Associations between 24-hour urinary sodium excretion and all-cause mortality in adults living in north China / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To investigate the associations between 24-hour urinary sodium excretion (24hUNaE) and all-cause mortality in adult Northern Chinese population. Methods: Data from this study were derived from the prospective urban and rural epidemiology (PURE) study in north China. Baseline information of all participants were obtained by face to face interview through trained research staffs based on questionnaires, and morning fasting urine samples of participants were collected to estimate 24hUNaE and 24-hour potassium excretion (24hUKE). Multivariable frailty Cox regression models were used to explore the association between 24hUNaE (<3.00, 3.00-3.99, 4.00-4.99, 5.00-5.99 and ≥6 g/d) and all-cause death. Results: A total of 27 310 participants were included in this study. The mean 24hUNaE was (5.84±1.73) g/d. After a median follow-up of 8.8 years, 1 024 participants died (3.7%), including 390 cardiovascular related deaths and 591 non-cardiovascular related deaths. The cause of death of the remaining patients could not be determined. Using 24hUNaE level of 4.00-4.99 g/d as the reference group, after fully adjustment, 24hUNaE ≥6.00 g/d was associated with an increased risk of all-cause death (HR=1.24, 95%CI: 1.02-1.49) and cardiovascular related death (HR=1.39, 95%CI: 1.02-1.88). 24hUNaE<3.00 g/d was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR=1.38, 95%CI: 0.96-1.99). There was no significant association between 24hUNaE and non-cardiovascular related death. Furthermore, using the combination of 24hUNaE 4.00-4.99 g/d and 24hUKE≥2.11 g/d as the reference group, the highest risk occurred in participants with the combination of low sodium (<3.00 g/d) and low potassium (<2.11 g/d). Conclusion: 24hUNaE equal or higher than 6 g/d or lower than 3 g/d is associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular related death in Northern Chinese population. Besides, moderate sodium intake in combination with increased potassium intake might reduce the risk of all-cause death.

Improving comprehensive retention rate of peppermint oil in freeze-dried preparation based on cyclodextrin inclusion technology / 中国中药杂志

The freeze-drying technique, characterized by low-temperature processing, is especially suitable for sensitive volatile oils with thermal instability. However, there are few studies focusing on the retention of volatile oils in the processing of freeze-dried preparations. This study evaluated the effects of different addition methods(adsorption, emulsification, solid dispersion, and inclusion) on the retention rate of the main components in peppermint oil, aiming to explore the application feasibility of freeze-dried preparations of volatile oils. Firstly, the addition method was determined based on the retention rates of menthol in four freeze-dried preparations. Secondly, an orthogonal test was designed to optimize the preparation process based on the characteristics of the preferred addition method. The results showed that the most suitable preparation form of peppermint oil was inclusion with beta-cyclodextrin(β-CD), and the retention rate of menthol in freeze-drying was 86.36%. According to the two-step preparation process of inclusion and freeze-drying, we introduced the product of inclusion rate and retention rate, i.e., comprehensive retention rate, to determine the optimum processing parameters. The results showed that β-CD/oil ratio of 7∶1, inclusion temperature of 40 ℃, and inclusion time of 2 h were the optimum processing parameters. The product prepared with these parameter had the comprehensive retention rate of 68.41%, retention rate of 92.53%, and inclusion rate of 73.93%. The inclusion compound was white powder with significantly increased solubility. The pre-paration process based on cyclodextrin inclusion in this study is stable and reliable and provides a new idea for ensuring the efficacy and stability of volatile components in freeze-dried preparations.

Molecular mechanism of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills in treating myocardial ischemia:a study based on HIF-1 signaling pathway / 中国中药杂志

Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills(QSYQ) are used clinically to treat various myocardial ischemic diseases, such as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and heart failure; however, the molecular mechanism of QSYQ remains unclear, and the scientific connotation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) compatibility has not been systematically explained. The present study attempted to screen the critical pathway of QSYQ in the treatment of myocardial ischemia by network pharmacology and verify the therapeutic efficacy with the oxygen-glucose deprivation(OGD) model, in order to reveal the molecular mechanism of QSYQ based on the critical pathway. The key targets of QSYQ were determined by active ingredient identification and target prediction, and underwent pathway enrichment analysis and functional annotation with David database to reveal the biological role and the critical pathway of QSYQ. Cell counting Kit-8(CCK-8), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), and Western blot tests were launched on high-content active ingredients with OGD cell model to reveal the molecular mechanism of QSYQ based on the critical pathway. The results of network pharmacology indicated that QSYQ, containing 18 active ingredients and 82 key targets, could protect cardiomyocytes by regulating biological functions, such as nitric oxide biosynthesis, apoptosis, inflammation, and angiogenesis, through TNF signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, PI3 K-Akt signaling pathway, etc. HIF-1 signaling pathway was the critical pathway. As revealed by CCK-8 and LDH tests, astragaloside Ⅳ, salvianic acid A, and ginsenoside Rg_1 in QSYQ could enhance cell viability and reduce LDH in the cell supernatant in a concentration-dependent manner(P<0.05). As demonstrated by the Western blot test, astragaloside Ⅳ significantly down-regulated the protein expression of serine/threonine-protein kinase(Akt1) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α) in the HIF-1 signaling pathway, and up-regulated the protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA). Salvianic acid A significantly down-regulated the protein expression of upstream phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha(PIK3 CA) and downstream HIF-1α of Akt1. Ginsenoside Rg_1 significantly down-regulated the expression of HIF-1α protein and up-regulated the expression of VEGFA. The therapeutic efficacy of QSYQ on myocardial ischemia was achieved by multiple targets and multiple pathways, with the HIF-1 signaling pathway serving as the critical one. The active ingredients of QSYQ could protect cardiomyocytes synergistically by regulating the targets in the HIF-1 signaling pathway to inhibit its expression.

Meta-analysis and systematic review of efficacy and safety of Lianhua Qingwen in adjuvant treatment of adult pneumonia / 中国中药杂志

To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Lianhua Qingwen in the treatment of adult pneumonia. The randomized controlled trial of Lianhua Qingwen combined with conventional Western medicine in the treatment of pneumonia were retrieved from PubMed, EMbase, Wanfang database, VIP database, and CNKI from the establishment of database to March 2020. Two researchers independently conducted literature screening and data extraction, and the third researcher was in charge of arbitration in case of any disagreement. Outcome indicators included total clinical effective rate, symptom improvement time, and incidence of adverse events. R 3.6.1 was used for Meta-analysis, and RevMan 5.3 was used for quality evaluation. Twenty-two studies were included, with a total of 2 007 patients, including 1 017 patients in the experimental group and 990 patients in the control group. The results showed that the total clinical effective rate of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group(RR=1.11, 95%CI[1.08, 1.15], P<0.001), and the antifebrile time(MD=-1.81, 95%CI[-2.42,-1.21], P<0.001), cough duration(MD=-2.32, 95%CI[-2.89,-1.76], P<0.001), rale duration(MD=-2.19, 95%CI[-2.74,-1.63], P<0.001), imaging recovery time(MD=-2.17, 95%CI[-2.76,-1.58], P<0.001) and post-treatment CRP(MD=-4.07, 95%CI[-6.39,-1.75], P<0.001] were all significantly lower than those of the control group. However, it did not proved that the experimental group was safer than the control group(RR=0.84, 95%CI[0.57, 1.24], P=0.382). The results confirmed that Lianhua Qingwen combined with conventional Western medicine in the treatment of pneumonia could improve the clinical treatment efficiency, shorten the time of fever, cough, rale disappearance and imaging recovery, improve CRP index and accelerate the recovery of pneumonia patients. However, the literatures included in this study had a low quality, and the conclusions still need to be further confirmed by more high-quality, multi-center, rigorously designed randomized controlled trial.

Study on biopharmaceutics classification system of Chinese materia medica for Gegen Qinlians Tablets based on anti-inflammatory activity / 中国中药杂志

The research on biopharmaceutics classification system of Chinese materia medica( CMMBCS) should be finally implemented to the holistic research level of traditional Chinese medicine compounds,while the overall biopharmaceutical properties of traditional Chinese medicine compounds are not only the sum of solubility and permeability of each component. In this study,Gegen Qinlian Tablets was used as the research object,and the contents of 12 representative components,i.e. puerarin,daidzin,baicalin,daidzein,wogonoside,baicalein,wogonin,glycyrrhizic acid,coptisine hydrochloride,epiberberine,berberine hydrochloride and palmatine hydrochloride,were simultaneously determined by HPLC to obtain the mass weight of each component. The in vitro lipopolysaccharide( LPS)-induced RAW264. 7 cells inflammation model was established to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of 12 representative components and obtain the efficacy weight of each component. In order to obtain the number of doses and effective permeability coefficient which can represent the overall biopharmaceutical properties of Gegen Qinlian Tablets,mass weight was combined with efficacy weight to integrate the solubility and permeability data of each component determined by typical shake flask method and in situ single pass intestinal perfusion model respectively. The results indicated that Gegen Qinlian Tablets should be categorized Ⅳ drug of the CMMBCS with low solubility and low permeability.

