Study on extraction technology of Sophora flavescens-Phellodendron chinense drug pair / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To study the extraction technology of Sophora flavescens-Phellodendron chinense drug pair and provide a reference for the development of new drugs for the treatment of anorectal diseases. METHODS Using the contents of total alkaloids of S. flavescens （matrine+oxymatrine）， berberine hydrochloride and total flavonoid， and extract yield as evaluation indicators， analytic hierarchy process-entropy weight method was used to calculate the weight coefficient of each indicator， and was combined with Box-Behnken design-response surface method to study the extraction technology of S. flavescens-P. chinense drug pair and verify it. RESULTS The optimal extraction technology of S. flavescens-P. chinense drug pair was immersed in 12-fold amount of 58% ethanol for 30 minutes and extracted twice， each time for 120 minutes. The relative error between the verification experimental results and the predicted value was 1.88%. CONCLUSIONS The obtained extraction technology is stable and feasible and can provide reference for the application of S. flavescens-P. chinense drug pair and development of new drugs.

Modified FOLFIRINOX compared to Gemcitabine & nab-Paclitaxel in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma - results of a match-pair analysis

Background & objectives: FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GN) are the most commonly used regimens in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). As there is limited data on comparison of these two regimens, the present study was aimed to compare survivals and tolerance for both regimens through a match-pair analysis. Methods: The data of 350 patients with metastatic and locally advanced PDAC, treated between January 2013 and December 2019, were retrieved. A 1:1 matching, using age and performance status, without replacement was performed by using nearest neighbour matching method. Results: A total of 260 patients (130 modified FOLFIRINOX and 130 GN) were matched. The median overall survival (OS) was 12.98 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.257-8.776 months] in modifications of FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) cohort and 12.06 months (95% CI 6.690-8.88 months) in GN group (P=0.080). The incidence of grade 3 and 4 infections, diarrhoea, oral mucositis, and fatigue was higher with mFOLFIRINOX. Patients who received second line therapy had improved OS as compared to those who did not (14.06 vs. 9.07 months, P<0.001). Interpretation & conclusions: GN and mFOLFIRINOX appear to have similar survival outcomes in an unselected match paired patient population with advanced PDAC. A markedly increased incidence of non-myelosuppressive grade 3 and grade 4 side-effects and lack of survival improvements suggest a need for nuanced use of the mFOLFIRINOX regimen. Administration of second-line chemotherapy improves OS in patients with advanced PDAC.

Síndrome de microdeleção 2q32 em paciente da Amazônia ocidental / 2q32 microdeletion syndrome in a patient from the western Amazon

Introdução: As deleções intersticiais envolvendo a região 2q31q32 são reconhecidas como um transtorno clínico, envolvendo diversas manifestações como deficiência intelectual, retardo no crescimento, distúrbios comportamentais e dismorfologias faciais. Os números reduzidos de relatos de pacientes acometidos por essa síndrome contribui para que as correlações genótipos-fenótipos sejam difíceis de se fazer. Relato de caso: Paciente com inversão do braço longo do cromossomo 2 [46, XX,inv(2)(q21q33)]. Apresentou ao exame físico dismorfológico fronte proeminente, epicanto, ponte nasal baixa, filtro nasolabial longo e lábio superior fino. Ao exame neurológico, apresentava hipotonia. Discussão: Uma correta interpretação cromossômica pode não só identificar a síndrome de microdeleção como também, descartar ou confirmar possíveis diagnósticos diferenciais, deixando evidente a necessidade e a importância de se reconhecer e documentar os casos (AU).

Introduction: Interstitial deletions involving the 2q31q32 region are recognized as a clinical disorder involving several manifestations, such as intellectual disability, growth retardation, behavioral disorders, and facial dysmorphologies. The reduced number of reports of patients affected by this syndrome contributes to the difficulty of making genotype-phenotype correlations. Case report: Patient with inversion of the long arm of chromosome 2 [46, XX,inv(2)(q21q33)]. On physical examination, he had a prominent forehead, epicanthus, low nasal bridge, long nasolabial philtrum and thin upper lip. Neurological examination showed hypotonia. Discussion: A correct chromosomal interpretation can identify the microdeletion syndrome and rule out or confirm possible differential diagnoses, highlighting the need and importance of recognizing and documenting cases (AU).

