Aim To explore the improvement effect of Bazi Bushen capsule on thymic degeneration in SAMP6 mice and the possible mechanism.Methods Twenty 12 week old male SAMP6 mice were randomly divided into the model group(SAMP6)and the Bazi Busheng capsule treatment group(SAMP6+BZBS).Ten SAMR1 mice were assigned to a homologous control group(SAMR1).The SAMP6+BZBS group was oral-ly administered Bazi Bushen capsule suspension(2.8 g·kg-1)daily,while the other two groups were orally administered an equal amount of distilled water.After nine weeks of administration,the morphology of the thymus in each group was observed and the thymus in-dex was calculated;HE staining was used to observe the structural changes of thymus tissue;SA-β-gal stai-ning was used to detect thymic aging;flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of thymic CD3+T cells in each group;Western blot was used to detect the levels of p16,Bax,Bcl-2,and cleaved caspase-3 proteins in thymus;immunofluorescence was applied to detect the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells in each group;ELISA was employed to detect IL-7 lev-els in thymus.Results Compared with the SAMP6 group,the thymic index of the SAMP6+BZBS group significantly increased(P＜0.05);the disordered thy-mic structure was significantly improved;the positive proportion of SA-β-gal staining significantly decreased(P＜0.01);the proportion of CD3+T cells apparently increased(P＜0.05);the level of p16 protein signifi-cantly decreased(P＜0.05);the level of Bcl-2 pro-tein significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the lev-el of cleaved caspase-3 protein markedly decreased(P＜0.05);the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells evidently increased;the level of IL-7 significantly increased(P＜0.01).Conclusions Bazi Bushen capsule can delay thymic degeneration,inhibit cell ap-optosis in thymus and promote thymic cell development in SAMP6 mice,which may be related to increasing the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells and promoting IL-7 secretion.

Aged ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; COVID-19/drug therapy* ; China/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Acuity ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanistic basis for the attenuation of bone degeneration by edible bird's nest (EBN) in ovariectomized rats. METHODS: Forty-two female Sprage-Dawley rats were randomized into 7 groups (6 in each group). The ovariectomized (OVX) and OVX + 6%, 3%, and 1.5% EBN and OVX +estrogen groups were given standard rat chow alone, standard rat chow +6%, 3%, and 1.5% EBN, or standard rat chow +estrogen therapy (0.2mg/kg per day), respectively. The sham-operation group was surgically opened without removing the ovaries. The control group did not have any surgical intervention. After 12 weeks of intervention, blood samples were taken for serum estrogen, osteocalcin, and osteoprotegerin, as well as the measurement of magnesium, calcium abd zinc concentrations. While femurs were removed from the surrounding muscles to measure bone mass density using the X-ray edge detection technique, then collected for histology and estrogen receptor (ER) immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Ovariectomy altered serum estrogen levels resulting in increased food intake and weight gain, while estrogen and EBN supplementation attenuated these changes. Ovariectomy also reduced bone ER expression and density, and the production of osteopcalcin and osteorotegerin, which are important pro-osteoplastic hormones that promote bone mineraliztion and density. Conversely, estrogen and EBN increased serum estrogen levels leading to increased bone ER expression, pro-osteoplastic hormone production and bone density (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION EBN could be used as a safe alternative to hormone replacement therapys for managing menopausal complications like bone degeneration.

Objective:To analyze the main factors affecting the Ziziphus jujuba distribution and expand the understanding of its distribution and the corresponding influencing factors by comparing the distribution sites of Z. jujuba predicted by models with those recorded in the literature. Method:More than 200 distribution sites of Z. jujuba accompanied by 55 environmental factors were obtained from literature and specimen review. The environmental factors that affect the distribution of Z. jujuba were explored by maximum entropy （MaxEnt） model， and the potential distribution areas of Z. jujuba in China were analyzed by ArcGIS， followed by the verification of the main environmental factors using receiver-operating characteristic （ROC） curve and Jackknife method. Result:The area under the curve （AUC） values for the test data and training data were both greater than 0.9， which perfectly satisfied the standard， indicating that the research results were accurate and reliable. Conclusion:The annual average temperature， the average temperature in May， the average temperature in the warmest season， vegetation type， soil type， average temperature in June， average temperature in September， and average temperature in August are proved to be the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of Z. jujuba， which can be found almost all over China， except for Heilongjiang and Tibet. Z. jujuba is most suitable to be planted in southeastern Sichuan， Chongqing， southern Gansu， Ningxia， most areas of central Shaanxi， eastern and southwestern Shanxi， Henan， eastern and northern Hubei， northern and eastern Anhui， Shandong， Hebei， Beijing， Tianjin， western Liaoning， and Zhejiang. As revealed by literature review， the most suitable growing areas of Z. jujuba are southeastern Sichuan， central Shaanxi， southwestern Shanxi， western and northern Henan， Shandong， and southwestern and eastern Hebei.