Research on attributes of biopharmaceutics classification system for Chinese materia medica of baicalein in Gegen Qinlian Decoction environment / 中国中药杂志

For the effects of multi-component environment on the solubility and permeability of single components,and the problems of biopharmaceutical attribute classification of single components in the compound prescriptions environment,baicalein was used as the research object in this study to investigate the biopharmaceutic attributes of single-component and their traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) biopharmaceutic attributes in the multi-component environment of Gegen Qilian Decoction. Shaking flask method,intrinsic dissolution rate test and HPLC were used to determine solubility of baicalein. Markers specified by FDA were utilized as permeable boundary reference materials to verify the applicability of the single-pass intestinal perfusion method( SPIP),and the quantitative research on the permeability of baicalein was also conducted. It is concluded that baicalein could be categorized as BCS-Ⅱ drug based on its low solubility and high intestinal permeability values,and it may be categorized into CMMBCS-I in the multi-component environment of Gegen Qilian Decoction due to its poor solubility but enhanced solubility and permeability in compound environment. This study could provide verification ideas for clinical determination of the best human oral dose of baicalein,and provide the data basis for the study of biopharmaceutics classification system of Chinese materia medica( CMMBCS).

Formation and development of Dao-di herbs "Long" medicines / 中国中药杂志

Gansu province,which spans the Yangtze river,is in the upper reaches of the Yellow river and located at the intersection of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau,the Inner Mongolia plateau and the Loess plateau. All of these areas are highly respected by doctors of all ages as they have enriched the resources of traditional Chinese medicines. In the interaction between the heavens and the earth,the interaction between the people and the future has been passed down to the present. As one of the abbreviations of Gansu province, " Long" is not only the symbol and representative of the Gansu region,but also the symbol of the authentic medicinal materials in Gansu. This paper sorts out the evolution of the name " Long" medicines,the development status and development limitations of " Long" medicines. It is believed that although the production areas of authentic medicinal materials in Gansu have changed in different historical periods,the core varieties have been used ever since. Today,with the great development of the Chinese medicine industry,Gansu province pays attention to the limitations of the current regional and technological competitiveness in the province,and gives full play to its own advantages,which can help the " Long" medicines stand out among the medicinal materials. Furthermore,it lays the foundation for the development of the industry and the application of high quality Chinese herbal medicines in clinical practice.

Three new alkaloids isolated from the stem tuber of Pinellia pedatisecta / 中国天然药物

The present study was designed to determine the chemical constituents of the stem tuber of Pinellia pedatisecta. The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by various chromatographic techniques, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral data. Three new alkaloids (compounds 1, 2, and 3) were obtained and identified as 9-((5-methoxypyridin-2-yl)methyl)-9H-purin-6-amine (1), 4-(2-(2, 5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)ethyl)phenyl acetate (2), and N-(9-((5-methoxypyridin-2-yl)methyl)-9H-purin-6-yl)acetamide (3). These compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against human cervical cancer HeLa cells. Compounds 1 and 3 significantly inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells with IC values being 3.02 ± 0.54 and 7.16 ± 0.62 μmol·L, respectively.

Three new alkaloids isolated from the stem tuber of Pinellia pedatisecta / 中国天然药物

The present study was designed to determine the chemical constituents of the stem tuber of Pinellia pedatisecta. The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by various chromatographic techniques, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral data. Three new alkaloids (compounds 1, 2, and 3) were obtained and identified as 9-((5-methoxypyridin-2-yl)methyl)-9H-purin-6-amine (1), 4-(2-(2, 5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)ethyl)phenyl acetate (2), and N-(9-((5-methoxypyridin-2-yl)methyl)-9H-purin-6-yl)acetamide (3). These compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against human cervical cancer HeLa cells. Compounds 1 and 3 significantly inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells with IC values being 3.02 ± 0.54 and 7.16 ± 0.62 μmol·L, respectively.

Plasma metabonomics of Guifu Dihuang Wan in the treatment of yang deficiency / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the effect of Guifu Dihuang Wan (GFDHW) in the treatment of yang deficiency and explore the underlying molecular mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-two participants without diseases were randomized into control group (n=31) and experimental group (n=31) and were given lifestyle intervention additional GFDHW treatment for a month. NMR technology was used for metabonomics analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Intervention with GFDHW resulted in significantly decreased conversion scores of yang deficiency in the experimental group compared with the control group (P<0.005). The concentrations of lactate, valine, proline, arginine and 3-hydroxybutyrate were increased in the plasma of yang-deficient subjects after lifestyle intervention. GFDHW treatment with lifestyle intervention significantly increased the concentrations of lactate, valine, proline, arginine and 3-hydroxybutyrate and also the levels of alanine, glutamine, alpha glucose, isoleucine, betaine and propylene glycol.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>GFDHW treatment improves yang deficiency possibly by increasing the concentrations of alanine, glutamine, alpha glucose, isoleucine, betaine and propylene glycol and promoting energy metabolism of the body.</p>