Study of the Solar Energy Drying Device and Its Application in Traditional Chinese Medicine in Drying

Background: We referred to nearly 40 years of development and application progress of solar dryer in China literature, especially its application in the field of Chinese herbal medicine drying. Objective: We explored the development direction of China’s development and application of solar dryers, especially focusing on its development and application in traditional Chinese medicine drying. Method: Five types of solar dryers including the greenhouse type solar dryer, the collector type solar dryer, the collector-greenhouse type hybrid solar dryer, the integrated solar dryer and the focusing type solar dryer accounted for the development and application of solar dryers up to 95% in China. The first three types of solar dryers are low temperature dryer (less than or equal to 70°C), while the latter two kinds of solar dryers are high temperature dryer (more than 70°C). In this paper, we respectively introduced and compared the structure, working principle, applications, advantages and disadvantages, and the research status of these five dryer. Results: The integrated solar dryer and the focusing type solar dryer belong to the high temperature dryer types are the future direction of development. Among them, the integrated solar dryer is relatively simple structure and has more promotion prospects. These two kinds of key drying device used in the dryer is the development direction of high efficient vacuum tube. On the other hand, because of their low cost, simple structure and the dry material requirements etc., the three types of low temperature dryers at low temperature for drying materials are also indispensable in the practical application. In contrast, the collector-greenhouse type hybrid solar dryer has more advantages, is the development direction of low temperature drying category. Conclusion: The collector tube which is the key element of the dryer was the core technology of solar dryer. Our country develops more successful of the all-glass vacuum solar thermal collectors and heat pipe-glass vacuum tube. Efficient vacuum tube collector technology is the future developed direction and is equally important to improve the quality of traditional Chinese medicine and dried.

Based on the Advantages of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy, the Multiple Exploration of the Correlation between the Meridians and the Circulatory System of the Nervous System

The meridians,nervous system,and circulatory system are important components of tra‐ditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine.The meridians have a high degree of consistency with the distribution of the nervous and circulatory systems in modern medi‐cine,and are closely related in the process of disease treatment.Therefore,people often confuse the three.Based on the great advantages of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of nervous system and circulatory system diseases,the author has made diver‐sified exploration on its relevance in terms of origin,physiological anatomy,physiological function and clinical application.It is believed that meridians have their relative indepen‐dence,and the nervous and circulatory systems cannot completely replace meridians.However,meridians are closely related to the nervous and circulatory systems,and in clinical practice,meridians can be combined with the nervous and circulatory systems to guide the treatment of diseases.

Exploring the clinical significance of Yinqiao powder based on the compatibility of Chinese herbal formulas

Yinqiao powder comes from the book"Wenbing Tiaobian"(Detailed Analysis of Epidemic Warm Diseases)written by Wu Jutong in the Qing Dynasty(1636-1912),in which it is mentioned that"pungent-cool diaphoretic agent Yinqiao power is used to treat patients with fever,not aversion to cold but thirsty"Yinqiao powder is often used to treat Wind-warm syndrome,warm-heat syndrome and miscellaneous diseases caused by some pathogenic factors in Wei-fen syndrome(Wei-fen syndrome is the syndrome name of the disease and is often used to indicate the initial stage of exogenous febrile disease,which is the syndrome of the body's guard surface.)and upper energizer.With the further research and application of Yinqiao powder,it is more and more widely used in clinic.This article summarizes the clinical application of Yinqiao powder through the analysis of the prescription meaning,compatible prescriptions,decoction methods and other aspects of Yinqiao powder in order to provide more evidence for clinical treatment of febrile disease.At the same time,through the prescription thinking of Yinqiao powder,we can learn Wu Jutong's treatment principle and academic thought of"Shangjiao(Shangjiao is one of the three and is the upper part of the Sanjiao.Generally refers to the chest above the diaphragm,including the heart,lungs and throat.)is like a feather,not lightly".Wu Jutong's flexible use of Chinese medicine and the thought of syndrome differentiation and treatment are also worthy of our study and reference.

