Sorting and Elaborating on the Combination Theory of Herb Pairs / 中医杂志

As the smallest combination unit of Chinese medicinals， herbal pairs serve as the bridge between medicinals and formulas， whose combination theory reflects the basic characteristics of Chinese medicinals combination and the core essence of prescription composition. Simultaneously， as a key combination of medicinals in clinical treatment of diseases， syndromes， and symptoms， herbal pairs are the main form of clinical medication in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） as well as the characteristic advantage of treating diseases. This article summarized that “mutual complement of medicinals of same or antagonism flavor and nature” theory is the theoretical origin， and efficacy-enhancement and toxicity-attenuation is the core purpose of the combination of herbal pairs. The property theory of Chinese medicinals and the thought of differentiation and treatment are the main basis of the combination of herbal pairs， and pertinence and flexibility are the key points in clinical application. All mentioned above are expected to provide theoretical guidance for the clinical use and modern research of herbal pairs.

Sorting and Elaborating on the Combination Theory of Herb Pairs / 中医杂志

@#As the smallest combination unit of Chinese medicinals， herbal pairs serve as the bridge between medicinals and formulas， whose combination theory reflects the basic characteristics of Chinese medicinals combination and the core essence of prescription composition. Simultaneously， as a key combination of medicinals in clinical treatment of diseases， syndromes， and symptoms， herbal pairs are the main form of clinical medication in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） as well as the characteristic advantage of treating diseases. This article summarized that “mutual complement of medicinals of same or antagonism flavor and nature” theory is the theoretical origin， and efficacy-enhancement and toxicity-attenuation is the core purpose of the combination of herbal pairs. The property theory of Chinese medicinals and the thought of differentiation and treatment are the main basis of the combination of herbal pairs， and pertinence and flexibility are the key points in clinical application. All mentioned above are expected to provide theoretical guidance for the clinical use and modern research of herbal pairs.

The therapeutic efficacy and safety improvements of crizotinib prodrug micelles on breast cancer treatment.

Nowadays, breast cancer has become a major killer threatening women's health. MET is a receptor tyrosine kinase that upon binding of its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor, activates downstream pathways with diverse cellular functions which are important in the occurrence and development of breast cancer. Crizotinib (Cro) is a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting ALK gene recombination, MET gene amplification and ROS gene. Although Cro has the ideal treatment for breast cancer, Cro has stronger hepatotoxicity and lacks targeting capacity to the tumor cell, which limited Cro to effectively therapy breast cancer. In this study, we develop a novel prodrug micelle through polymerization reaction polymerizing Cro onto the chain to form POEG-b-PCro prodrug micelles, in which the drug loading capacity of Cro was significantly increased to improve the cumulant of the tumor. Pharmacokinetic and biodistribution studies illustrated that POEG-b-PCro prodrug micelles had a significant effect by improving Cro content in the tumor. Meanwhile, the antitumor mechanism of POEG-b-PCro prodrug micelles proved that POEG-b-PCro prodrug micelles had a stronger effect by reducing negative regulatory proteins. POEG-b-PCro prodrug micelles had splendid safety through safety study in vivo to account for POEG-b-PCro prodrug micelles. Therefore, POEG-b-PCro prodrug micelles are a promising drug delivery strategy for reducing toxicity and enhancing the efficacy of Cro.

[Twenty years in the 21st century: research hotspots and frontier analysis on Chinese medicine processing mechanism].

The research on the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine is the key and core foundation to improve processing technologies of Chinese medicine, formulate the quality standards of Chinese medicinal pieces, enhance the clinical efficacy of Chinese medicine, enrich Chinese medicine processing theories, and promote the development of Chinese medicine processing. Many researc-hers have conducted in-depth exploration on the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine in the 20 years in the 21 st century. Significant progress has been made in the transformation of chemical components during the processing, the change of active components in the body, the law of toxicity attenuation in the processing of toxic Chinese medicine, the mechanism of efficacy enhancement and toxicity attenuation of processing with auxiliary materials, and the application of new biomedical technologies. At present, the processing mechanism of multiple Chinese medicines has been preliminarily clarified, which has greatly promoted the development of Chinese me-dicine processing. The development of the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine reveals that the in vitro transformation of chemical components is combined with the in vivo absorption, transport, and metabolism, and the macroscopic biological effects of the organism are combined with the cells, molecules, targets, and pathways in the study of the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine. More attention has been paid to exploring the processing mechanism from the overall level, and a modern systematic research system on the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine has been initially formed. To further promote the scientific development of Chinese me-dicine processing, the present study proposed that the research on the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine should take Chinese medicine properties into account, focus on the influence of disease condition on the mode of action and effect strength of the drugs, comply with the characteristics of clinical compound compatibility of Chinese medicine, use the holistic view research strategies of systems bio-logy, and deeply explore the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine from traditional Chinese medicine theories and the characteristics of clinical medication of Chinese medicine.

