Bioactivity of five components of Chinese herbal formula Jiangzhi granules against hepatocellular steatosis

OBJECTIVE： This study aims to evaluate the bioactivity of five components of the traditional Chinese medicine complex prescription Jiangzhi granules against hepatocellular steatosis. METHODS： The five major components, including protopanaxadiol, tanshinone IIA, emodin, chlorogenic acid, and nuciferine, were extracted from Jiangzhi granules. Their cytotoxicity was assessed to determine the safe dose of each component for HepG2 cells. HepG2 cellular steatosis was induced using 1 mmol/L of free fatty acids （FFAs） for 24 h, and then treated with each component at high, intermediate, and low doses （500, 50, and 5 μmol/L）, respectively for another 24 h. The effects on HepG2 steatosis were observed directly under optical phase microscopy, or through oil red O staining and Nile red assays. In addition, the levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS） in the steatotic HepG2 cells with and without high-dose protopanaxadiol treatment were measured using fluorescent dye 2＇,7＇-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate staining. RESULTS： No obvious cytotoxicity was observed in the HepG2 cells incubated with each of the five components at up to 500μmol/L. At 24 h after incubation with FFAs, the HepG2 cells swelled and many lipid droplets accumulated. The lipid content was attenuated after 24 h of incubation with protopanaxadiol, tanshinone IIA, and emodin at 500 or 50 μmol/L （P 〈 0.05）, especially with 500 μmol/L protopanaxadiol （P 〈 0.01）. In addition, the ROS level was elevated in steatotic cells, but decreased after intervention with 500μmol/L protopanaxadiol （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Protopanaxadiol, tanshinone IIA, and emodin alleviate hepatocellular steatosis in a dose-dependent manner, and oxidative stress regulation may partially contribute to the effects of protopanaxadiol. ：

Submesoscale characteristics and transcription of a fatty acid elongase gene from a freshwater green microalgae, Myrmecia incisa Reisigl

Myrmecia incisa is a green coccoid freshwater microalgae, which is rich in arachidonic acid (ArA, C20: 4?-6, Δ5, 8, 11, 14), a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), especially under nitrogen starvation stress. A cDNA library of M. incisa was constructed with λ phage vectors and a 545 nt expressed sequence tag (EST) was screened from this library as a putative elongase gene due to its 56% and 49% identity to Marchantia polymorpha L. and Ostreococcus tauri Courties et Chrétiennot-Dinet, respectively. Based upon this EST sequence, an elongase gene designated MiFAE was isolated from M. incisa via 5′/3′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The cDNA sequence was 1 331 bp long and included a 33 bp 5′-untranslated region (UTR) and a 431 bp 3′-UTR with a typical poly-A tail. The 867 bp ORF encoded a predicted protein of 288 amino acids. This protein was characterized by a conserved histidine-rich box and a MYxYY motif that was present in other members of the elongase family. The genomic DNA sequence of MiFAE was found to be interrupted by three introns with splicing sites of Introns I (81 bp), II (81 bp), and III (67 bp) that conformed to the GT-AG rule. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the transcription level of MiFAE in this microalga under nitrogen starvation was higher than that under normal condition. Prior to the ArA content accumulation, the transcription of MiFAE was enhanced, suggesting that it was possibly responsible for the ArA accumulation in this microalga cultured under nitrogen starvation conditions.

Coronavirus disease(COVID-19):The need to maintain regular physical activity while taking precautions

The on-going Coronavirus disease(COVID-19)outbreak in China has become the world's leading health headline and is causing major panic and public concerns.On January 30,2020,the World Health Organization(WHO)declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern.1 The virus has already had a direct impact on more than 10 million people in the city of Wuhan and has reached other parts of China as well,posing a health threat of unknown magnitude globally.As of February 8,2020,WHO reported 34,886 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally,with 34,589 of them occurring in China(including 6101 severe cases and 723 deaths).A total of 288 other confirmed cases(with 1 death)have been reported in 24 countries,including Japan,Australia,Germany,and United States.2 However,these daily estimates are expected to rise even higher as reports from health authorities in China3 are gathered and near real-time updates of the Johns Hopkins virus dashboard are made 4 The outbreak has caused governments in various countries to take swift and protective measures.In China,these included putting cities on lockdown,5 implementing travel wamings/bans and cancellations,6 extending national holidays,and closing schools and postponing classes7.