Application Regularity and Mechanism of Chinese Marine Drug Pair Haliotidis Concha-Oystreae Concha Based on Literature Mining Technology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical application hotspots， development trends， compatibility characteristics， application rules， and formulation mechanisms of the Chinese marine drug pair Haliotidis Concha-Oystreae Concha in order to provide references for its clinical medication and further research. MethodBy means of various modern literature databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， modern clinical prescriptions containing Haliotidis Concha-Oystreae Concha， as well as the clinical application hotspots， were retrieved， followed by visualized analysis of hotspots and development trends of their clinical applications using Citespace. The drug composition， efficacy and indications， and drug dosages in the prescriptions were statistically analyzed. Additionally， various statistical software including SPSS Modeler 18.0 were employed to analyze the indications， syndromes， and formulation rules of Haliotidis Concha-Oystreae Concha. ResultThe visualized analysis included 90 articles， revealing a gradual decrease in publications in this field in recent years. Key clinical application keywords were identified as hypertension， collateral deficiency producing wind， insomnia， etc. Eighty clinical prescriptions were retrieved， involving 121 drugs. Frequency analysis of compatibility demonstrated that the top 10 drugs were Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis， Gastrodiae Rhizoma， Os Draconis， Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix， Paeoniae Radix Alba， Chrysanthemi Flos， Scutellariae Radix， Gardeniae Frucuts， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， and Polygoni Multiflori Caulis. Association rule analysis showed that core combinations included "Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis-Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix" and "Os Draconis-Pheretima-Chuanxiong Rhizoma". Through factor reliability analysis， new drug combinations were derived， such as "Gastrodiae Rhizoma-Polygoni Multiflori Caulis-Eucommiae Cortex-Taxilli Herba-Leonuri Herba"， "Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix-Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis"， "Scutellariae Radix-Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Margarita-Prunellae Spica"， "Os Draconis-Pheretima-Bombyx Batryticatus"， "Chrysanthemi Flos-Chuanxiong Rhizoma"， "Poria-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma"， and "Paeoniae Radix Alba-Gardeniae Fructus-Sclerotium Poriae Pararadicis". The Haliotidis Concha-Oystreae Concha drug pair was mainly used to treat diseases with liver Yang hyperactivity syndrome， with hypertension accounting for 40.00%， migraines for 30.00%， and dizziness for 15.00%. In the treatment of liver Yang hyperactivity syndrome， the main categories of compatible drugs were liver-pacifying and wind-extinguishing ones （19.86%）， blood-activating and stasis-resolving ones （12.13%）， and spirit-calming ones （10.08%）. High-frequency drugs in the prescriptions function to reduce blood pressure through multiple pathways， such as increasing nitric oxide （NO） levels， downregulating angiotensin Ⅱ （Ang Ⅱ）， and inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme （ACE）. ConclusionThrough comprehensive analysis of the results， the Haliotidis Concha-Oystreae Concha drug pair is commonly used for hypertension with liver Yang hyperactivity syndrome， and is often combined with deficiency-tonifying， liver-pacifying and wind-extinguishing， heat-clearing， and spirit-calming drugs， aiming to simultaneously extinguish wind， relieve spasms， and pacify the liver to subdue Yang， while also clearing heat to relax bowels， stabilizing the mind， and enhancing the liver-pacifying and Yang-subduing effects of this drug pair.

Intervention effect of Chuanxiong-Chishao herb pair on circRNA/lncRNA expression profile in a myocardial infarction-atherosclerosis model / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to explore the intervention effect of Chuanxiong-Chishao herb pair(CX-CS) on a myocardial infarction-atherosclerosis(MI-AS) mouse model and investigate its effect on the expression profile of circular RNAs(circRNAs)/long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs) in ischemic myocardium and aorta. Sixty male ApoE~(-/-) mice were randomly assigned to a model group, high-, medium-, and low-dose CX-CS groups(7.8, 3.9, and 1.95 g·kg~(-1)), and a positive drug group(metoprolol 26 mg·kg~(-1) and simvastatin 5.2 mg·kg~(-1)), with 12 mice in each group. Male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to the sham group. The mice in the model group and the groups with drug intervention were fed on a high-fat diet for 10 weeks, followed by anterior descending coronary artery ligation. After that, the mice were fed on a high-fat diet for another two weeks to induce the MI-AS model. The mice in the sham group received normal feed, followed by sham surgery without coronary artery ligation. Mice in the groups with drug intervention received CX-CS or positive drug by gavage for four weeks from the 9th week of high-fat feeding, and those in the model group and the sham group received an equal volume of normal saline. Whole transcriptome sequencing was performed on the heart and aorta tissues of the medium-dose CX-CS group, the model group, and the sham group after administration. The results showed that the medium-and high-dose CX-CS groups showed improved cardiac function and reduced myocardial fibrosis area, and the medium-dose CX-CS group showed significantly reduced plaque area. CX-CS treatment could reverse the expression of circRNA＿07227 and circRNA＿11464 in the aorta of AS model and circRNA expression(such as circRNA＿11505) in the heart of the MI model. Differentially expressed circRNAs between the CX-CS-treated mice and the model mice were mainly enriched in lipid synthesis, lipid metabolism, lipid transport, inflammation, and angiogenesis in the aorta, and in angiogenesis, blood pressure regulation, and other processes in the heart. CX-CS treatment could reverse the expression of lncRNAs such as ENSMUST00000162209 in the aorta of the AS model and TCONS＿00002123 in the heart of the MI model. Differentially expressed lncRNAs between the CX-CS-treated mice and model mice were mainly enriched in lipid metabolism, angiogenesis, autophagy, apoptosis, and iron death in the aorta, and in angiogenesis, autophagy, and iron death in the heart. In summary, CX-CS can regulate the expression of a variety of circRNAs and lncRNAs, and its intervention mechanism in coronary heart disease may be related to the regulation of angiogenesis and inflammation in ischemic myocardium, as well as lipid metabolism, lipid transport, inflammation, angiogenesis in AS aorta.