Therapeutic effect of curcumin on experimental colitis mediated by inhibiting CD8^+ CD11c^+ cells

AIM To verify whether curcumin(Cur) can treat inflammatory bowel disease by regulating CD8+CD11c+ cells. METHODS We evaluated the suppressive effect of Cur on CD8+CD11c+ cells in spleen and Peyer's patches(PPs) in colitis induced by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid. Mice with colitis were treated by 200 mg/kg Cur for 7 d. On day 8, the therapeutic effect of Cur was evaluated by visual assessment and histological examination, while co-stimulatory molecules of CD8+CD11c+ cells in the spleen and PPs were measured by flow cytometry. The levels of interleukin(IL)-10, interferon(IFN)-γ and transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1 in spleen and colonic mucosa were determined by ELISA.RESULTS The disease activity index, colon weight, weight index of colon and histological score of experimental colitis were obviously decreased after Cur treatment, while the body weight and colon length recovered. After treatment with Cur, CD8+CD11c+ cells were decreased in the spleen and PPs, and the expression of major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ, CD205, CD40, CD40 L and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 was inhibited. IL-10, IFN-γ and TGF-β1 levels were increased compared with those in mice with untreated colitis.CONCLUSION Cur can effectively treat experimental colitis, which is realized by inhibiting CD8+CD11c+ cells.

Clinical efficacy and bacterial flora characteristics of Huazhi Rougan granules in the intervention of moderately resistant to damp-heat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Background:To explore the clinical efficacy of Huazhi Rougan granules in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and its effect on the oral and intestinal flora.Methods:48 patients who met the inclusion criteria were intervened with Huazhi Rougan granules,the liver and spleen CT ratio,Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome,body mass index(BMI,WC,SMM,body fat percentage,visceral fat area),liver function,and blood lipid levels were compared before and after treatment,and the curative effect was evaluated;6 cases of NAFLD patients whose clinical efficacy after Huazhi Rougan granule intervention was effective were randomly selected,and the patient’s oral and intestinal samples were taken for further analysis.Results:After treatment,the total effective rate of clinical efficacy was 85.14%.The TCM symptoms of NAFLD patients were significantly alleviated compared with before treatment(P<0.05).There were statistically significant differences in ALT,AST,GGT,TC,and TG before and after treatment(P<0.01).After treatment,BW,BMI,WC,body fat percentage,visceral fat area,liver hardness,and fat attenuation index were significantly decreased(P<0.01).Oral-gut flora analysis showed:After treatment,the Shannon index of the gut microbial community increased(P<0.01).Compared with before treatment,the abundance of Firmicutes decreased,while the abundance of Bacteroidetes,Candidatus-Sa,and Tenericutes increased(P<0.05).At the genus level,the abundance of Bacteroides,Lactobacillus,and Bifidobacterium increased,and Streptococcus,Oribacterium,and Peptoanaerobacter decreased(P<0.05).Before and after treatment,the dominant bacterial phyla in the intestine were the same,including Bacteroidetes,Firmicutes,and Proteobacteria.The abundance of Firmicutes and Roseburia decreased after treatment(P<0.05).Conclusions:Huazhi Rougan granules have a significant effect on the treatment of NAFLD,can improve liver function,reduce blood lipids,can effectively reduce body morphological indicators such as body mass,WC,body fat percentage,visceral fat area,liver stiffness measurement(LSM),and fat content,and has the function of protecting the liver and reducing blood pressure,promoting the role of intrahepatic fat metabolism;and significantly relieve the clinical symptoms.NAFLD patients have the gut and oral flora disturbances.Huazhi Rougan granules can restore the diversity of intestinal microbial communities in NAFLD patients and play a therapeutic role by regulating the abundance and composition of oral and Gut flora.

