Brain organoids are new tool for drug screening of neurological diseases

At the level of in vitro drug screening,the development of a phenotypic analysis system with highcontent screening at the core provides a strong platform to support high-throughput drug screening.There are few systematic reports on brain organoids,as a new three-dimensional in vitro model,in terms of model stability,key phenotypic fingerprint,and drug screening schemes,and particula rly rega rding the development of screening strategies for massive numbers of traditional Chinese medicine monomers.This paper reviews the development of brain organoids and the advantages of brain organoids over induced neurons or cells in simulated diseases.The paper also highlights the prospects from model stability,induction criteria of brain organoids,and the screening schemes of brain organoids based on the characteristics of brain organoids and the application and development of a high-content screening system.

Drug Deslgn Based on Chinese Traditional Medicine

There are two new trends in the development of novel Pharmaceuticals. Biotechnology provides a novel approach to rational drug design. At the same time, there has been a growing interest in the use of herbal products. Chinese medical herbs are rich in the natural resources and have been used for thousands years in China. We consider the Chinese medicine system as a natural combinatorial chemi-

Opinion on pharmacology research and new drug development from precision medicine

Since President Obama announced the Precision Medicine Initiative from a national strategy perspective in his State of the Union address,precision medicine has rapidly become a world-wide hotspot and drawn global attention in the medical field.Precision medicine aims at applying genetic information of individual diseases to guide his or her diagnosis and treatment.

Application of Thin Layer Chromatography in Preparation of Drug Containing Serum of Eucalyptus Oil

[Objectives] To explore whether the thin layer chromatography( TLC) can be used to guide the preparation of drug containing serum of eucalyptus oil. [Methods]Eucalyptus oil samples with different dilution ratio were detected by TLC. Eucalyptus oil was intragastrically administered to mice,serum samples of different eucalyptus oil doses,different intragastric administration methods and different blood sampling times were collected. The above samples were detected by TLC,and the above results were verified by gas chromatography. [Results] TLC can detect concentration difference of eucalyptus oil samples with different dilution ratio. TLC can provide qualitative and semi-quantitative detection of eucalyptus oil in serum. High,medium and low dose of eucalyptus oil in serum had different effects on the growth of MCF-7 cells in the SD rats( P < 0. 05). [Conclusions] TLC can be used to guide the preparation of drug containing serum of eucalyptus oil.

A New Strategy in Drug Design of Chinese Medicine:Theory,Method and Techniques

The research and development （R＆D） process of Chinese medicine, with one notable feature, clinical application based, is significantly different from which of chemical and biological medicine, from laboratory research to clinics. Besides, compound prescription is another character. Therefore, according to different R＆D theories between Chinese and Western medicine, we put forward a new strategy in drug design of Chinese medicine, which focuses on ＂combination- activity relationship （CAR）＂, taking prescription discovery, component identification and formula optimization as three key points to identify the drugs of high efficacy and low toxicity. The method of drug design of Chinese medicine includes： new prescription discovery based on clinical data and literature information, component identification based on computing and experimental research, as well as formula optimization based on system modeling. This paper puts forward the concept,research framework and techniques of drug design of Chinese medicine, which embodies the R＆D model of Chinese medicine, hoping to support the drug design of Chinese medicine theoretically and technologically.

Understanding Interactions Between Chinese Medicines and Pharmaceutical Drugs in Integrative Healthcare

In the 21st century, the public are more informed, mainly via the Internet, about health and medical products and have become more knowledgeable about matters relating to their health conditions and well-being in curing and preventing illnesses. They often self-medicate themselves with various health products and over-the-counter （OTC） medicines apart from prescribed pharmaceutical drugs （PD）. Some of those non-prescribed products may have doubtful quality control and contain harmful additives or unchecked ingredients; thus their usefulness is in doubt. The increasing popularity world-wide of using Chinese medicines （CM） and related OTC functional products has raised concerns over their concomitant use with PD and the consequential adverse effects. In most cases the alleged causes of adverse effects are linked with herbal sources, although the authorised information on the interactions between CM-PD is not plentiful in the literature. There is an urgent need for such a data base. The future professionals in health and medical care should be knowledgeable or aware of what their patients have been taking or given. In actual practice the patients may receive both treatments intentionally or unintentionally, with or without the awareness of the practitioner. In these situations a reliable database for interactions between CM-PD will be extremely useful for consultation when treatment problems appear or during emergency situations. Their combining of medications may be involved with possible outcomes of adverse reactions or beneficial effects. Such a database will be welcomed by both practitioners of herbal medicines and orthodox medicine practitioners in the emerging trend of integrative medicine. The author has been involved in various research projects of basic and clinical aspects in mainly CM among other herbal and PD. Examples will be given largely on those related to these disciplines as illustrations in this overview.