Optimization of extraction process of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma based on network pharmacology and multi-index orthogonal test / 中国中药杂志

To optimize the extraction process of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma herb pair by network pharmacology combined with analytic hierarchy process(AHP)-entropy weight method and multi-index orthogonal test. The potential active components and targets of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma were screened by network pharmacology and molecular docking, and the process evaluation indexes were determined with reference to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition). The core components of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma were determined as gastrodin, parishin B, parishin C, parishin E, ferulic acid, and 3-butylphthalide. With the extraction volume of each indicator and yield of dry extract as comprehensive evaluation indicators, the extraction conditions were optimized by the AHP-entropy weight method and orthogonal test as the ethanol volume of 50%, the solid-liquid ratio of 1∶8(g·mL~(-1)), extraction for three times, and 1.5 h each time. Through network pharmacology and molecular docking, the process evaluation index was determined, and the optimized process was stable and reproducible for the extraction of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma herb pair, which could provide reference for in-depth research.

Effects of Platycodonis Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma on oral nanoparticle uptake and in vitro inhibition against breast cancer metastasis / 中国中药杂志

This study combined the herbal pair Platycodonis Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma(PR-CR) possessing an inhibitory effect on tumor cell proliferation and metastasis with the active component of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) silibinin-loaded nanoparticles(NPs) with a regulatory effect on tumor microenvironment based on the joint effect on tumor cells and tumor microenvironment to inhi-bit cell metastasis. The effects of PR-CR on the cellular uptake of NPs and in vitro inhibition against breast cancer proliferation and metastasis were investigated to provide an experimental basis for improving nanoparticle absorption and enhancing therapeutic effects. Silibinin-loaded lipid-polymer nanoparticles(LPNs) were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The NPs were spherical or quasi-spherical in shape with obvious core-shell structure. The mean particle size was 107.4 nm, Zeta potential was-27.53 mV. The cellular uptake assay was performed by in vitro Caco-2/E12 coculture cell model and confocal laser scanning microscopy(CLSM), and the results indicated that PR-CR could promote the uptake of NPs. Further, in situ intestinal absorption assay by the CLSM vertical scanning approach showed that PR-CR could promote the absorption of NPs in the enterocytes of mice. The inhibitory effect of NPs on the proliferation and migration of 4T1 cells was analyzed using 4T1 breast cancer cells and co-cultured 4T1/WML2 cells, respectively. The results of the CCK8 assay showed that PR-CR-containing NPs could enhance the inhibition against the proliferation of 4T1 breast cancer cells. The wound healing assay indicated that PR-CR-containing NPs enhanced the inhibition against the migration of 4T1 breast cancer cells. This study enriches the research on oral absorption of TCM NPs and also provides a new idea for utilizing the advantages of TCM to inhibit breast cancer metastasis.

Mechanism of Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma in treating gastric cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental verification / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to investigate the mechanism of Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma(HQEZ) in the treatment of gastric cancer based on network pharmacology. Further, the SGC7901 cell model of gastric cancer was employed to validate the efficacy and key targets of the herb pair. Firstly, the CCK-8 assay was employed to evaluate the direct effect of HQEZ on the proliferation of gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. Then, network pharmacology methods were employed to investigate the active ingredients, key targets, and key signaling pathways involved in the treatment of gastric cancer with HQEZ. The results showed that HQEZ contained 18 potential active ingredients, such as quercetin, naringenin, and curcumin. The results of gene ontology(GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment suggested that the main targets of HQEZ in treating gastric cancer were involved in the regulation of protein serine/threonine kinase activity, activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) activity, cysteine-type endopeptidase activity, and negative regulation of protein serine/threonine kinase activity. The hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1) signaling pathway, ATP-binding cassette(ABC) transporters, cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of xenobiotics, p53 signaling pathway, and cell apoptosis were key signaling pathways of HQEZ in treating gastric cancer. The cell experiments demonstrated that HQEZ significantly downregulated the expression of ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1(ABCB1), epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), phosphorylated serine/threonine kinase(p-AKT), hypoxia inducible factor 1 subunit alpha(HIF1A), B-cell lymphoma 2(BCL2), breast cancer susceptibility protein 1(BRCA1), DNA polymerase theta(POLH), ribonucleotide reductase M1(RRM1), and excision repair cross-complementation group 1(ERCC1), and upregulated the expression of tumor protein P53(TP53) and cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase(CAPS3). Finally, a multivariate COX regression model was adopted to study the relationship between gene expression and clinical information data of gastric cancer patients in the TCGA database, which demonstrated that the key targets of HQEZ were associated with the poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients. Further feature selection using the LASSO algorithm showed that EGFR, HIF1A, TP53, POLH, RRM1, and ERCC1 were closely associated with the survival of gastric can-cer patients. In conclusion, HQEZ regulates the expression of genes involved in DNA repair, survival, and apoptosis in gastric cancer cells via multiple targets and pathways, assisting the treatment of gastric cancer.