Preparation of Botanical Pesticide 16% Chijunning Microemulsion

By screening emulsifiers and co-solvents and determining relevant physical and chemical properties, the preparation method for 16% Chijunning micreemulsion was studied in the paper. The best formulation （volume fraction） was as follows： Rad/x phytolaccae extract 4%, Magnolia offtcinalis extract 4%, Xanthium sibiricum extract 8%, DBS-Ca 10%, pesticide emulsifier A 15%, cyclohexanone 20%, water 39%. The microemulsion had better development and market future because of its good stability, low price, use security and environmental protection.

Effect of Jianpi Liqi recipe on diabetic dyspepsia and its effect on blood lipid level

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of Jianpi Liqi Decoction on diabetic gastroparesis.Methods:80 patients were randomly divided into 2 groups,Treatment and control groups,40 cases per group,The treatment group used Jianpi Liqi recipe,One dose a day,Take it twice,Six times a week,For 4 weeks;Control group with mosapride citrate,5 mg,each Three times a day,Take continuously for 4 weeks.Observe the two groups before treatment,2 weeks after treatment,4 weeks after treatment,Subjective symptoms(early satiety,abdominal distention,upper abdomen burning,upper abdomen pain)score;Before and after treatment,The contents of FBG,2 hPG,HbA1c,TC,GAS,MLT in the two groups.Results:The scores of early satiety,abdominal distention,burning sensation of upper abdomen and pain of upper abdomen were decreased,Intra-group comparisons,Differences were statistically significant(P<0.05);After treatment,the gastric emptying rate increased in both groups,A more significant increase in the treatment group(P<0.05);Treatment group after treatment TC,TG,LDL-C decreased more significantly(P<0.05);After treatment,the GAS,MLT content of both groups increased significantly,Intergroup comparisons,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:Jianpi Liqi Decoction is effective in treating Diabetic gastroparesis,High security,it is worth clinical use.

Correlation of the ultrasonic elastography strain rate of malignant thyroid nodules with the expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes

Objective: To study the correlation of the ultrasonic elastography strain rate of malignant thyroid nodules with the expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes. Methods: Patients with thyroid nodules who underwent ultrasonography in this hospital between March 2015 and February 2017 were selected, and the tissue properties were judged according to the results of fine needle aspiration biopsy;ultrasonic elastography was done to measure the strain rate ratio, and the fluorescence quantitative PCR reaction was performed to determine the mRNA expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes. Results: The strain rate ratio of malignant thyroid nodules was greatly lower than that of benign thyroid nodules;CCNG and RASSF1A mRNA expression in malignant thyroid nodules were greatly lower than those in benign thyroid nodules whereas FF3, TPX2, WIP1, Ang2, Tie2, VEGF, VEGFR1, c-met and Survivin mRNA expression were greatly higher than those in benign thyroid nodules;CCNG and RASSF1A mRNA expression in malignant thyroid nodules with low strain rate ratio were greatly lower than those in malignant thyroid nodules with high strain rate ratio whereas FF3, TPX2, WIP1, Ang2, Tie2, VEGF, VEGFR1, c-met and Survivin mRNA expression were higher than those in malignant thyroid nodules with high strain rate ratio. Conclusion: The increase in ultrasonic elastography strain rate ratio of malignant thyroid nodules is closely related to the changes in the expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes.

Analysis of Clinical Features in Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Convalescents

Background:To analyze the clinical features of convalescent individuals with novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia(novel coronavirus pneumonia)at rehabilitation station in Wuhan.Methods:712 patients in the convalescence period of novel coronavirus pneumonia isolated and observed at the rehabilitation station were investigated by collecting their basic data,clinical syndrome features,and tongue manifestations.The clinical syndrome features were analyzed based on guidelines of Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for Novel Coronavirus-infected Pneumonia(National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China,7th Trial Edition).Results:Cough(24.86%),chest tightness and shortness of breath(23.17%),and fatigue(16.57%)were the main symptoms of patients in the convalescence period of novel coronavirus pneumonia.Their tongue appearance was mostly characterized by redness(88.65%),thick coating(67.25%),greasy coating(49.78%)and white coating(76.86%).Conclusion:Compared with the ordinary/mild patients,cough and anorexia symptoms were more common in the severe/critical patients.In convalescent patients,red and fat tongue with thick greasy fur were common.

