of the above preparations was examined using a pharmacokinetic test in Beagle dogs. Results In 0.4% SDS, the dissolution of each preparation exceeded 80% in 2 h. In the medium of pH 1.2, the dissolution of SRL-SD could not be measured while the dissolution of IC, SMEDDS and NLC increased first and then decreased. In other media, the dissolution of the SRL was reduced. The SRL-IC showed the best dissolution without a significant decrease. The relative bioavailability of APIs, SRL-SD, SRL-IC, SRL-NLC and SRL-SMEDDS were 9.1%, 18.7%, 33.2%, 78.0%, and 97.6% respectively in vivo pharmacokinetic tests. Conclusion SD, SMEDDS, NLC, and IC can improve the in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption of SRL. Among them, SMEDDS has the most significant improvement in the bioavailability of SRL.

Optimization of formulation process and in vitro evaluation of copper sulfide nanoparticles / 药学实践杂志

Objective To avoid the accumulation of copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles, prepare and optimize CuS nanoparticles, analyze the factors affecting the particle size and evaluate their photothermal properties. Methods Based on the single factor study, central composite design-response surface methodology was used to optimize the CuS nanoparticle formulation process. The morphology, particle size stability, photothermal conversion efficiency, photothermal stability of optimized CuS nanoparticles were characterized. The toxicity of CuS nanoparticles on 4T1 breast cancer cells and HK2 kidney cells was evaluated by CCK-8 method. In vitro photothermal experiment was used to investigate the ability of CuS nanoparticles on killing 4T1 breast cancer cells. Results The average hydration dynamic diameter of optimized CuS nanoparticles was (10.53±1.63)nm, the actual particle size of CuS nanoparticles showed by TEM image was (3.10±0.81)nm. It had good particle size stability, good photothermal conversion efficiency and photothermal stability. Within the concentration range of 100 μg/ml and 150 μg/ml，it showed no significant toxicity on 4T1 breast cancer cells and HK2 kidney cells, indicating the good stability of CuS nanoparticles. In vitro photothermal therapy showed that CuS nanoparticles had good ability to kill 4T1 breast cancer cells by photothermal. Conclusion The prepared CuS nanoparticles have a small particle size (less than 6nm) and a good photothermal effect, which is expected to solve the problem of CuS nanoparticles accumulation in vivo and make it better for tumor treatment.

Study on pharmacodynamics and safety of self-made compound ketoconazole ointment / 药学实践杂志

Objective To evaluate the pharmacodynamics and safety of the self-made compound ketoconazole ointment. Methods Using the disk diffusion test, 6 kinds of fungi and 2 kinds of bacteria were selected to investigate the effect of the self-made ointment and 3 commercial products on the diameter of the bacteriostatic circle. In addition, the skin irritation and skin allergies of the single and multiple applications were used to evaluate the safety of the self-made ointment. Results The self-made ointment was similar to the commercial products containing ketoconazole. They all showed remarkable bacteriostatic circle against the 6 kinds of fungi. For pseudomonas aeruginosa, none of the preparations contributed to visible bacteriostatic circle. For staphylococcus aureus, the bacteriostatic circle of the self-made ointment was similar to that of commercial mupirocin ointment and was significantly larger than other commercial products. After the treatment with the self-made ointment, the score of the skin irritation was below 0.5 and the sensitization rate was 0. There was no difference in tissue structure between treated and normal skin. Conclusion The self-made compound ketoconazole ointment has better safety and better antibacterial property than the commercial products. It is expected to be used for the treatment of superficial skin fugle infections.

Preparation and formulation optimization of wound dressings with nitrocellu-lose as membrane material / 药学实践杂志

Objective To prepare a wound dressing using nitrocellulose as a membrane and optimize its formulation. Methods Partial analysis was performed on commercial available products. The wound dressings were prepared by using nitrocellulose as a film-forming material, benzyl alcohol as a bacteriostatic agent, castor oil as a plasticizer, isopropyl palmitate as a skin emollient, camphor as a fragrance, and isopropyl alcohol, ethyl acetate and butyl acetate as volatile solvent. The tensile strength, breakpoint elongation percentage, breathability and waterproof performance were tested and evaluated. Results The film-forming performance of the prepared liquid wound dressing was good. The final use amount of nitrocellulose was determined to be 6%. The use amount of plasticizer castor oil was determined to be 4%. Conclusion The prepared liquid wound dressing has good film-forming property, good mechanical property, good waterproof and certain breathability.

Development and stability test of compound adapalene ointment / 药学实践杂志

Objective To prepare, investigate and optimize the drug stability of compound adapalene ointment.Methods The ointment containing adapalene and mupirocin were prepared with PEG400and PEG3350as matrix.Stress test was usedto evaluate and optimize the stability of drugs in the ointment.The drug stability was further tested by the acceleration test and long-term test.Results The raw adapalene was stable under high temperature, high humidity and strong light irradiation.The raw mupirocin was stable under high humidity and strong light irradiation, but was highly unstable under high temperature condition.Degradation of adapalene and mupirocin was found with pH≤7.At pH 7.5, the best stability was achieved, with over95％of the drugs remaining at day 10.Favorable ointment was prepared with PEG400∶PEG3350=2∶1.The drug stability was promoted by addition of 0.2％triethanolamine significantly.In the acceleration test and long-term test, the percentages of adapalene and mupirocin were above 95％.Conclusion The compound adapalene ointment was successfully prepared and the drug stability was excellent.