Colonoscopy follow-up in patients with simultaneous multiple primary colorectal cancer and patients with sporadic colorectal cancer: a matched-pair study / 中华消化杂志

Objective:To investigate the incidences of metachronous advanced adenoma (MAA) in patients with simultaneous multiple primary colorectal cancer (CRC) and patients with sporadic CRC.Methods:From January 1, 2008 to September 30, 2022, at Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, CRC patients who underwent surgery and 3 years follow-up with endoscopy were enrolled. The patients completed colonoscopy at least 2 times during follow-up in 6 to 36 months after surgery, and the interval between the 2 times colonoscopies was over 6 months. Clinical data including age, gender, and tumor location, stage, pathological features, combined underlying diseases, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen, hemoglobin and other laboratory results, baseline colonoscopy results, and detection of MAA were collected. According to age (±2 years old), gender, location of primary lesion and stage of tumor, patients with simultaneous CRC or sporadic CRC were matched at 1∶1 ratio by propensity score matching. The cumulative risks of MAA in patients with simultaneous multiple primary CRC and patients with sporadic CRC were calculated. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to analyze the influencing factors in the occurrence of MAA.Results:A total of 814 CRC patients were enrolled and matched. After paired matching, there were 36 cases of simultaneous multiple primary CRC (78 lesions) and 78 cases of sporadic CRC (78 lesions). The cumulative incidences of MAA at 1, 2 and 3 years of simultaneous CRC group were 11.1%(4/36), 22.2%(8/36) and 33.3%(12/36), respectively. The cumulative incidences of MAA at 1-, 2- and 3-year of sporadic CRC group were 3.8%(3/78), 12.8%(10/78) and 20.5%(16/78), respectively.Simultaneous CRC was correlated with an increase in the 3-year cumulative incidence of MAA ( HR=4.163, 95% confidence interval(95% CI) 1.032 to 4.721, P=0.047). Especially in left-sided CRC, the risk of MAA in simultaneous CRC increased ( HR=7.186, 95% CI 1.602 to 20.787, P=0.010). The results of multivariate cox-regression analysis indicated that detection of simultaneous advanced adenoma at baseline endoscopy was an independent risk factor of MAA ( HR=3.175, 95% CI 1.411 to 7.142, P=0.005). Conclusion:Colouoscopy follow-up should be strengthened in patients with simultaneous multiple primary CRC and simultaneous advanced adenomas.

Prenatal phenotypic analysis and genetic counseling for 22q11.21 microdeletion and microduplication syndrome / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To analyze the prenatal clinical phenotypes and pregnancy outcomes of fetuses with 22q11.21 microdeletion and microduplication syndrome to provide a basis for clinical genetic counseling.Methods:This retrospective study involved the cases diagnosed with 22q11.21 microdeletion or microduplication by chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) due to abnormal ultrasound findings, advanced maternal age, or high-risk pregnancies indicated by serum screening in the Prenatal Diagnosis Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 2015 to January 2022. Clinical phenotypes and pregnancy outcomes of the fetuses were analyzed and described.Results:Among 9 141 cases referred for CMA during the study period, 77 cases (0.8%) were diagnosed as 22q11.21 microdeletion or microduplication, including 62 (80.5%) with 22q11.21 microdeletion and 15 (19.5%) with microduplication. In the 22q11.21 microdeletion cases, 58 had typical deletion, and four had atypical deletions, but all fetuses carried TBX1 gene that was clearly associated with congenital heart disease. The 15 fetuses with 22q11.21 microduplication including 14 in the typical region and one in the atypical region. Forty-eight (77.4%) out of the 62 fetuses with 22q11.21 microdeletion were complicated by congenital heart defects, including 28 with conotruncal defects. Five of the 15 fetuses with 22q11.21 microduplication were complicated by congenital heart defects. The cases were followed up on telephone at three to six months after the expected date of delivery. Among the 62 cases with 22q11.21 microdeletion, 52 terminated pregnancies, five were lost to follow-up, and five were delivered (one died after one month of premature delivery, one was born with anal advancement and growth retardation, and three were followed up without obvious abnormality). Among the 15 cases with 22q11.21 microduplication, four terminated pregnancies, two were lost to follow-up, and nine gave birth (eight were followed up without obvious abnormality, one grew slowly). Conclusions:The application of CMA in the prenatal diagnosis of 22q11.21 microdeletion and microduplication fetuses, and the comprehensive analysis of clinical manifestations and pregnancy outcome combined with ultrasonic diagnosis are of great significance in guiding the treatment and rehabilitation after birth of an affected child. Genetic counseling for cases with 22q11.21 microdeletion and microduplication syndrome should be cautious and consider ultrasound findings.