Effects of huoxiangzhengqi liquid on enteric mucosal immune responses in mice with Bacillus dysenteriae and Salmonella typhimurium induced diarrhea

AIM: To explore effects of huoxiangzhengqi liquid (HXZQ) on enteric mucosal immune responses in mice with Bacillus dysenteriae and Salmonella typhimurium induced diarrhea (BSD). METHODS: BSD was induced in Balb/c mice by oral administration with Bacillus dysenteriae and Salmonella typhimurium. HXZQ was administrated from the day of diarrhea induction at dosages of 5.21 g/kg and 0.52 g/kg, respectively. The onset of diarrhea and lasting time were recorded. Peyer’s patches and peripheral lymphocytes were prepared for ? ow cytometry, and levels of TNF-α in peripheral blood and enteric tissue homogenates were determined with ELISA. Student’s t test was employed for statistics. RESULTS: Mice in BSD group started showing continuous diarrhea on the day of induction until the fourth day when they were sacrificed. Diarrhea in the mice of HXZQ high and low dose groups lasted for 36 and 54 h, respectively. There were more CD4+ and CD8+ cells in peripheral blood, fewer CD4+ cells in Peyer’s patches in BSD mice compared to normal mice. Fewer CD4+ and CD8+ cells was shown in the mice in HXZQ high groupcompared to BSD mice. In Peyer’s patch, there were more CD8+ cells in mice in HXZQ high and low dose groups and more CD4+ in mice in HXZQ high group. Higher levels of TNF-α in peripheral blood and intestinal tissue homogenates in BSD group were observed. Mice in HXZQ high group showed decreased levels of TNF-α in peripheral blood and enteric tissue homogenates. CONCLUSION: The immune regulation of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in Peyer’s patch and suppression of TNF-α levels in enteric homogenates may partially explain the effect of HXZQ on improvement of BSD.

Returning Chinese school-aged children and adolescents to physical activity in the wake of COVID-19: Actions and precautions

The Coronavirus disease-2019(COVID-19)pandemic is still spreading globally.As of April 7,2020,it has reached 184 countries and territories,infecting more than 1.4 million people worldwide with more than 82,000 deaths.1 The situation in China has improved significantly since December 31,2019.2 Owing to the unprecedented and effective quarantine measures taken across the country,Chinese health authorities reported on March 18,2020,that for the first time since the outbreak no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases had been reported,marking a major turning point in the fight against the highly contagious coronavirus.3 Since then,the daily number of new cases in the mainland of China has dropped to double digits,with new infections primarily originating from incoming air passengers from outside China.

Vitamin E Therapy in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely related to oxidative stress. Vitamin E (VE) is an effective antioxidant, which could relieve NAFLD symptoms by improving the balance of oxidation and anti-oxidation. However, recent researches indicate that the functional mechanisms of VE are not only limited to anti-oxidation, but also include adjusting the metabolism disorders of glucose and lipid. Furthermore, the efficacy of VE remains controversial in the treatment of NAFLD by far, and the suitable condition of patient, drug dosage, drug safety and course of treatment during clinical application still need to be discussed. Therefore, this paper reviewed the recent study progresses of clinical application of VE alone and VE and other drugs.

Increasing prevalence and influencing factors of childhood asthma: a cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China

Background Asthma has been a global problem,especially in children.We aim to evaluate the contemporary prevalence and influencing factors of asthma among children aged 3–7 years in Shanghai,China.Methods A random sample of preschool children was included in this study.The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire was adopted to assess the childhood asthma.Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between independent variables and childhood asthma.Results Of 6389 preschool children who were invited to take part in this study,6163(response rate:96.5%)completed the questionnaire and were included in the analysis.The overall prevalence of asthma was 14.6%which increased more than six folds from 2.1%in 1990.Being male,younger age,preterm delivery,being born in spring or autumn,being delivered by elective cesarean section without indication,miscarriage,high socioeconomic status,having allergy history,and exposure to passive smoking,latex paint,and dust were potential risk factors for childhood asthma.Spending more time outdoors(>30 min/day),having indoor plants,and cleaning rooms more frequently were potential protective factors.Conclusions The prevalence of childhood asthma in Shanghai has increased dramatically during the past three decades.The findings about risk and protective factors of childhood asthma could be used to develop appropriate strategies to prevent and control childhood asthma in Shanghai and in other similar metropolitan cities.