High Survivin and Low Zinc Finger of the Cerebellum 1 Expression Indicates Poor Prognosis in Triple-negative Breast Carcinoma / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) is accompanied with high risk of metastasis and recurrence. The present study aimed to explore the clinicopathological and prognostic roles of putative tumor-related genes in patients with TNBC. METHODS: Thirty pairs of frozen-thawed tumors were used to select reliable indicators via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Then, 150 pathology specimens were used to evaluate the expression of proteins in TNBC through immunohistochemistry. In addition, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis were also performed to analyze the overall survival and disease-free survival. RESULTS: RT-qPCR results indicated that among all the proteins analyzed using fresh-frozen TNBC samples, the expression levels of only Survivin and zinc finger of the cerebellum 1 (ZIC1) were obviously different from those in the corresponding normal tissues. Survivin and ZIC1 expression had opposite effects on the clinicopathological diagnosis and prognostic assessment in TNBC patients. Further, there was a negative correlation between Survivin and ZIC1 expression. In addition, the “Survivin-positive ZIC1-negative group” was associated with histologic grade, lymph node metastasis, and TNM staging (p < 0.001) and this was also an independent factor for evaluating the prognosis of TNBC in patients. CONCLUSION: In summary, the expression levels of Survivin and ZIC1 in TNBC are different from those in normal tissues and are negatively correlated mutually. The combined detection of Survivin and ZIC1 expression levels could allow better comprehensive diagnosis and prognostic evaluation for TNBC patients.

Effect of Modified Si Junzitang on Angiogenesis of H22 Tumor-bearing Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of modified Si Junzitang on angiogenesis in transplanted tumor of H22 tumor-bearing mice. Method:The effect of modified Si Junzitang on tumor inhibition and growth of peripheral blood vessels in tumor-bearing mice was observed by tumorigenesis experiment in mice. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to detect the distribution of blood vessels and the expression of vascular endothelial markers (CD31) in tumor-bearing mice. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in tumor tissue. Result:The inhibition rates of modified Sijunzi Tang in low-dose group (ig, 11.83 mg·kg-1·d-1), middle-dose group (ig, 23.66 mg·kg-1·d-1) and high-dose group (ig, 47.32 mg·kg-1·d-1) were 29.97%, 59.80%and 82.34%, respectively. Compared with the model group, the average tumor weight was lower in middle and high-dose groups, with statistically significant differences (PPPα in middle and high-dose modified Si Junzitang groups were lower than those in the model group (PConclusion:Modified Si Junzitang can inhibit the tumor growth of H22 tumor-bearing mice and the angiogenesis of transplanted tumors, which may be related to the reduction of TNF-α, VEGF and VEGFR2 expression levels.

Assessment and Management of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

@#Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the commonest chronic liver disease in the world. Overall improvement in public health, active screening of blood products, and universal vaccination of hepatitis B have led to a drop in incidence of hepatitis B and C worldwide. NAFLD is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome. With the rise in overweight status and obesity worldwide, it is not surprising that NAFLD is on the rise. Diagnosis of NAFLD requires confirmation of fatty infiltration in liver, as well as liver damage such as elevated liver enzymes and presence of fibrosis. Currently, the best treatment for NAFLD is weight loss, and the proven method would be dieting with regular exercises. Vitamin E and pioglitazoles are promising medications for treating NAFLD, but each medication has their shortcomings. Until more studies are conducted, lifestyle modification remains the only reliable way to treat NAFLD. Family physicians ought to look out for cardiovascular diseases, as well as being vigilant in cancer screening, as NAFLD is associated with higher risks of ischemic heart disease and cancer.

The study of azvudine activity against dengue viruses in vitro / 药学学报

In this study, azvudine (FNC), hydrochloride salt of azvudine (FNC-HCl) and triphosphate azovudine (FNC-TP) were tested against DENV-Ⅱ recombinant virus (DENV-Ⅱ Luc+). The inhibitory activity of FNC, FNC-HCl and FNC-TP on DENVs were detected by plaque assay. The effect on the expression of DENV-Ⅱ envelope protein E was detected by Western blot; the inhibitory of DENV-Ⅱ viral RNA by compounds was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. MTT assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of the three compounds on Vero cells. The results showed that FNC, FNC-HCl and FNC-TP inhibited the viral replication by inhibition of renilla luciferase activity of DENV-Ⅱ Luc+. The 50% effective concentration (EC50) of FNC, FNC-HCl and FNC-TP in the inhibition of DENVs replication were from 0.54-25.42 μmol·L-1, while that of ribavirin was 40.78 ±1.02 μmol·L-1 as the positive control. Western blot and real time quantitative PCR results showed that FNC, FNC-HCl and FNC-TP significantly inhibited the expression of DENV-Ⅱ E protein, and the replication of DENV-Ⅱ viral RNA. The 50% cytotoxic concentrations of FNC, FNC-HCl and FNC-TP were all greater than 3 000.00 μmol·L-1. The results suggest that in vitro anti-DENVs activities of FNC, FNC-HCl and FNC-TP are superior to ribavirin, which are expected to become new candidates of anti-DENV drugs.

Thoughts on the Structural Reform of Drug Supply Side to Crack the Unrealistically High Drug Prices / 中国医院管理

At present,the unrealistically high drug prices become an indisputable fact to cause the chaos in the medical field.They are the main reasons of "difficult and too expensive to see doctors".And they are deeply loathed by the people in the country.In addition,the unrealistically high drug prices have become the shackles in deepening medical and health reform.Therefore,a determined effort must be made to resolve the serious problems.Through analyzing the status of high drug prices,the main reasons of the unrealistically high drug prices,and the hazards of high drug prices,the article puts forward countermeasures of state monopoly in national essential drugs to solve the unrealistically high drug prices problems for structural reform of supply side.