Prenatal diagnosis and genetic analysis of seven fetuses with 16p12.2 microdeletion or microduplication / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the prenatal ultrasonographic features and diagnosis of 16p12.2 copy number variation (CNV).Methods:This retrospective study recruited seven fetuses with 16p12.2 microdeletion/microduplication in the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2017 to December 2021. Data, including the prenatal diagnostic indications, ultrasound findings, karyotypes, genetic testing and mutation tracing results, pregnancy outcomes, and postnatal follow-up data, were summarized with descriptive statistical analysis.Results:Prenatal ultrasound indicated three fetuses with structural abnormalities, including one case each of multiple malformations, interventricular septal defect, and cleft lip and palate. The other four cases were positive for ultrasonic soft markers involving the heart and kidney. The chromosome karyotypes of the seven fetuses were normal. Single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP array) results showed that four cases had a 381.7-542.4 kb microdeletion containing three genes ( OTOA, METTL9, and IGSF6) in Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) at 16p12.2 (distal region) and three cases had a 484.0-701.7 kb microdeletion/microduplication containing four OMIM genes ( UQCRC2, CDR2, EEF2K, and POLR3E) at 16p12.2 (proximal region). Five (cases 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6) out of the seven fetuses inherited the variants from their phenotypically normal mother/father, and among them, three (cases 2, 4, and 5) were delivered at term and healthy. Two cases (cases 3 and 7) refused to undergo pedigree verification. Case 3, a full-term infant, underwent ventricular septal defect repair three months after birth, and no abnormality was found at 18 months of age. Conclusions:No specific phenotype presents in fetuses with 16p12.2 microdeletion/microduplication in prenatal diagnosis. OTOA gene is the key gene associated with abnormality in the distal region of 16p12.2. Pedigree analysis is conducive to preventing unnecessary termination of pregnancy.

A case of 5p15.1-5p15.33 duplication and literature review / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To analyze the clinical and genetic features of the children with 5p15.1-5p15.33 duplication at the end of the short arm of chromosome 5 (5p).Methods:Clinical data of a 5p15.1-5p15.33 duplicative patient diagnosed in the Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University in July 2021 were collected, and the characteristics of the patients of 5p duplication syndrome reported in the literatures were summarized and analyzed.Results:The boy was 1 year and 5 months old at the time of admission. The main clinical manifestations included growth restriction and developmental delay after birth, accompanied by craniofacial deformities. At 7 months old, he was diagnosed as epilepsy due to convulsive limbs. At present, he is 2 years old, still has recurrent convulsions, can not raise his head, sit alone, crawl and talk, with hypotonia. Repeated cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed agenesis of the corpus callosum. The child′s parents had normal phenotypes. His copy number variation sequencing results showed partial overlap of chromosome 5p15.1-5p15.33 (chr5:1934522-18905656), which was determined as pathogenic copy number variation according to copy number variations evaluation criteria, and no abnormality was detected in his parents. According to the retrieval strategy set in this study, 10 literatures (all in English, reporting 17 cases) were retrieved, and a total of 22 5p duplication syndrome patients (including this case and 4 cases included in databases) were included. Seventeen of the 22 patients were younger than 14 years old with a onset age of 7 (0, 18) years, and the male to female ratio was about 1.1∶1. Among the 22 patients, craniofacial malformation was found in 19 patients, developmental disorder in 18, bone/muscle dysplasia in 15, autism in 11, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 9, mental retardation in 8, obesity in 5, epilepsy in 5, congenital heart dysplasia in 2, hypotonia in 4, strabismus/hyperopia in 2, and corpus callosum dysplasia, endocrine dysfunction, inguinal hernia as well as umbilical hernia in 1, respectively. There were 19 cases of multiple malformation and 3 cases of single malformation.Conclusions:5p15.1-5p15.33 duplication may be the genetic cause of this child. Facial malformation, developmental delay, skeletal/muscular dysplasia, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are the main clinical phenotypes of 5p copy number duplication. Corpus callosum dysplasia may be an extended phenotype of chromosome duplication at this location.