[Research status on efficacy enhancement and toxicity reduction of Chinese medicine in treatment of malignant tumors: a review of projects supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China].

Through a retrospective analysis of the projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China in the past ten years in the field of Chinese medicine for the treatment of malignant tumors, this article systematically summarized the main research contents and hotspots of Chinese medicine in efficacy enhancement and toxicity reduction. The efficacy enhancement of Chinese medicine mainly included the mitigation of molecule-targeted drug resistance, multidrug resistance, and chemotherapy resistance, synergistic efficacy enhancement, and radiotherapy sensitization. The toxicity reduction is mainly reflected in the alleviation of the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In addition, Chinese medicine has advantages in reducing serious adverse reactions of malignant tumors, providing more options for the adjuvant treatment of tumors.

Twenty years in the 21st century: research hotspots and frontier analysis on Chinese medicine processing mechanism / 中国中药杂志

The research on the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine is the key and core foundation to improve processing technologies of Chinese medicine, formulate the quality standards of Chinese medicinal pieces, enhance the clinical efficacy of Chinese medicine, enrich Chinese medicine processing theories, and promote the development of Chinese medicine processing. Many researc-hers have conducted in-depth exploration on the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine in the 20 years in the 21 st century. Significant progress has been made in the transformation of chemical components during the processing, the change of active components in the body, the law of toxicity attenuation in the processing of toxic Chinese medicine, the mechanism of efficacy enhancement and toxicity attenuation of processing with auxiliary materials, and the application of new biomedical technologies. At present, the processing mechanism of multiple Chinese medicines has been preliminarily clarified, which has greatly promoted the development of Chinese me-dicine processing. The development of the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine reveals that the in vitro transformation of chemical components is combined with the in vivo absorption, transport, and metabolism, and the macroscopic biological effects of the organism are combined with the cells, molecules, targets, and pathways in the study of the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine. More attention has been paid to exploring the processing mechanism from the overall level, and a modern systematic research system on the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine has been initially formed. To further promote the scientific development of Chinese me-dicine processing, the present study proposed that the research on the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine should take Chinese medicine properties into account, focus on the influence of disease condition on the mode of action and effect strength of the drugs, comply with the characteristics of clinical compound compatibility of Chinese medicine, use the holistic view research strategies of systems bio-logy, and deeply explore the processing mechanism of Chinese medicine from traditional Chinese medicine theories and the characteristics of clinical medication of Chinese medicine.

Research status on efficacy enhancement and toxicity reduction of Chinese medicine in treatment of malignant tumors: a review of projects supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China / 中国中药杂志

Through a retrospective analysis of the projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China in the past ten years in the field of Chinese medicine for the treatment of malignant tumors, this article systematically summarized the main research contents and hotspots of Chinese medicine in efficacy enhancement and toxicity reduction. The efficacy enhancement of Chinese medicine mainly included the mitigation of molecule-targeted drug resistance, multidrug resistance, and chemotherapy resistance, synergistic efficacy enhancement, and radiotherapy sensitization. The toxicity reduction is mainly reflected in the alleviation of the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In addition, Chinese medicine has advantages in reducing serious adverse reactions of malignant tumors, providing more options for the adjuvant treatment of tumors.

