Elucidating the therapeutic mechanism of Cang Zhu and Huang Bai in rheumatoid arthritis: a comprehensive analysis integrating network pharmacology and GEO data

In the present study, we explored the therapeutic potential of Cang Zhu-Huang Bai (CZ-HB) against rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and elucidated the associated mechanisms. The approach involved a systematic examination of the chemical ingredients of CZ-HB using TCMSP database. Subsequently, we predicted the targets corresponding to the active ingredients through the SwissTargetPrediction database. We constructed a comprehensive drug-ingredient-target network using Cytoscape (v 3.8.0), with the main ingredients of the drugs identified based on their degree values. We conducted a meticulous search across GEO, GeneCards, Therapeutic Target Database (TTD), and PharmGkb databases to identify target proteins associated with RA. The intersection of targets corresponding to the drugs' active ingredients and those associated with RA provided crucial insights. Functional analysis, including GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses, was performed on the intersecting targets using R (v 4.2.2). Additionally, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the intersecting targets was constructed using the String platform. The resulting drug-ingredient-target-disease topology network was visualized using Cytoscape (v 3.8.0), and the Cytohubba plugin facilitated the identification of hub genes. The study revealed 35 active ingredients of CZ-HB and their corresponding 673 targets. We identified 14 major active ingredients crucial to the drug’s effects by focusing on the degree values. Furthermore, our investigation uncovered 784 targets associated with RA. Through the intersection of drug and disease targets, we pinpointed 34 active ingredients of CZ-HB capable of acting on 126 targets implicated in RA. The topological network analysis of the intersected genes identified five hub genes. The binding affinity of these hub genes to the 14 primary active ingredients of the drug was confirmed through molecular docking. The enrichment results of the intersecting genes suggested that CZ-HB exerted its anti-RA effects through a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway approach.

Influences of uncertainties to the generation feasible region for medium- and long-term electricity transaction

For the implementation of power market in China,medium-and Iong-term security checks are essential for bilateral transactions,of which the electricity quantity that constitutes the generation feasible region(GFR)is the target.However,uncertainties from load forecasting errors and transmission contingencies are threats to medium-and Iong-term electricity tradi ng in terms of their in flue nces on the GFR.In this paper,we prese nt a graphic distortio n pattern in a typical threegenerator system using the Monte Carlo method and projection theory based on security constrained economic dispatch.The underlying potential risk to GFR from uncertainties is clearly visualized,and their impact characteristics are discussed.A case study on detailed GFR distortion was included to dem on strate the effectiveness of this visualization model.The result implies that a small uncertainty could distort the GFR to a remarkable extent and that different line-contingency precipitates disparate the GFR distortion patterns,thereby eliciting great emphasis on load forecasting and line reliability in electricity transacti ons.