Integration of plasma metabolomics and spectrum-effect correlation for profiling the mechanism and pharmacodynamic substances on attenuating hepatic fibrosis of Bupleuri Radix and Paeoniae Radix Alba before and after vinegar-processing and compatibility / 药学学报

Plasma metabolomics based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technique was developed for profiling the mechanism on attenuating hepatic fibrosis of Bupleuri Radix (BR) and Paeoniae Radix Alba (PRA) before and after vinegar-processing and compatibility, and to screen potential pharmacodynamic substances by spectrum-effect correlation method in this study. Firstly, SD rats with CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis were used as an in vivo model. The blood and tissue samples were collected for the analyses of pharmacodynamic indexes and plasma metabolomics after six weeks’ administration of BR, vinegar-processed BR (VPBR), PRA, vinegar-processed PRA (VPPRA), BR-PRA herb-pair, and VPBR-VPPRA herb-pair. The experiment was approved by the experimental animal ethics committee from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (No.202103A002). The results of pharmacodynamics indicated that the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT, P < 0.01), aspartate aminotransferase (AST, P < 0.01), and hydroxyproline (HYP, P < 0.01) were decreased significantly, while the level of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, P < 0.05) was increased obviously after administration of all treatment groups. Next, UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was performed to characterize the endogenous metabolites. A total of 20 differential endogenous metabolites related to the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis were identified in positive and negative ion modes, mainly involving five metabolic pathways of retinol metabolism, glycerol phospholipid metabolism, glyceride metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Meanwhile, a concept named correction rate was introduced to evaluate the back-regulation effects of all treatment groups on differential metabolites, and 10 differential metabolites were corrected by all treatment groups. The correction effects of the vinegar-processed herb groups were better than those of the crude ones, and the correction effects of the herb-pair groups were better than those of the single ones. Interestingly, the best correction effect was found in the VPBR-VPPRA herb-pair group, which further verified the efficacy improvement through vinegar-processing and compatibility. Partial least square method and VIP analysis combined with spectrum-effect correlation were applied for screening pharmacodynamic markers, and 38 ingredients with higher correlation with four classical pharmacodynamic indexes (ALT, AST, HYP, and GSH-Px) were identified as pharmacodynamic markers of the anti-hepatic fibrosis effects of BR and PRA before and after vinegar-processing and compatibility. The results of the investigation could not only lay a foundation for clarifying the pharmacodynamic materials and mechanism of vinegar-processing and compatibility of BR and PRA in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis as well as provide a theoretical basis for demonstrating the scientific connotation of processing and compatibility, but also provide a reference for further drug design and development of BR and PRA in clinic.

Hydatid Disease — An Overview

Human Hydatid Disease is a growing menace, a parasitic disease present in many countries all over the globe (more than 1 million people are affected throughout the World annually). Tape-worm is the main causative organism.In humans it is prevalent in two forms – Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) [caused by Echinococcus granulosus] and Alveolar Echinococcosis (AE)[caused by Echinococcus multilocularis]. Humans are the accidental intermediate host; they are being affected by drinking water or eating food contaminated with parasite eggs or by direct contact with infected animal hosts like dogs. In humans, the most commonly affected organ is Liver followed by the Lungs. The main investigational tool is Ultrasonography but Computed Tomography (CT) and serological tests are also helpful in the diagnosis of Liver Hydatid Cysts (LHC). Although PAIR technique is the most important modality of therapy along with medical treatment, surgery has got a great role in the management of the entire spectrum of the disease. Nowadays, various Laparoscopic techniques have been safely used to improve the morbidity and mortality associated with the surgical management of the disease, and is the only other therapeutic option used all over the World. Prevention programme includes, public awareness and Education, dog deworming and slaughterhouse hygiene.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Astragali Radix-Corni Fructus Herb-pair Extract, in kidney-yin deficiency model

Abstract To investigate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Astragali Radix-Corni Fructus herb-pair in kidney-yin deficiency model, which was made by continuously oral gavage of thyroxine. A simple and rapid LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of loganin and morroniside in rat plasma and used for the pharmacokinetics study. The kidney-yin deficiency significantly changed the AUC(0-∞), Cmax and CLz/F of loganin and morroniside. The T1/2z of morroniside increased significantly in the kidney-yin deficiency rats. For the pharmacodynamics study, the liver index, kidney index, and ALT, TBIL, UREA, CREA level in the kidney-yin deficiency mice were examined. The herb-pair had been proved to be effective for the treatment of kidney-yin deficiency by affecting the liver, kidney, ALT, UREA and CREA, which showed positively correlated with the dose. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics studies in the pathological status could offer more valuable information for the future application of Astragali Radix-Corni Fructus herb-pair.