New Approach for Information Security Evaluation and Management of IT Systems in Educational Institutions

Security evaluation and management has become increasingly important for Web-based information technology(IT)systems,especially for educational institutions.For the security evaluation and management of IT systems in educational institutions,determining the security level for a single IT system has been well developed.However,it is still dificult to evaluate the information security level of the entire educational institution consid-ering multiple IT systems,because there might be too many different IT systems in one institution,educational institutions can be very different,and there is no standard model or method to provide a just ifable information security evaluation among different educational inst itutions considering their differences.In light of these difi-culties,a security evaluation model of educational institutions'IT systems(SEMEIS)is proposed in this work to facilitate the information security management for the educat ional institutions.Firstly,a simplified educational industry information system security level protection rating(EIISSLPR)with a new weight redistribution strategy for a single IT systern is proposed by choosing important evaluation questions from EIISSLPR and redistributing the weights of these questions.Then for the entire educational institution,analytic hierarchy process(AHP)is used to redistribute the weights of multiple IT systems at different security levels.considering the risk of pos-sible network security vulnerabilities,a risk index is forulated by weighting different factors,normalized by a utility function,and calculated with the real data collected from the institutions under the evaluation.Finally,the information security performance of educational institutions is obtained as the final score from SEMEIS.The results show that SEMEIS can evaluate the security level of the educat ion institutions practically and provide an efficient and effective management tool for the information security management.

Amygdalin Ameliorates Liver Fibrosis through Inhibiting Activation of TGF-β/Smad Signaling

Objective:To observe the effect of amygdalin on liver fibrosis in a liver fibrosis mouse model,and the underlying mechanisms were partly dissected in vivo and in vitro.Methods:Thirty-two male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups,including control,model,low-and high-dose amygdalin-treated groups,8 mice in each group.Except the control group,mice in the other groups were injected intraperitoneally with 10%carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)-olive oil solution 3 times a week for 6 weeks to induce liver fibrosis.At the first 3 weeks,amygdalin(1.35 and 2.7 mg/kg body weight)were administered by gavage once a day.Mice in the control group received equal quantities of subcutaneous olive oil and intragastric water from the fourth week.At the end of 6 weeks,liver tissue samples were harvested to detect the content of hydroxyproline(Hyp).Hematoxylin and eosin and Sirius red staining were used to observe the inflammation and fibrosis of liver tissue.The expressions of collagenⅠ(Col-Ⅰ),alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),CD31 and transforming growth factorβ(TGF-β)/Smad signaling pathway were detected by immunohistochemistry,quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot,respectively.The activation models of hepatic stellate cells,JS-1and LX-2 cells induced by TGF-β1 were used in vitro with or without different concentrations of amygdalin(0.1,1,10μmol/L).The effect of different concentrations of amygdalin on the expressions of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells(LSECs)dedifferentiation markers CD31 and CD44 were observed.Results:High-dose of amygdalin significantly reduced the Hyp content and percentage of collagen positive area,and decreased the mRNA and protein expressions of Col-Ι,α-SMA,CD31 and p-Smad2/3 in liver tissues of mice compared to the model group(P<0.01).Amygdalin down-regulated the expressions of Col-Ⅰandα-SMA in JS-1 and LX-2 cells,and TGFβR1,TGFβR2 and p-Smad2/3 in LX-2 cells compared to the model group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Moreover,1 and 10μmol/L amygdalin inhibited the mRNA and protein expressions of CD31 in LSECs and increased CD44 expression compared to the model group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusions:Amygdalin can dramatically alleviate liver fibrosis induced by CCl4 in mice and inhibit TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway,consequently suppressing HSCs activation and LSECs dedifferentiation to improve angiogenesis.