Artemisinin, GABA signaling and cell reprogramming： when an old drug meets modern medicine

The hormone-secreting endocrine cells(α,β,δ,ε and PP cells)form pancreatic islets,which are strongly involved in regulation of metabolism.Deficiency of insulin-producingβcells is the major cause of type 1 diabetes.Recent progress in cell reprogramming demonstrates the feasibility of generating functionalβcells to treat type 1 diabetes[1].However,a non-invasive in vivo approach forβcell reprogramming is still lacking.Recently,two reports in

Retrospective Analysis and Summary on Efficacy of Jianpi Shengxue Tablet in the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia

[Objectives]The research aimed to make a retrospective analysis and summary on the efficacy of Jianpi Shengxue Tablet in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia.[Methods]A total of 200 patients with iron deficiency anemia who were treated at outpatient in Tongzhou District of Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from January 1,2017 to October 30,2020 were selected as the research objects.All these patients were given treatment with Jianpi Shengxue Tablet for the first time.Results of blood routine examination,serum iron concentration,total iron binding capacity and ferritin were compared before and after treatment at different dates.Subjective symptoms and adverse reactions were also described.Jianpi Shengxue Tablet was given orally after meals,3 tablets each time,3 times a day.[Results]Hemoglobin level was(83.58±15.81)g/L(M±SD,n=200)before treatment,and(103.40±12.60)g/L(n=74)after 2 week's treatment,with a 24.3%increase(P=0.0047).Hemoglobin concentration was(111.9±19.4)g/L(n=47)at the 4th week after treatment,which was near normality;(126.0±9.49)g/L(n=30)at the 6th week with complete normality and(130.7±7.95)g/L(n=23)at the 8th week.MCV,MCH and MCHC increased gradually after treatment.Serum total iron biding capacity decreased,while serum iron and ferritin increased gradually,and the three indexes were significantly different at the 4th week after treatment as compared with those before treatment(P﹤0.01).Subjective symptoms were improved in the 1st week from starting treatment among all the cases.The adverse events were mainly gastrointestinal irritation,occurring in 7/200 cases(3.5%).[Conclusions]Jianpi Shengxue Tablet is quite effective and safe in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia,with rapid comprehensive improvement of anemia-related symptoms and increase of hemoglobin and red blood cell parameters.

The 5^(th) Annual Meeting of GP-TCM Research Association-cumSummit on Compendium of Materia Medica and Innovative Drug Discovery in Chinese Medicine

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT9-10 August 2016Room 103,Dr.Hari Harilela Lecture Theatre,The Wing Lung Bank Building for Business Studies Hong Kong Baptist Universilty(Shaw Campus),34 Renfrrew Road,Kowloon Tong,Hong Kong'The 5th Annual Meeting of GP-TCM Research Association-cum-Summit on Compendium of Materia Medica and Innovative Drug Discovery in Chinese Medicine',jointly organised by GP-TCM Research Association,School of Chinese Medicine of Hong Kong Baptist University,and TCM Chemistry Specialty Committee and TCM Pharmaceutical Analysis

RECENT PROGRESS IN THE STUDY OF ANTICANCER DRUGS ORIGINATING FROM PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN CHINA

Recent progress in the studies of anticancer drugs originating from plants in China is reviewed in this paper. Guided by the experience of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), several new anticancer drugs have been found. Indirubin from indigofera tinctoria (青黛) is useful for the treatment of chronic myelocytic leukemia. On the basis of structure-activity relationship studies of these compounds, a second generation drug (N-methyl isoindigotin) has been developed. Clinical studies demonstrated that it is more effective than indirubin, 1O-hydroxy campothecin derived from Camptotheca acuminata (喜树) have exhibited definite activity on rodent tumors and it is used for phase Ⅱ studies. Iris latea pallasi Fischer var. Chinensis (马蔺子) may serve as

Study on Effect of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy on Refractory Drug Resistant Leukemia

The so-called multidrug resistance （MDR） of leukemic cells means the cross resistance of leukemic cells against multiple anti-tumor agents with different constitution and acting mechanism, which takes place simultaneous after resistance to a single contacted drug has been produced. Tumor cells with MDR would now show a low sensitivity to anti-tumor agents, making chemotherapy ineffective or of little effect. Moreover, MDR is one of the pathogenetic factors for inducing refractory leukemia.