GC-MS Analysis of Volatile Components Extracted from Fruit of Artemisia argyi

[Objectives] To analyze the volatile components extracted from fruit of Artemisia argyi.[Methods] The volatile components from fruit of Artemisia argyi were extracted by steam distillation( SD) and headspaces solid-phase microextraction( HS-SPME). The components were separated and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry( GC-MS) with the area normalization method to determine the relative percentage content of each component.[Results]33 compounds were isolated and 29 compounds were identified by SD accounting for about93. 02% of the total volatile components; and 35 compounds were isolated and 30 compounds were identified by HS-SPME accounting for about99. 01% of the total volatile components. 11 kinds of the volatile components were identified by the two methods together and the content of β-thujone was highest.[Conclusions] There were some differences between SD and HS-SPME,and the two methods were applied to the extraction of different types of volatile components,and combination of the two methods to analyze the volatile components in fruit of Artemisia argyi could help us to get more comprehensive information.

Correlation of the ultrasonic elastography strain rate of malignant thyroid nodules with the expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes

Objective: To study the correlation of the ultrasonic elastography strain rate of malignant thyroid nodules with the expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes. Methods: Patients with thyroid nodules who underwent ultrasonography in this hospital between March 2015 and February 2017 were selected, and the tissue properties were judged according to the results of fine needle aspiration biopsy;ultrasonic elastography was done to measure the strain rate ratio, and the fluorescence quantitative PCR reaction was performed to determine the mRNA expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes. Results: The strain rate ratio of malignant thyroid nodules was greatly lower than that of benign thyroid nodules;CCNG and RASSF1A mRNA expression in malignant thyroid nodules were greatly lower than those in benign thyroid nodules whereas FF3, TPX2, WIP1, Ang2, Tie2, VEGF, VEGFR1, c-met and Survivin mRNA expression were greatly higher than those in benign thyroid nodules;CCNG and RASSF1A mRNA expression in malignant thyroid nodules with low strain rate ratio were greatly lower than those in malignant thyroid nodules with high strain rate ratio whereas FF3, TPX2, WIP1, Ang2, Tie2, VEGF, VEGFR1, c-met and Survivin mRNA expression were higher than those in malignant thyroid nodules with high strain rate ratio. Conclusion: The increase in ultrasonic elastography strain rate ratio of malignant thyroid nodules is closely related to the changes in the expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of benign nodules and malignant nodules as well as their correlation with the biological behavior of cancer cells

Objective: To study the contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of benign nodules and malignant nodules as well as their correlation with the biological behavior of cancer cells. Methods: Patients with thyroid nodules who received surgical resection in our hospital between April 2015 and February 2017 were selected and divided into malignant group and benign group according to postoperative pathology. Preoperative ultrasonography was performed to determine peak intensity (PI), time to peak (TTP) and mean transit time (MTT);postoperative nodule lesions were collected to detect the expression of angiogenesis molecules, proliferation molecules and apoptosis molecules. Results: PI level of thyroid nodule lesion of malignant group was higher than that of control group while TTP and MTT levels were lower than those of control group;VEGF, Gal-3, vWF, COX-2, BRAF, MCM7, XIAP and Survivin mRNA expression in thyroid nodule lesion of malignant group were significantly higher than those of control group, positively correlated with PI level, and negatively correlated with TTP and MTT levels while RASSF1A, CCNG2, PDCD4, P53 and PTEN mRNA expression were significantly lower than those of control group, negatively correlated with PI level, and positively correlated with TTP and MTT levels. Conclusion: The contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of malignant thyroid nodules are rich blood supply and small blood flow resistance, and they are closely related to angiogenesis and cell proliferation.