Pharmacological effects of Astragaloside IV: a literature review

OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of action of Astragaloside IV in Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongolici). METHODS: Aticles focusing on Astragaloside IV in English and Chinese in databases were collected and reviewed in order to summarize the latest extraction separation, pharmacokinetics, and the pharmacological effects of astrageloside IV. RESULTS: Protective effects of Astrageloside IV on the cardiovascular system, immune, digestive, nervous system were identified, and the action mechanisms were associated with regulation of the calcium balance, anti-oxydant, antiapoptosis, antivirus, and so on. CONCLUSION: Astrageloside IV has broad application prospects, especially in cardiovascular diseases, digestive diseases, cancer and other modern high incidence, high-risk diseases, and could be developed as a medicine.

Dangfei Liganning Capsules (当飞利肝宁胶囊) Attenuate the Susceptibility of Rat Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver to Carbon Tetrachloride Toxicity

Objective: To test whether nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis sensitizes carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury, and to assess the therapeutic effect of Chinese medicine extracts of Dangfei Liganning capsules (当飞利肝宁胶囊) and their potential underlying mechanisms. Methods: Male Wistar rats were fed a high-fat diet to induce nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or a normal diet (N). Eight weeks later, a nonlethal dose of CCl4 was applied intraperitoneally. From the start, HF-CCl4 rats were administered daily Dangyao extracts (D), Dangfei Liganning capsules (DF), or Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate (G) intragastrically. Rats were sacrificed 48 h after CCl4 administration. In addition to serum biochemistry, liver histopathology was observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and oil red O staining, and hepatic levels of triglyceride (TG), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), caspase-3 activation and cytochrome P450 (CYP2E1) expression were assessed. Results: There was almost no response to the nonlethal dose of CCl4 in the N control group. However, the HF group demonstrated massive steatosis, and elevated levels of serum ALT and AST, liver MDA, CYP2E1, and caspase-3 activation, whereas the levels of GSH and SOD were significantly decreased. All indexes assessed were dramatically worse in the HF-CCl4 group compared to the HF group, in addition to the more severe steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning, and inflammatory infiltration apparent in the centrilobular area. The medicines we tested affected the pathological changes in HF-CCl4 rats to differing degrees: DF and G led to improvements in all of the above examined indexes, including an obvious improvement in histopathology, and DF improved serum ALT and MDA levels more markedly than G, whereas D extracts produced only mild liver injury attenuation. Conclusion: Liver with NAFLD is more sensitive to hepatotoxicity; furthermore, the disrupted balance of oxidative stress and anti-oxidant defense contributes to the underlying mechanisms. Dangfei Liganning capsules potentially decrease this toxic susceptibility and alleviate liver injury in non-alcoholic fatty liver.

Structural Shifts of Gut Flora in Rat Acute Alcoholic Liver Injury and Jianpi Huoxue Decoction's(健脾活血汤)Effect Displayed by ERIC-PCR Fingerprint

Objective： To study the structural shifts of gut flora in rats with acute alcoholic liver injury （AALI）, and the effect of Jianpi Huoxue Decoction （健脾活血汤, JPHXD） on the gut flora. Methods： Thirty-six Sprague- Dawley rats were randomly allocated to the control, AALI and JPHXD groups equally. The rats in the control group were given water and those in AALI and JPHXD groups were given ethanol by intragastric gavage for 5 days, while rats in the JPHXD group were administered JPHXD simultaneously. The blood and liver tissue were collected at the end of the experiment. The activities of serum alkaline aminotransferase （ALT）, aspartate aminotransferase （AST）, hepatic γ/-glutamyitranspetidase （γ-GT） and hepatic tdglyceride （TG） levels were determined. Plasma endotoxin level in the portal vein was measured. Pathological changes of liver tissues were determined by hematoxylin and Eosin （HE） staining and oil red O staining. The total DNA of gut flora were extracted from fecal samples by Bead-beating method and determined by ERIC-PCR fingerprint method. The similarity cluster analysis and principal component analysis were performed to analyze the ERIC-PCR fingerprint respectively. Results： In the AALI group, the ratio of liver/body weight, activities of ALT, AST and hepatic γ-GT, amount of hepatic TG were elevated significantly compared with those in the control group （all P〈0.01）. JPHXD decreased the ratio, activities of ALT, AST, γ-GT and TG significantly compared with those in the AALI group （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. HE and oil red O staining showed that fat deposited markedly in liver tissue, while JPHXD alleviated pathological changes markedly. Plasma LPS level in rat portal vein in the AALI group increased significantly （P〈0.01）, but it was decreased significantly in the JPHXD group （P〈0.01）. The cluster analysis and principal component analysis of ERIC-PCR fingerprint showed that gut flora in the hALl group changed markedly, and JPHXD could recover gut flora to some extent. Conclusion： The structure of gut flora shifted markedly during acute alcoholic liver injury, JPHXD had prevention effect through the modification of gut flora.