Ethnopharmacology,chemical composition and functions of Cymbopogon citratus

Cymbopogon citratus in the gramineous family,also known as lemongrass(LG),is a perennial herb.LG,a drug and food homologous medicine,has a widely recorded medicinal value and food applications.To date,158 LG compounds have been reported,including terpenoids,flavonoids,phenolic acids.Pharmacological and clinical studies have indicated that LG has antibacterial,neuroprotective,hypoglycemic,hypotensive,anti-inflammatory,and anti-tumor effects.This article reviews LG in ethnopharmacology,chemical composition,pharmacology,food,medicine,and daily chemical applications to provide a basis for the subsequent development of food and medicine.

Fluorine-containing drugs approved by the FDA in 2019

Eleven new fluorine-containing FDA-approved drugs have been profiled and details of their discovery and preparation are discussed.Therapeutic areas include schizophrenia,migraine,multiple sclerosis,insomnia,rheumatoid arthritis,anti-tuberculosis,breast cancer,lymphoma kinase inhibitor,serotonin receptor antagonist.New pharmaceuticals feature four examples of aromatic fluorine,three aromatic CF3 group,three aliphatic CF3 and one compound with aromatic CF3O group.Furthermore,among the new compounds,six are chiral and seven are derived from tailor-made amino acids.

Prognostic analysis of transarterial chemoembolization combined with a traditional Chinese herbal medicine formula for treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Background Transarterial chemoembolization （TACE） is the most widely used primary treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） due to its survival benefit, though its clinical effect is still far from satisfactory. Jiedufang （JDF） granule preparation is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine formula for HCC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of combined therapy with TACE and JDF granule preparation in treatment of unresectable HCC on survival. Methods A retrospective study of TACE was performed in 165 patients with unresectable HCC who were admitted between January 2002 and December 2007 in Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, China. Of the 165 patients, 80 patients （study group） received combined therapy consisting of TACE and a long-term maintenance treatment with oral JDF granule preparation, and the remaining 85 patients （control group） received TACE alone. The survival rates of both groups were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Factors possibly affecting survival were assessed by multivariate analysis in the Cox proportional hazard model, such as maximum tumor size, number of lesions, portal vein invasion, and etc. Results The median overall survival was 9.2 months （95% CI： 6.94-11.46） in the study group versus 5.87 months （95% CI： 4.21-7.52） in the control group. In the study group,survival rates of the 1-, 2- and 3-year follow-up were 41.2%, 18.4%, and 9.6%, respectively. Significant independent prognostic factors identified by the Cox regression analysis were as follows： serum hepatitis B surface antigen （HBsAg） （P=0.014）, maximum tumor size （P=0.027）, number of lesions （P 〈0.001）, portal vein invasion （P 〈0.001）, and the therapy model （P=-0.006）. Conclusion Combination therapy of TACE and JDF granule preparation may significantly prolong survival of patients with unresectable HCC.

System control-mediated drug delivery towards complex systems via nanodiamond carriers

Cells represent the basic units of life and contain an intertwined network of signaling and regulatory circuitries that drive the processes of life.These processes include the mediation of mechano-sensation,onset of and protection against disease,inflammation,and others.In the network of bio-complex systems,each pathway interacts nonlinearly with others through different molecular intermediates.As a result,specific functionalities can not be simply linked to the cellular molecules in isolation.A complex system generally possesses very rich information content that can be characterized by the following features:(i)they contain a large number of building blocks;(ii)their interactions among building blocks and with their environment;(iii)they display organization without an external organizing principle being applied;and(iv)they exhibit adaptability and robustness.These properties account for the innate intelligence of biology and its ability to regulate its homeostatic behavior.However,this same complexity underlies,in cancer for example,challenges towards disease management,as the addressing of singular pathways with therapeutic compounds is not sufficient.Therefore,combinatorial therapy often serves as a key strategy towards tumor suppression.Because iterative searching for optimized therapeutic combinations is indeed a daunting,if not preclusive task,we introduce the feedback system control(FSC)scheme,which may serve as a clinically relevant approach,provided a translational approach towards drug delivery is employed.Due to their innate biocompatibility,which has been comprehensively observed,as well as their ability to delivery virtually any type of therapeutic in a sustained fashion due to their unique surface properties,nanodiamonds may serve as a foundation for nanoenabled combinatorial therapy.