Potential mechanism of Astragali radix-Angelicae sinensis radix in the treatment of spinal cord injury based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Objective:Using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology to explore the possible mechanism of Huangqi(Astragali radix)-Danggui(Angelicae sinensis radix)on the treatment of spinal cord injury.Methods:The active components and the targets related to Astragali radix-Angelicae sinensis radix were screened out on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database.Genes of spinal cord injury were searched by Genecards and the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man databases.The intersection targets between herbs and diseases were obtained through online Venn diagrams.A components-targets-pathways network was established on Cytoscape 3.8.1 software.The STRING database was used to construct the intersection protein interaction network and screen out core targets.Gene Ontology biological processes and enrichment analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genes of intersection proteins were performed via DAVID database.Finally,the molecular docking with key components and core targets were performed in AutoDock software.Results:The 22 chemical components including quercetin,kaempferol were collected from Astragali radix-Angelicae sinensis radix.It acts on 110 targets,and interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor,mitogen-activated protein kinase,tumor antigen p53 were considered as the major targets.50 pathways like Interleukin-17 signaling pathway,tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway participate in biological processes such as positive transcription regulation and lipopolysacchanide response.The molecular docking revealed that the core targets had stronger binding activity with its corresponding active components.Conclusion:Astragali radix-Angelicae sinensis radix has the characteristics of multi-component,multi-target,and multi-pathway effects in treating spinal cord injury.Its potential mechanism may be related to preventing inflammation,improving microcirculation,inhibiting neuronal apoptosis,protecting damaged nerve cells and promoting nerve repair and regeneration.

Clinical research progress of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by ankylosis of the spine and sacroiliac joints.The continuous development of this disease can cause damage to multiple organs.At present,modern medical treatment programs generally focus on symptomatic treatment such as analgesia and anti-inflammatory,which can relieve pain and inflammation to a certain extent,but there are many problems such as adverse drug reactions,and cannot be completely cured.Modern medical treatment of ankylosing spondylitis focuses on relieving symptoms,controlling disease activity,slowing disease progression,and reducing disability rates.As an important part of traditional Chinese medicine,acupuncture therapy,compared with modern medicine,has obvious advantages in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis,such as good curative effect,quick effect,safety and low price,and no toxic and side effects.By reviewing the literature,it is found that there are a large number of clinical studies on the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis by acupuncture and moxibustion in recent years,and it is concluded that acupuncture and moxibustion has unique advantages in reducing local pain,alleviating inflammatory symptoms,improving joint function,preventing spinal deformity,and improving quality of life.Therefore,this study summarizes and reviews the relevant literature on different acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for ankylosing spondylitis,in order to provide ideas and solutions for the effective treatment of this disease.

Identification of Cirrhosis Subtypes Through Heterogeneous Medical Information Network

Background:Liver cirrhosis is a complex and heterogeneous disease,with a mortality rate of up to 57%,resulting in 1.03 million deaths per year.The prevalence of liver cirrhosis is on the rise.Patients with liver cirrhosis have a variety of clinical phenotypes and are prone to various complications related to liver cirrhosis.Therefore,there is an urgent need to improve the early prevention and clinical management of cirrhosis and its complications.Methods:We use a precise medical approach to analyze and characterize the complex manifestations of cirrhotic patient populations,and we propose a Heterogeneous Medical Record Network(HEMnet)that includes electronic medical records,molecular interaction networks,and domain knowledge.We train the network embedding vector on HEMnet to obtain the low-dimensional vector representation of each node.With these vectors,we enriched the original medical record and identified six subtypes of cirrhosis.Results:Subtype 1 is characterized by heart disease,and subtype 2 has the strongest association with metabolic-related diseases.Subtype 3 was characterized by Chronic gastritis diseases.Subtype 4 was characterized by Liver cirrhosis-related complications-serous effusion.Subtype 5 had the strongest association with hepatitis-cirrhosis-related complications diseases and gallbladder disease.Subtype 6 was most strongly associated with Liver cirrhosis-related complications and hepatic carcinoma.By assessing the human disease-gene association of each subtype,the rich phenotype and biological functions of each subtype at the gene level were matched to the disease comorbidities and clinical differences we identified through EHR.Conclusion:Our approach demonstrates the utility of applying a precision medicine paradigm to cirrhosis and the prospect of extending this approach to other complexes,multifactorial diseases.

