Medication rules of Chinese herbal compound prescriptions for treating angina in national patent database based on multiple data mining / 中国中药杂志

This study explored the medication rules of Chinese herbal compound prescriptions for the treatment of angina based on the Chinese herbal compound patents in the patent database of the China National Intellectual Property Administration. The data of eligible Chinese herbal compound patents for the treatment of angina were collected from the patent database of the China National Intellectual Property Administration from database inception to November 10, 2022, and subjected to data modeling, analysis of main syndromes, medication frequency analysis, cluster analysis, association rule analysis, and data visualization by using Excel 2021, IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0, IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0, Cytoscape 3.9.1, and Rstudio R 4.2.2.2 to explore the medication rules for angina. The study included 636 pieces of patent data for angina that met the inclusion criteria, involving 815 drugs, with a total frequency of 6 586. The most common main syndromes were blood stasis obstructing the heart syndrome(222, 34.91%) and Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome(112, 17.61%). The top 10 most frequently used drugs were Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Astragali Radix, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Carthami Flos, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Borneolum Syntheticum, and Corydalis Rhizoma. High-frequency drugs included blood-activating and stasis-resolving drugs(1 197, 18.17%) and deficiency-tonifying drugs(809, 12.28%). Cluster analysis identified eight drug combinations, including five new prescriptions suitable for clinical use and new drug development, and three drug pairs. The core drug combination of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Carthami Flos was identified through the complex co-occurrence network analysis of Chinese medicines. Association rule analysis yielded a total of 17 rules, including 13 drug pairs and 4 tripartite combinations. Common drug pairs included Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Chuanxiong Rhizoma(support degree 25.79%, confidence coefficient 69.49%, lift 1.30) and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma(support degree 22.01%, confidence coefficient 61.95%, lift 1.16). Common tripartite combinations included Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Astragali Radix(support degree 10.85%, confidence coefficient 73.40%, lift 1.37) and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma(support degree 10.69%, confidence coefficient 79.07%, lift 1.48). The results showed that the underlying pathogenesis of angina involved blood stasis obstructing the heart and Qi deficiency and blood stasis. The overall nature of the disease was characterized as asthenia in origin and sthenia in superficiality. In the prescription formulation, blood-activating and stasis-resolving drugs, such as Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, and Carthami Flos were often used to resolve the excess manifestation, which were combined with tonifying drugs such as Astragali Radix, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, and Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma to reinforce the deficiency. The syndrome, pathogenesis, disease nature, and medication were consistent with clinical practice. Additionally, the new compound prescriptions and drug combinations derived from the multiple data mining in this study could provide references and insights for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of angina and the development of new drugs.

Modulatory effect of Tim-3/Galectin-9 axis on T-cell-mediated immunity in pulmonary tuberculosis

Patients affected by pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) manifest deficiencies in innate cellular immunity. The Tim3/Galectin-9 axis is an important regulator of Th1 cell immunity, leading to Th1 cell apoptosis. Herein, thisstudy aims to clarify the underlying roles of the Tim-3/Galectin-9 axis in T-cell immunity in PTB. Peripheralblood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were extracted from subjects with and without PTB to examine theexpression of CD4, CD8, CD25, and Tim-3 under the stimulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) andpurified protein derivative (PPD). In addition, the expression of Tim-3 and Galectin-9 in PBMCs was determined. The Tim-3/Galectin-9 axis in the PBMCs was activated or blocked to detect the secreted levels of IFNc, TNF-a, IL-2, and IL-22. MTB stimulation increased the expression of CD4, CD8, CD25, Tim-3, andGalectin-9 in PBMCs. The blockade of Tim-3/Galectin-9 axis resulted in reduced secretion of IFN-c, TNF-a,IL-2, and IL-22 from T-cells. Moreover, Tim-3?CD4?T, Tim-3?CD8?, and Tim-3?CD25?T cells exhibited agreater ability to inhibit the replication of MTB in macrophages. Taken conjointly, the blockade of Tim-3/Galectin-9 axis inhibits the secretion of inflammatory cytokines in T-cells to regulate the T-cell immunity inPTB.

Roles of miRNA and lncRNA in triple-negative breast cancer / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is currently the most malignant subtype of breast cancer without effective targeted therapies, which makes its pathogenesis an important target for research. A growing number of studies have shown that non-coding RNA (ncRNA), including microRNA (miRNA) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), plays a significant role in tumorigenesis. This review summarizes the roles of miRNA and lncRNA in the progression, diagnosis, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy of TNBC. Aberrantly expressed miRNA and lncRNA are listed according to their roles. Further, it describes the multiple mechanisms that lncRNA shows for regulating gene expression in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and more importantly, describes lncRNA-regulated TNBC progression through complete combining with miRNA at the post-transcriptional level. Focusing on miRNA and lncRNA associated with TNBC can provide new insights for early diagnosis and treatment-they can be targeted in the future as a novel anticancer target of TNBC.