To investigate the effects of different habitat processing methods of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma on acute myocardial ischemia induced by pituitrin in rats. In this experiment, the tail vein injection of pituitrin was used to induce acute myocardial ischemia in rats. Electrocardiograph(ECG) heart rate and ΔST changes were recorded, and the levels of creatine kinase isoenzyme(CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and malondialdehyde(MDA) in serum of rats were detected to comprehensively evaluate the effects of six processing methods of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma on serum biochemical indexes of rats with acute myocardial injury. The ECG results showed that the Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma dried in a drying oven had a good effect on the improvement of heart rate and ΔST of electrocardiogram after ischemia, and all the other groups had some protective effects to different degrees. The results of biochemical indexes in serum of each group after ischemia showed that the activity of CK-MB decreased most significantly in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma high-dose group with drying in a drying oven after sweating and losing weight in a drying oven, high-dose group with drying in the shade and low-dose group with drying in the shade. The activity of LDH decreased most significantly in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma high-dose group with drying in the shade and low-dose group of drying in the shade. The activity of SOD increased most significantly in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma low-dose group with drying in sun, low-dose group with drying in sun after sweating and losing weight in sun, and low-dose group with drying in a drying oven. The activity of MDA decreased most significantly in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma low-dose group with drying in sun. The comprehensive scoring results showed that the highest score was obtained in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma high-dose group with drying in the shade while the scores of other treatment groups were higher than that of the model group. It could be seen that the Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma dried in a drying oven had a good improvement effect on electrocardiograph indexes after acute myocardial injury, the Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma dried in the shade had a good improvement effect on serum myocardial enzymes after acute myocardial injury, and the other processing methods had a certain protective effect on myocardial injury. The six processing methods evaluated by pharmacodynamics showed that the Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma dried in the shade and dried in a drying oven had good efficacy.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Ecosystem ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Rats ; Rhizome ; Salvia miltiorrhiza

Urate transporter 1 (URAT1) is a validated target for the treatment of hyperuricemia. Based on the structure of URC-102, which is currently under a phase Ⅱ clinical trial, fourteen novel analogs were designed and synthesized. Among them, four compounds (9b, 9c, 10e and 10g) exhibited substantial inhibitory effect against URAT1. The most active compound 9b showed an IC₅₀ value of 0.061 μmol·L^-1, which is significantly more potent than Lesinurad and Benzbromarone. Preliminary SAR was drawn, providing clues for further structural optimization.

Background:Clinical outcomes of undifferentiated arthritis (UA) are diverse,and only 40 ％ of patients with UA develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after 3 years.Discovering predictive markers at disease onset for further intervention is critical.Therefore,our objective was to analyze the clinical outcomes of UA and ascertain the predictors for RA development.Methods:We performed a prospective,multi-center study from January 2013 to October 2016 among Chinese patients diagnosed with UA in 22 tertiary-care hospitals.Clinical and serological parameters were obtained at recruitment.Follow-up was undertaken in all patients every 12 weeks for 2 years.Predictive factors of disease progression were identified using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression.Results:A total of 234 patients were recruited in this study,and 17 (7.3％) patients failed to follow up during the study.Among the 217 patients who completed the study,83 (38.2％) patients went into remission.UA patients who developed RA had a higher rheumatoid factor (RF)-positivity (42.9％ vs.16.8％,x2=8.228,P=0.008),anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodypositivity (66.7％ vs.10.7％,x2 =43.897,P ＜ 0.001),and double-positivity rate of RF and anti-CCP antibody (38.1％ vs.4.1％,x2 =32.131,P ＜ 0.001) than those who did not.Anti-CCP antibody but not RF was an independent predictor for RA development (hazard ratio 18.017,95％ confidence interval:5.803-55.938;P ＜ 0.001).Conclusion:As an independent predictor of RA,anti-CCP antibody should be tested at disease onset in all patients with UA.