Xiayuxue Decoction(下瘀血汤)Attenuates Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation and Sinusoidal Endothelium Defenestration in CCI_4-Induced Fibrotic Liver of Mice

Objective： To investigate the effects of ancient Chinese medical formula Xiayuxue Decoction （下瘀血汤, XYXD） on activation of hepatic stellate cells （HSCs） and defenestration of sinusoidal endothelial cells （SECs） in CCI4-induced fibrotic liver of mice. Methods： High performance liquid chromatography was used to identify the main components of XYXD and control the quality of extraction. C57BL/6 mice were induced liver fibrosis by CCI4 exposure and administered with XYXD for 6 weeks simultaneously. Liver tissue was investigated by hematoxylin-eosin and Sirius-red staining. Sinusoidal fenestrations were observed by scanning electronic microscopy and fluorescent immunohistochemistry of PECAM-1 （CD31）. Whole liver lysates were detected of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） and type-I collagen by Western blot. Primary rat HSCs-T6 cells were analyzed by detecting α-SMA, F-actin, DNA fragmentation through confocal microscopy, Western blot, terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling （TUNEL） assay and cellomics arrayscan, respectively. Results： Amygdalin and emodin in XYXD were identified. XYXD （993 mg/kg） inhibited Sirius red positive area up to 70.1% （P〈0.01）, as well as protein levels of α-SMA and type- I collagen by 42.0% and 18.5% （P〈0.05） respectively. In vitro, XYXD （12.5 μg/mL, 50 μg/mL） suppressed the activation of HSCs and reversed the myofibroblastic HSCs into quiescent, demonstrated as inhibition of fluorescent F-actin by 32.3% and 46.6% （P〈0.05）. Besides, XYXD induced the apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells by 20.0% （P〈0.05） and 49.5% （P〈0.01）, evidenced by enhanced TUNEL positivity. Moreover, ultrastructural observation suggested XYXD inhibited defenestration of SECs, which was confirmed by 31.1% reduction of protein level of CD31 （P〈0.05）. Conclusions： XYXD inhibited both HSCs activation and SECs defenestration which accompany chronic liver injuries. These data may help to understand the underlying mechanisms of XYXD for prevetion of chronic liver diseases.

A traditional Chinese herbal medicine compound preparation versus interventional therapy after resection of small hepatocellular carcinoma:22-year follow-up

OBJECTIVE:To compare the long-term effectiveness of compound Ruanjianhugan(RJH)tablets and interventional therapy(IT) in patients after resection of small hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS:A retrospective study was conducted in 399 patients after resection of small HCC who were admitted between January 1987 and December 2008 in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Center of Minimlly Invasive Surgery,First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University.Four groups were based on different therapy modes:a TCM-only(TCMO) group,a TCM combined with interventional therapy(TCM-IT) group,an interventional therapy-only(ITO) group,and a simple operation(SO) group.Prognostic factors were correlated with overall survival(OS) and OS rates were calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method,and multivariate analyses for factors affecting survival were evaluated by the Cox proportional hazard model.RESULTS:The median OS was 151.20 months in the TCM-IT group,43.87 months in the ITO group,and 20.77 months in the SO group.All survival rates of the TCMO group were higher than those of the other three groups(>50%).The 5-,10-,and 15-year OS in the TCMO and ITO patients were 83.94%,45.50%,and 71.22% and 33.34%,55.58%,and 9.26%,respectively(risk ratio,0.209;95% confidence interval,0.126-0.347;P=0.000).Multivariate analysis revealed that the independent risk factors were therapy mode(P=0.000),sex(P=0.005),family history(P=0.011),TNM Classification of Malignant Tumor staging(P=0.000),medical care-seeking behavior(P=0.021),and maximum diameter(P=0.030).CONCLUSION:Long-term oral use of compound RJH tablets may improve OS for small HCC after resection compared with IT.