Pharmacological and Toxicological Effect of Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma Polyglycosides / 中国实验方剂学杂志

In recent years, Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides have been used more and more widely in clinic, mostly in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Besides, it is also used as a basic immunosuppressive drug to treat various kidney diseases, such as nephrotic syndrome. However, there are many adverse reactions in clinic, as well as controversies over its medication regimen, especially its dosage and time. To make rational use of Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides in clinic and further study, the pharmacological and toxicological research progress of Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides was reviewed. The author collected pharmacological and toxicological research literatures of Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides at home and abroad in recent years, finding that Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides have the pharmacological effects of anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, kidney protection and immunosuppression, and mainly plays a pharmacological role by regulating the expression of cytokines in NF-<italic>κ</italic>B signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway and apoptosis-related signaling pathway. And the toxicological effects of Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides mostly focused on hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity and reproductive system toxicity, which are mostly related to oxidative stress response and expression of inflammatory factors. The main components of Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides are triptolide and celastrol. The pharmacological and toxicological studies of Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides are in-depth, the results showed that the efficacy and toxicity were dose-dependent and time-dependent, with no toxicity study of Tripterygii Radix et Rhizoma polyglycosides varying with dosage and time in the context of efficacy, indicating dose-effect, time-effect, dose-toxicity, time-toxicity relationships. Relevant mechanisms still need further study.

Urine alpha1-microglobulin is a better marker for early tubular dysfunction than beta2-microglobulin among tenofovir-exposed human immunodeficiency virus-infected men who have sex with men

Objectives: Men who have sex with men are at risk of tenofovir nephrotoxicity due to its wide use in both treatment and prophylaxis for human immunodeficiency virus infection, but little is known about the urinary biomarkers of early renal dysfunction in this population. This study aims to identify useful biomarkers of early renal dysfunction among human immunodeficiency virus-infected men who have sex with men exposed to tenofovir.Methods: In a cross-sectional study urinary alpha1-microglobulin, beta2-microglobulin, N-acetyl-B-n-glucosaminidase and albumin were measured and expressed as the ratio-to-creatinine in 239 human immunodeficiency virus-infected men who have sex with men who were treatment naïve or receiving antiretroviral therapy with tenofovir-containing or non-tenofovir-containing regimens. Additionally, 56 patients in the non-antiretroviral therapy group started a tenofovir-containing regimen and were assessed after 3 and 6 months on antiretroviral therapy.Results: Both the frequency of alpha1-microglobulin proteinuria (alpha1-microglobulin-creatinine ratio >25.8 mg/g) and the median urinary alpha1-microglobulin-creatinine ratio were higher in the tenofovir disoproxil fumarate group than the other two groups (all p< 0.05). A higher frequency of beta2-microglobulin proteinuria (beta2-microglobulin-creatinine ratio >0.68 mg/g) was also observed in the tenofovir group (28.9%) compared to the non-tenofovir group (13.6%, p= 0.024). There were no significant differences between groups for N-acetyl-β-n-glucosaminidase and albumin. In the longitudinal study, the median urinary alphat-microglobulin-creatinine ratio after 3 and 6 months on tenofovir-containing therapy (16.8 and 17.3 mg/g) was higher than baseline (12.3 mg/g, p= 0.023 and 0.011, respectively), while no statistically important changes were observed in urinary beta2-microglobulin-creatinine ratio or in the other biomarkers after 3 and 6 months on antiretroviral therapy (all p> 0.05).Conclusion: Urinary alphat-microglobulin seems to be a more sensitive and stable indicator of tubular dysfunction than urinary beta2-microglobulin for assessing tenofovir-related nephrotoxicity and can be significantly altered after tenofovir exposure.

Numerical analysis of morphological variation of germplasm resources of dioscorea / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Botanical characters of germplasm resources of Dioscorea were observed and compared, which could to offer reference for its genetic improvement, germplasm resource identification and classification.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Based on field cultivation, twenty-four morphological traits of ninety-four Dioscorea germplasm resources were observed or determined. And the morphological differences among germplasm resources were compared by principal component analysis and cluster analysis.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>There were ample morphological diversity in the twenty-four traits, in especially in leaf size and tuber characters of the ninety-four Dioscorea germplasm resources. The first seven principal components which accounted for 80. 957% of total variance were extracted from the principal component analysis. The ninety-four germplasm resources could be divided into four clusters, which belonging to Dioscorea opposite, D. persimili, D. fordii and D. alata respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There were large morphological variation among germplasm resources on Dioscorea. Identification of germplasm resources of Dioscorea should focus on leaf size and tuber characters.</p>