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in treatment of pregnancyrelated symptoms:a systematic review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture(AM)in the treatment of pregnancyrelated symptoms such as acute vomiting during pregnancy.METHODS:We comprehensively searched the available literature up to November 2021,including Pub Med,Embase,Cochrane Library,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database,and China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database,for randomized controlled trials(RCTs)on AM for the treatment of severe vomiting,insomnia,pharyngeal and pelvic pain,mood abnormalities,and dyspepsia during pregnancy.RESULTS:Sixteen RCTs with a cumulative sample size of 1178 cases were included.Of these,964 patients were included in the Meta-analysis.The Meta-analysis results showed that AM was more efficient than Western medicine in treating discomfort during pregnancy[odds ratio(OR)=1.19,95%confidence interval(CI)(1.11,1.28),P<0.01].AM was better than the control group in improving the visual analog scale scores[standard mean difference(SMD)=0.62,95%CI(0.53,0.71),P<0.01].AM was superior to the control group in improving Numerical Rating Scale(NRS)symptom scores[OR=7.31,95%CI(3.36,15.94),P<0.01].There was no significant difference in adverse effects between the AM and sham-AM groups and the analgesic drug group[OR=0.70,95%CI(0.39,1.28),P=0.25],but the treatment and control groups had mild adverse effects with a low incidence.CONCLUSIONS:AM is more effective than other treatments or pharmacotherapy alone in the treatment of pregnancy-related symptoms,and is relatively safe.However,the quality of the included trials was rather poor,and high-quality studies are required to confirm our findings.

Chinese herbal medicine reduces mortality in patients with severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019: a retrospective cohort study

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine(CHM)in patients with severe/critical coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).In this retrospective study,data were collected from 662 patients with severe/critical COVID-19 who were admitted to a designated hospital to treat patients with severe COVID-19 in Wuhan before March 20,2020.All patients were divided into an exposed group(CHM users)and a control group(non-users).After propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio,156 CHM users were matched by propensity score to 156 non-users.No significant differences in seven baseline clinical variables were found between the two groups of patients.All-cause mortality was reported in 13 CHM users who died and 36 non-users who died.After multivariate adjustment,the mortality risk of CHM users was reduced by 82.2%(odds ratio 0.178,95%CI 0.076–0.418;P<0.001)compared with the non-users.Secondly,age(odds ratio 1.053,95%CI 1.023–1.084;P<0.001)and the proportion of severe/critical patients(odds ratio 0.063,95%CI 0.028–0.143;P<0.001)were the risk factors of mortality.These results show that the use of CHM may reduce the mortality of patients with severe/critical COVID-19.

Pyrolysis characteristics of Radix Rhizoma Rhei, Cortex Moudan Radicis, and Radix Sanguisorbae and correlations with the carbonizing process of Chinese herbs