The Extraarticular Symptoms Influence ACR Response in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Biomedicine: A Single-blind, Randomized, Controlled, Multicenter Trial in 194 patients

Objective: The extraarticular symptoms are important in the pattern differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and the present study is designed in an attempt to find the associations between the extraarticular symptoms and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Response in 194 cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with biomedicine. Methods: The data were obtained from a randomized clinical trial. One hundred ninety-four RA patients were treated with the biomedical therapy (diclofenec, methotrexate and sulfasalazine). ACR20 response in 24 weeks was used for the efficacy evaluation. Eighteen symptoms (including 13 extraarticular symptoms) that TCM practitioners focus on were collected for exploration on the association between the symptoms and the efficacy of the biomedical therapy with association rules method. Results: After 24 weeks, a total of 135 patients receiving biomedicine had achieved an ACR20 response. The association rules analysis on each symptom showed that soreness in the waist was more associated with ACR20 response, but with lower support (selected sample size based, 20.10% and 14.95% respectively); cold intolerance and cold joint were found to be associated with ACR20 response with higher support (48.97% and 53.61% respectively), and the confidences (predicted effective rate) were 73.08% and 71.23% respectively. The associations between combination of symptoms (among them, there was at least one extraarticular symptom) and ACR20 response indicated that cold intolerance or cold joint with higher confidence and support were the most important extraarticular symptoms. Conclusion: The RA patients with "cold intolerance" and "cold joints", which are the extraarticular symptoms that TCM practitioners focus on, may show higher ACR20 response when treated with the biomedical approach.

Key Symptoms Selection for Two Major SyndromesDiagnosis of Chinese Medicine in Chronic Hepatitis B

To identify key symptoms of two major syndromes in chronic hepatitis B (CHB), which can be the clinical evidence for Chinese medicine (CM) doctors to make decisions. Standardization scales on diagnosis for CHB in CM were designed including physical symptoms, tongue and pulse appearance. The total of 695 CHB cases with dampness-heat (DH) syndrome or Pi (Spleen) deficiency (SD) syndrome were collected for feature selection and modeling, another 275 CHB patients were collected in different locations for validation. Key symptoms were selected based on modified information gain (IG), and 5 classifiers were applied to assist with models training and validation. Classification accuracy and area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were evaluated. (1) Thirteen DH syndrome key symptoms and 13 SD syndrome key symptoms were selected from original 125 symptoms; (2) The key symptoms could achieve similar or better diagnostic accuracy than the original total symptoms; (3) In the validation phase, the key symptoms could identify syndromes effectively, especially in DH syndrome, which average prediction accuracy on 5 classifiers could achieve 0.864 with the average AUC 0.772. The selected key symptoms could be simple DH and SD syndromes diagnostic elements applied in clinical directly. (Registration N0.: ChiCTR-DCC-10000759).

Efficacy of polyphenolic ingredients of Chinese herbs in treating dyslipidemia of metabolic syndromes

There is an increasing interest and popularity of Chinese herbal medicine worldwide, which is accompanied by increasing concerns about its effectiveness and potential toxicity. Several ingredients, such as polyphenolic compounds berberine, flavonoids, and curcumin, have been studied extensively by using various animal models. Effectiveness of treatment and amelioration of metabolic syndromes, including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, has been demonstrated. This review summarizes the major checkpoints and contributing factors in regulation of exogenous and endogenous lipid metabolism, with particular emphasis centered on triglyceride-rich and cholesterol-rich lipoproteins. Available experimental evidence demonstrating the lipid-lowering effect of berberine, flavonoids and curcumin in cell culture and animal models is compiled, and the strengths and shortcomings of experimental designs in these studies are discussed.