Mechanism of Mahuang-Dahuang herb pair inhibiting M1 polarization of alveolar macrophages in prevention and treatment of acute lung injury / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect of Mahuang-Dahuang(MD)on inhibiting M1 polarization of alveolar macrophages, alleviating inflammatory injury and treating acute lung injury, and the underlying mechanism.Methods Abandoned rats were divided into normal control group(NC), model control group(MC), MD high-dose group(MD-H), medium-dose group(MD-M), low-dose group(MD-L), and DXMS group.Lipopolysaccharide(LPS)was injected intraperitoneally to prepare an acute lung injury(ALI)rat model.After the model was established, different doses of MD were administered by intragastric administration, and the pathological changes of lung tissues were observed; immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of alveolar macrophage marker F4/80,F4/80 and CD80, CD80 and IL-6 Co-expression; Flow cytometry was used to detect the content of F4/80 and CD80 in lung tissues; PCR was used to detect the relative expression of IL-6, INOS, TNF-α mRNA in lung tissues; Western blot was used to detect lung tissue CCR2, CCL2, p-p65, P65, p-p38MAPK, p38MAPK protein expression.Results Compared with NC group, rats in MC group had damaged alveolar structure, thickened pulmonary interstitial edema, and infiltrated a large number of inflammatory cells.Among them, the number of macrophages increased significantly, which promoted the increase in the expression of macrophages-related chemokines CCR2 and CCL2.The number and expression of M1 alveolar macrophages in lung tissues increased, the relative expression of M1 alveolar macrophages-related cytokines IL-6, INOS and TNF-α mRNA was up-regulated, and the target protein in the related pathways of alveolar macrophages M1 polarization p-NF-κBp65/NF-κBp65, p-P38MAPK/p38MAPK protein expression was up-regulated.Compared with MC group, the pathological status of lung tissues in MD high, medium, and low dose groups was significantly improved, the number of lung tissue M1 alveolar macrophages decreased, the relative expression of inflammatory factors IL-6, INOS and TNF-α mRNA was down-regulated, and the protein expression of CCR2, CCL2, p-NF-κBp65/ NF-κBp65 and p-P38MAPK/p38MAPK was reduced in lung tissues.Conclusions MD can inhibit the M1 polarization of alveolar macrophages, reduce the activation and release of inflammatory factors, inhibit inflammatory response, and prevent acute lung injury by regulating the expression of related indicators of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

Mechanism of Eucommiae ulmoides and Radix Dipsaci in prevention and treatment of osteoporosis:An analysis based on network pharmacology and cell experiment / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect and mechanism of Eucommiae ulmoides and Radix Dipsaci in the treatment of osteoporosis.Methods The active ingredients of Eucommiae ulmoides and Radix Dipsaci were obtained by TCMSP,BATMAN-TCM platform and the literature.Osteoporosis related genes were collected by GeneCards and OMIM.The compound target network was constructed with Cytoscape 3.7.2 software.The protein interaction network was constructed with STRING online website.DAVID was used to perform gene ontology(GO)enrichment analysis and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis.The synergistic effect of Eucommiae ulmoides and Radix Dipsaci was tested by osteo-blast proliferation,alkaline phosphatase expression and mineralized nodule formation experiments.The protein expressions of BMP2 and Wnt signaling pathway were investigated by Western blotting.Results A total of 44 active components of Eucommiae ulmoides and 17 active components of Radix Dipsaci were screened,and 80 targets were intersected by osteoporosis.GO analysis showed that the action mechanism of Eucommiae ulmoides and Radix Dipsaci in the treatment of osteoporosis was involved with 52 items of biological process,8 items of cell composition and 16 items of molecular function.The KEGG enrichment pathway was dominated by 6 major signaling pathways.Compared with the control group,the osteoblast proliferation,alkaline phosphatase expression and mineralized nodule formation significantly increased in Eucommiae ulmoides or Radix Dipsaci group(P<0.01).Western blotting showed that Eucommiae ulmoides mainly regulated the expression levels of Wnt signaling pathways(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and Radix Dipsaci up-regulated the expression levels of BMP2 signaling pathways(P<0.01).Meanwhile,Eucommiae ulmoides and Radix Dipsaci significantly enhanced these effects,respectively(P<0.01).Conclusions Although Eucommiae ulmoides and Radix Dipsaci have different active components,their main targets and pathways are the same in the treatment of osteoporosis.Eucommiae ulmoides and Radix Dipsaci can regulate the function of osteoblasts through BMP2 and Wnt signaling pathways,and the combination of the two drugs in the treatment of osteoporosis has synergistic effect.

