Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) combined with renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 2~3 of IgA nephropathy. Methods 109 patients were randomized into the observation group and the control group. On the basis of taking RAS blockers, patients in the observation group received TwHF, and patients in the control group received methylprednisolone. The proteinuria, renal function and adverse effect were observed during treatment. Results At 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of treatment, proteinuria in the two groups was lower than the baseline(P <0.05). During follow-ups, there was no significant difference of eGFR between the two groups and baseline (P >0.05). Besides, there was no significant difference in terms of proteinuria, eGFR and effective rate in the two groups. The occurrence rate of adverse effects was 9.8% vs 27.4% and there was significant difference in the two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions TwHF combined with RAS blockers can decrease proteinuria, protect renal function and have less adverse effects, and it is a useful therapeutic options for CKD stages 2 ~ 3 of IgAN.

Objective To conduct a prospective,randomly controlled trial,evaluating the combination of tacrolimus,corticosteroids and entecavir for the treatment of adult patients with biopsyproven hepatitis B virus-associated membrane nephropathy (HBV-MN).Methods A total of 38 patients with biopsy-confirmed HBV-MN were randomized to the tacrolimus group (n=19) and the control group (n=19).Patients in tacrolimus group received combination therapy of tacrolimus (0.05 mg·kg-1 · d-1),corticosteroids (prednisone acetate,0.5 mg· kg-1 · d-1) and entecavir (0.5 mg/d),whereas patients in control group received entecavir mono-therapy (0.5 mg/d).The primary end point was the percentage of patients reaching complete remission (CR) or partial remission (PR).Results The probability of remission in the treatment group was 88.89％ and 94.44％ after 6 and 12 months,but only 38.89％ and 58.82％ in the control group,respectively.The decrease in proteinuria was significantly greater in the treatment group.Entecavir was used for the treatment of hepatitis in all patients,which caused the disappearance of serum hepatitis B viral DNA(HBV-DNA) and the normalization of ALT and AST levels in 3 months.Notably,two patients in the control group and one patient in the treatment group reached the secondary end point.One patient in the tacrolimus-treated group showed a relapse during the taper period.Conclusion This treatment protocol not only can control the replication of HBV-DNA but also can reduce proteinuria and preserve renal function,it is one of useful therapeutic options for patients with HBV-MN.

OBJECTIVE To screen the prescription and preparation method of Bupleurum nanoemulsion, and evaluate its quality, study the antipyretic effect. METHODS The emulsifier and co-emulsifier of the nanoemulsion were preliminarily screened, and then the prescription was screened by pseudo-ternary phase diagram. The quality evaluation of the appearance, particle size distribution, structure type, stability and content of the prepared Bupleurum nanoemulsion was performed. Wistar rats were further randomly divided into blank control group, model control group, positive control group(aspirin group), Bupleurum nanoemulsion high-dose, medium-dose and low-dose groups(18.00, 9.00, 3.00 g·kg−1). Except for the blank control group, the pathological model of fever rats was prepared in the other groups. According to the scheduled experimental requirements, rats in each group were given the corresponding drugs. And the temperature changes of rats in each group were recorded at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3 h to observe the antipyretic effect of Bupleurum nanoemulsion. RESULTS The best prescription of Bupleurum nanoemulsion: Tween-80 6 g and n-butanol 3 g, Bupleurum extract dissolved in pure water as water phase 20 mL, Bupleurum oil as oil phase 2 g. At room temperature, the Bupleurum nanoemulsion was a yellow-brown clear and transparent liquid, O/W nanoemulsion, with an average particle size of (77.21±3.66)nm, polydispersity index of 0.28±0.04, Zeta potential of (–18.81±1.42)mV, and saikosaponin content of 3.071 mg·mL−1, with good stability. In animal experiments, compared with the model control group, the rectal temperature of aspirin group and Bupleurum nanoemulsion high-dose group was significantly lower after the first administration(P<0.01), the rectal temperature of Bupleurum nanoemulsion middle-dose group was significantly lower after the first administration 2, 3 h(P<0.01). CONCLUSION The Bupleurum nanoemulsion is transparent and stable, and it has good antipyretic effect on fever rat model.

OBJECTIVE To study the efficacy of sinapine thiocyanate dissoluble microneedle （ST-DMN） for acupoint administration against bronchial asthma （BA）. METHODS The network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques were used to screen the core targets of sinapine thiocyanate （ST） against BA， and the pharmacodynamics of the top 3 core targets was studied. Firstly， ST-DMN was prepared （drug loading of ST was 1 mg/tablet）； secondly， 30 rats were divided into blank control group， model control group， blank microneedle group， Sinapine powder plaster group （positive control group） and ST-DMN group. Except for the blank control group， rats of other groups were sensitized with 10% ovalbumin （containing aluminum hydroxide adjuvant） and nebulized with 1% ovalbumin to induce the BA model. After modeling， blank control group did not receive any intervention； normal saline was applied to the Feishu acupoint and Dazhui acupoint of the rats in the model control group， while the blank microneedle group， Sinapine powder plaster group and ST-DMN group were given blank microneedle， Sinapis alba powder （plaster， 1.5 g） and ST-DMN （3 tablets at 2 acupoints） at same acupoint， once a day， for 28 consecutive days. After administration， the general symptoms were observed and the body mass of the rats was measured.pathological changes of lung tissues in rats was observed； the levels of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2 （PTGS2）， GNYL matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9） and interleukin-2 （IL-2）in serum， bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） and lung tissues were determined. RESULTS Results of network pharmacology and molecular docking showed that the key targets of ST against BA were identified as PTGS2， MMP-9， IL-2， epidermal growth factor receptor， heat shock protein90AA1， etc. Pharmacodynamic experiments showed that compared with model control group， relieved cough， restored hair color， sensitive behavior， stable respiration and increased body weight were all found in ST-DMN group； the histopathological changes as the structure of lung tissue， infiltration of alveolar epithelial cells and pulmonary interstitial inflammatory cells were improved to different extent； the levels of PTGS2， MMP-9 and IL-2 in serum， BALF and lung tissue were significantly reduced （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS The anti-BA effect of ST-DMN acupoint administration is good， the mechanism of which may be associated with decreasing the levels of PTGS2， MMP-9 and IL-2 in serum， BALF and lung tissue.