Effect of Roucongrong(Herba Cistanches Deserticolae) on reproductive toxicity in mice induced by glycoside of Leigongteng(Radix et Rhizoma Tripterygii)

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research is to study the effect of Roucongrong(Herba Cistanches Deserticolae) on reproductive toxicity in mice induced by a glycoside extracted from Leigongteng(Radix et Rhizoma Tripterygii)(GRT).METHODS: Forty-eight BALB/c mice were randomly divided into two groups in the ratio of 1∶3, 12 in one group and 36 in the other. The 12-mouse group was the control group that wasintragastrically administered physiological saline for 3 weeks.The 36 mice in the other group were given 30 mg·kg﹣1·d﹣1GRT for 3 weeks, then randomly divided into 3 subgroups: the model group, GRT group and Roucongrong(Herba Cistanches Deserticolae)group, with 12 mice in each group. In the model group, 0.25 mL physiological saline was intragastrically administered; in the GRT group, GRT, 0.25 mL at 30 mg·kg﹣ 1·d﹣ 1was intragastrically administered once a day; in the Roucongrong(Herba Cistanches Deserticolae) group, mice were administered Roucongrong(Herba Cistanches Deserticolae)decoction equivalent to 0.25 mL at a final dose of10 g·kg﹣ 1·d﹣ 1crude drug(calculated as per 20timesof0.5g·kg﹣1·d﹣1foradults),and GRT 0.25mL at 30 mg·kg﹣1·d﹣1daily. After another 3 weeks of exposure, expression levels of the reproduction-related genes DEAD(Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide 3, Y-linked, B-cell CLL/lymphoma 6 and Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 were evaluated.RESULTS:After 6 weeks of GRT treatment,the spermatogenic cell population in the convoluted tubule of testis was in disorder and the tubule cavity expanded. Sertoli cell and Leydig cells exhibited atrophy or disappeared. The number of sperm decreased. The spermatogenic cell level of testis for male mice was ranked in order and sperm was produced in the cavity of the spermatogenic cell. The expression levels of DDX3Y, BCL6 and STAT3 were up-regulated.CONCLUSION: GRT affected reproduction-related genes. Roucongrong(Herba Cistanches Deserticolae) reversed reproductive toxicity in mice induced byGRT.

Evidence-based Chinese Medicine for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Chinese medicine (CM) has long been adopted for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). CM approaches RA as it does for other diseases by holistic treatment, focusing on the whole body condition, and giving a variety of applications in accordance with the stage and symptoms of the disease. For seeking the best evidence of CM in making decisions for the care of RA individual patients, a number of clinical studies have been conducted in China to gain credibility with the researchers’ unremitting efforts. But the heterogeneity in many of these clinical trials and the low quality of design in some previous studies present an obstacle to the meaningful systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analysis. Some favorable results in improvement of response to biomedicine and reduction of severe adverse reactions of conventional RA therapy should be carefully interpreted and need further research. Fortunately, more appropriate quality assurance and control of CM researches are raised for the implementation of CM in RA therapy to pave the evidence-based way. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of RA recommend evidence to the clinicians. In future, randomized controlled trials (RCT) with smart and flexible design as a good approach to evaluate the effectiveness will be widely used in CM for RA clinical study, with better research methods suitable for certain CM clinical researches. The development of evidence-based CM for RA will be full of challenge and opportunity, but we have full confidence.

Correlation between cold and hot pattern in traditional Chinese medicine and gene expression profiles in rheumatoid arthritis

Clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)are diversified,and based on the manifestations,the patients with RA could be classified into different patterns under traditional Chinese medicine.These patterns decide the selection of herbal prescription,and thus they can help find a subset of rheumatoid arthritis patients for a type of therapy.In the present study,we combine genome-wide expression analysis with methods of systems biology to identify the functional gene networks for the sets of clinical symptoms that comprise the major information for pattern classification.Clinical manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis were clustered with factor analysis,and two factors(similar to cold and hot patterns in traditional Chinese medicine)were found.Microarray technology was used to reveal gene expression profiles in CD4^(+)T cells from 21 rheumatoid arthritis patients.Protein-protein interaction information for these genes from databases and literature data was searched.The highly-connected regions were detected to infer significant complexes or pathways in this protein-protein interaction network.The significant pathways and function were extracted from these subnetworks using the Biological Network Gene Ontology tool.The genes significantly related to hot and cold patterns were identified by correlations analysis.MAPK signalling pathway,Wnt signaling pathway,and insulin signaling pathway were found to be related to hot pattern.Purine metabolism was related to both hot and cold patterns.Alanine,aspartate,and tyrosine metabolism were related to cold pattern,and histindine metabolism and lysine degradation were related to hot pattern.The results suggest that cold and hot patterns in traditional Chinese medicine were related to different pathways,and the network analysis might be used for identifying the pattern classification in other diseases.