The Outcome of a Self-Efficacy Enhancement Program for Cervical Cancer Screening among Women in Phrasaeng District, Suratthani Province, Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of a self-efficacy enhancement program on perceived self-efficacy and cervical cancer screening among women. METHODS: This research was quasi-experimental research, using the subjects consisted of 130 samples; each of the experimental and control group consisted of 65 samples. The experimental group received a self-efficacy enhancement program. The control group received knowledge and usual care by health personnel in the health promoting hospital. The duration of the research was 8 weeks. The self-efficacy was testing the reliability equal to 0.90. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and t-test. RESULTS: The mean scores of perceived self-efficacy between the experimental and control group before using the program (M=2.18, S.D.=0.40; M=2.22, S.D.=0.39), there was no significantly different (p> 0.05). The mean scores of perceived self-efficacy between the experimental and control group after using the program (M=4.11, S.D.=0.44; M=2.28, S.D.=0.42), there was a significantly different (p< 0.001). The mean scores of perceived self-efficacy of the experimental group before and after using the program were higher, (M=2.18, S.D.=0.40; M=4.11, S.D.=0.44), there was a significantly different (p< 0.001). The experimental group came to screening 64 people (98.5 %), and the control group came to screening eight people (12.3 %), calculated ratio as 8:1 and compared the cervical cancer screening in the experimental and control group had differences significantly (p< 0.001). CONCLUSION: The self-efficacy enhancement program, resulting in increased screening rates and screened after the first week by having most screening tests in the community. Therefore, the program should be applied, and proactive services should be provided for women to have access in community and a health service place.
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Recent Advances in Berberine Inspired Anticancer Approaches: From Drug Combination to Novel Formulation Technology and Derivatization.

Berberine is multifunctional natural product with potential to treat diverse pathological conditions. Its broad-spectrum anticancer effect through direct effect on cancer cell growth and metastasis have been established both in vitro and in vivo. The cellular targets that account to the anticancer effect of berberine are incredibly large and range from kinases (protein kinase B (Akt), mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), cell cycle checkpoint kinases, etc.) and transcription factors to genes and protein regulators of cell survival, motility and death. The direct effect of berberine in cancer cells is however relatively weak and occur at moderate concentration range (10-100 µM) in most cancer cells. The poor pharmacokinetics profile resulting from poor absorption, efflux by permeability-glycoprotein (P-gc) and extensive metabolism in intestinal and hepatic cells are other dimensions of berberine's limitation as anticancer agent. This communication addresses the research efforts during the last two decades that were devoted to enhancing the anticancer potential of berberine. Strategies highlighted include using berberine in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents either to reduce toxic side effects or enhance their anticancer effects; the various novel formulation approaches which by order of magnitude improved the pharmacokinetics of berberine; and semisynthetic approaches that enhanced potency by up to 100-fold.

Methyl-cellulose powder for prevention and management of nasal symptoms.

INTRODUCTION: HPMC-p, an inert micronized powder form of hydroxy-propyl-methyl-cellulose, when insufflated nasally, provides a natural barrier against pollen allergens and noxious agents. This overview assesses the efficacy and safety of this patented powder product and delivery system without an analogue among the cellulose derivatives. Areas covered: Twenty-six studies with HPMC-p were critically appraised to obtain an updated characteristic of the product. Most studies assessed the efficacy of HPMC-p as a nasal barrier enforcing measure: one experimental setup evaluated its ability to prevent or delay the diffusion of allergen through it, two clinical studies used allergen provocation tests, and the remaining relied on clinical criteria in open real world or placebo controlled designs. Two studies checked if HPMC-p could enhance the efficacy of drugs applied nasally to treat local symptoms. The studies, using either nasal allergen challenge or natural exposure of patients to environmental allergen, support the hypothesis that HPMC-p possesses barrier enforcing properties. Also, acute and clinical experiments indicated that intra-nasal application of HPMC-p following local relief medications enhances their ability to suppress symptoms and reduces their long-term use. Expert commentary: Nasal insufflation of HPMC-p provides a mucosal barrier, reducing the nasal symptoms and enhancing the effects of local relief medications.

Research progress in interaction between chemical components of Glycyrrhizae Radix and cytochrome P450 enzyme / 中草药

Glycyrrhizae Radix is the dry roots or rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, G. inflate, and G. glabra, which was used in clinical therapy combined with other drugs. In this paper, we summarized the recent studies in domestic and overseas on the interaction between the components of Glycyrrhizae Radix and the cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP), including, 1) the CYP enzymes involved the metabolism of the chemical components of Glycyrrhizae Radix; 2) the inhibition and induction of chemical components of Glycyrrhizae Radix on the activity of CYP enzyme; 3) the progress in the study on the potential herbal-drug interactions in clinical use of Glycyrrhizae Radix preparations. Further studies on the interactions between the chemical components in Glycyrrhizae Radix and the main drug metabolic enzymes have the great significance for guiding the efficacy enhancing, detoxification, and compatibility of Chinese materia medica, which is very important to avoid the clinical herb-drug interactions.