AIM: The aim of the work is to study the pyrolysis characteristics of Radix Rhizoma Rhei, Cortex Moudan Radicis, and Radix Sanguisorbae in an inert atmosphere of argon(Ar), and to investigate the mechanism of the carbonizing process of the three traditional Chinese herbs. METHODS: The pyrolysis characteristics of the crude materials and their extracts were studied by thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry(TG-MS) in a carrier gas of argon, coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) methods. Correlation of the pyrolysis behaviors with the carbonizing process by stir-frying of traditional Chinese medicines was made. RESULTS: Within the temperature range of 200-300 °C, which is the testing range for the study of the carbonizing process of Chinese herbs, the temperatures indicated by the maximum weight loss rate peak of the above three extracts were taken as the upper-limit temperatures of the carbonizing process of the herbs, and which were 200, 240 and 247 °C for Radix Rhizoma Rhei, Cortex Moudan Radicis, and Radix Sanguisorbae, respectively. The ion monitoring signal peaks detected by the TG-MS method corresponded with reports that the level of chemical components of traditional Chinese medicinal materials would decrease after the carbonizing process. It was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) methods that better results of "medicinal property preservation" could be obtained by heating at 200 °C for Radix Rhizoma Rhei, at about 250 °C for Cortex Moudan Radicis, and Radix Sanguisorbae, as the relative intensity values of the common peaks were among the middle of their three carbonized samples by programmed heating. CONCLUSION: The upper-limit temperatures of the carbonizing process for Radix Rhizoma Rhei, Cortex Moudan Radicis and Radix Sanguisorbae were 200, 240 and 247 °C respectively. It is feasible to research the mechanism and technology of the carbonizing process of traditional Chinese medicinal materials using thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy methods.

Diwu Yanggan Modulates the Wnt/β-catenin Pathway and Inhibits Liver Carcinogenesis Signaling in 2-AAF/PH Model Rats

The activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in oval cells after liver injury is implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis.Diwu Yanggan capsule is a Chinese herbal medicine that has been used for treating liver disorder.The present study aimed to examine the mechanism by which Diwu Yanggan inhibits liver carcinogenesis,and the involvement of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.Diwu Yanggan capsule was administered to 2-acetaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy(2-AAF/PH)rats,a murine model of liver injury.The biomarkers of oval cells and key proteins in the Wnt/p-catenin signaling pathway were assessed on postoperative day 8,10,14,17,19 and 22.The results showed that treatment with Diwu Yanggan was associated with reduced expression of oval cell and stem cell biomarkers in the 2-AAF/PH animals.The expression pattern of key proteins in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was altered in Diwu Yanggan-treated animals,indicating that the Diwu Yanggan treatment accelerated the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in the initial stage and contributed to its deactivation in the later stage.Histological findings indicated that hepatocyte proliferation was suppressed in Diwu Yanggan-treated animals,compared with untreated 2-AAF/PH animals.Taken together,Diwu Yanggan capsule may reduce the risk of hepatocarcinogenesis by modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

COVID-19 infection with keratitis as the first clinical manifestation

·AIM:To report a case which keratitis is the first clinical manifestation of COVID-19 that occurred 3 d earlier than the common COVID-19 symptoms.·METHODS:Regular slit lamp examination,corneal scraping test,and chest computed tomography(CT)were performed for patients with COVID-19 infection.The ophthalmologic treatment included ganciclovir eye drop(50 mglmL,6 times/d).The treatment for diarrhea included Guifu Lizhong pills(TID).The antiviral therapy consisted of oseltamivir(75 mg capsule Q12 H);therapy preventing bacterial infection consisted of azithromycin(250 mg tablet QD)and moxifloxacin(0.4 g tablet Q12 H);and therapy for cough relief and fever prevention consisted of Chinese herbal decoction.·RESULTS:A 35-year-old male suddenly suffered pain,photophobia,and tears in his right eye for one day without systemic COVID-19 symptoms.Patient was diagnosed with keratitis,which was seemingly different from common keratitis.Ganciclovir eye drop was initiated.The corneal scraping test for COVID-19 was positive.The chest CT images were abnormal confirming the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection.The antiviral and antibacterial therapies were initiated.Chinese herbal therapy was used for cough relief and fever prevention.After roughly two weeks,patient recovered from COVID-19.·CONCLUSION:A new type of keratitis,atypical keratitis,is a clinical manifestation of COVID-19,and this clinical manifestation could appear 3 d earlier than fever and cough.The earlier a COVID-19 clinical manifestation is identified,the earlier can a patient be directed to stay at home,and significantly fewer people would be infected.