Effect of Asari Radix et Rhizoma-Zingiberis Rhizoma Herb Pair on Lung and Liver Lipid Metabolism in Rats with COPD Based on Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Asari Radix et Rhizoma-Zingiberis Rhizoma herb pair （XGHP） on lung and liver lipid metabolism in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. MethodForty SD male rats were divided into a normal group （10 rats） and a model group （30 rats）. The method of cigarette smoke + tracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide（LPS） + cold stimulation was used to replicate COPD model with the syndrome of cold phlegm obstruction in lung. A COPD group， a XGHP group （5.4 g·kg-1·d-1）， and an aminophylline group （0.5 g·kg-1·d-1） were established after successfully inducing the model， with 10 rats in each group. After treatment， the serum triglyceride （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels of rats in each group were measured. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer （GC-MS） was used to detect the differential metabolites in the lung and liver tissues of rats in each group， and the relevant targets of the differential metabolites were predicted by network pharmacology. Molecular docking was used to verify the binding ability of key components in XGHP to the relevant targets in network pharmacology. The mRNA and protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α （PPARα） and fatty acid binding protein 4 （FABP4） in lung and liver tissues of rats in each group were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and Western blot. ResultXGHP significantly increased the levels of TG， TC， and LDL-C in serum （P<0.05）， and decreased the level of HDL-C （P<0.05） in rats with COPD. GC-MS results showed that there were 8 lung differential metabolites and 17 liver differential metabolites in the COPD group and XGHP group. Network pharmacology predicted 59 common targets for the two differential metabolites， mainly enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway. Molecular docking results showed that the main components in XGHP were well combined with both PPARα and FABP4. Real-time PCR showed that XGHP effectively up-regulated the expression levels of PPARα and FABP4 mRNA （P<0.05）， and Western blot showed that XGHP effectively up-regulated the expression levels of PPARα and FABP4 proteins （P<0.05） in lung and liver tissues of rats with COPD. ConclusionXGHP effectively improves the blood lipid levels of rats with COPD， which may be related to the increase of the expression levels of PPARα and FABP4 mRNA and proteins in the PPAR signaling pathway， thus regulating lung and liver lipid metabolism.

Effect of Asari Radix et Rhizoma-Zingiberis Rhizoma Herb Pair on Lung and Liver Lipid Metabolism in Rats with COPD Based on Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Asari Radix et Rhizoma-Zingiberis Rhizoma herb pair （XGHP） on lung and liver lipid metabolism in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. MethodForty SD male rats were divided into a normal group （10 rats） and a model group （30 rats）. The method of cigarette smoke + tracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide（LPS） + cold stimulation was used to replicate COPD model with the syndrome of cold phlegm obstruction in lung. A COPD group， a XGHP group （5.4 g·kg-1·d-1）， and an aminophylline group （0.5 g·kg-1·d-1） were established after successfully inducing the model， with 10 rats in each group. After treatment， the serum triglyceride （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels of rats in each group were measured. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer （GC-MS） was used to detect the differential metabolites in the lung and liver tissues of rats in each group， and the relevant targets of the differential metabolites were predicted by network pharmacology. Molecular docking was used to verify the binding ability of key components in XGHP to the relevant targets in network pharmacology. The mRNA and protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α （PPARα） and fatty acid binding protein 4 （FABP4） in lung and liver tissues of rats in each group were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and Western blot. ResultXGHP significantly increased the levels of TG， TC， and LDL-C in serum （P<0.05）， and decreased the level of HDL-C （P<0.05） in rats with COPD. GC-MS results showed that there were 8 lung differential metabolites and 17 liver differential metabolites in the COPD group and XGHP group. Network pharmacology predicted 59 common targets for the two differential metabolites， mainly enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway. Molecular docking results showed that the main components in XGHP were well combined with both PPARα and FABP4. Real-time PCR showed that XGHP effectively up-regulated the expression levels of PPARα and FABP4 mRNA （P<0.05）， and Western blot showed that XGHP effectively up-regulated the expression levels of PPARα and FABP4 proteins （P<0.05） in lung and liver tissues of rats with COPD. ConclusionXGHP effectively improves the blood lipid levels of rats with COPD， which may be related to the increase of the expression levels of PPARα and FABP4 mRNA and proteins in the PPAR signaling pathway， thus regulating lung and liver lipid metabolism.

Mechanism of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix Against Breast Cancer： An Exploration Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo screen out the main targets and related signaling pathways of the herbal pair Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix in treating breast cancer based on network pharmacology and verify their action mechanism in in vitro experiments. MethodThe main chemical components and related targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）， and the target genes related to breast cancer from GeneCards. Following the screening of the common targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix and breast cancer using Venn， the Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix-breast cancer network and protein-protein interaction （PPI） network were constructed. The effective targets were then subjected to gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis. The resulting outcomes were then verified by cell counting kit （CCK）-8 assay， flow cytometry， and Western blot. ResultThe screening yielded seven effective components and 61 targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix， among which 55 targets were involved in breast cancer. The GO analysis revealed 832 entries， which were mainly enriched in the biological processes. According to KEGG pathway enrichment analysis， 85 signaling pathways were obtained， including tumor suppressor p53， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt）. It was verified in in vitro experiments that the alcohol extract of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix inhibited the proliferation of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and induced their apoptosis. Compared with the blank control group and the dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO， 0.1% solvent） group， the medication groups exhibited obviously decreased absorbance in MDA-MB-231 cells （P<0.01） and increased apoptosis rate （P<0.01）. The results of Western blot demonstrated that compared with the blank control group and the DMSO group， each medication significantly reduced the phosphorylated （p）-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in cells （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe ethanol extract of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix effectively inhibits the proliferation of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and induces their apoptosis， which may be related to the inhibition of the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.