AIM:To investigate the expression and localization of autophagy related protein microtublule associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) at various stages of follicular development and atresia in the mice.METHODS:On 0,1,2,3,4 and 5 day after intraperitoneal injection of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG),expression and positioning situation of autophagy related protein LC3 and apoptosis related protein cleaved caspase-3 were examined by the method of immunohistochemical staining.The protein levels of cleaved caspase-3 and LC3 were determined by Western blot in cultured mouse granulosa cells after incubation under serum-free conditions in the absence or presence of FSH.LC3 subcellular localization in granulosa cells were studied by the method of immunofluorescence.RESULTS:The LC3 protein expressed in granulosa cells during all developmental stages mainly.Granulosa cells of atretic follicles that showed intense staining of cleaved caspase-3 and LC3.The protein levels of cleaved caspase-3 and LC3-Ⅱ in the granulosa cells significantly decreased at 1 d and 2 d after intraperitoneal injection of PMSG (P ＜ 0.05).The protein levels of cleaved caspase3 and LC3-Ⅱ in the granulosa cells increased in turn on 3,4 and 5 day after intraperitoneal injection of PMSG.The positive correlation between LC3-Ⅱ and cleaved caspase-3 protein levels was observed (r2 =0.8299,P ＜ 0.05).The LC3-Ⅱ protein expressed with punctuate structures in granulosa cell cytoplasm cultured under serum-free conditions in the presence of FSH.CONCLUSION:LC3 is expressed in the follicular granulosa cells with cell specificity and regional specificity.Autophagy is induced mainly in granulosa cells during folliculogenesis and shows positive correlation with apoptosis.Ovarian granulosa cell autophagy and apoptosis are gonadotropic hormone dependent.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical outcomes rating scale for heart failure (HF) based on patients' report.

METHODSTCM clinical outcomes rating scale for HF (TCM-HF-PRO) were evaluated based on 340 HF patients' report from multiple centers. The completion of the investigation was recorded. Cronbach's α coefficient and split-half reliability were used for reliability analysis, and factor analysis was used to assess the construct validity of the rating scale. Pearson correlation analysis was then used for criterion validity analysis. Discriminant analysis was used to assess the responsiveness of the scale. All 340 HF patients having complete TCM-HF-PRO data were assigned to the treatment group and the control group by central randomization. The total TCM-HF-PRO scores of the two groups were compared using paired t-test to reflect the longitude responsiveness of the scale before treatment and at week 2 after treatment.

RESULTS(1) The recycling rate of the scale was 100.0%. One of them was not filled completely, which was rejected thereby. So the completion rate was 99.7%. The completion time for TCM-HF-PRO scale ranged 15 to 25 min. (2) The Cronbach's α coefficient of rating scale was 0.903, split-half reliability was 0.844 and 0.849. (3) Confirmatory factor analysis showed that 7 factors and items formed according to maximum load factor basically coincided with the construct of the rating scale, 7 factors accumulated contribution rate was 43.8%. TCM clinical outcomes rating scale for HF based on patients' report was relatively better correlated with the Minnesota living with HF questionnaire (r = 0.726, P < 0.01). (4) Discriminant analysis showed that the rating scale correctly classified more than 78.8% of case studies having confirmed initial differential diagnosis by experts. The total scale of the rating scale decreased more in the two group after treatment, with significant difference as compared with before treatment (P < 0.01.

CONCLUSIONTCM clinical outcomes rating scale for HF based on patients' report had good reliability, validity and responsiveness, hence it could be used to assess clinical efficacy for HF patients.

Diagnosis, Differential ; Discriminant Analysis ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Heart Failure ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; standards ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Polysaccharides from numerous traditional Chinese medicines have been proven as the bioactive ingredients and are hence used as the quality control markers. However, the assessment criteria always show a poor specificity, due to the lack of systematic comparison among the analogous herbs. In the present study, two similar materials, namely sea-tangle and sargassum, were selected as the model herbs to develop more specific methods for quality control. Two well-established methods, determination of the total polysaccharides content and monosaccharides composition analysis, were both employed. Based upon the quantitative results, the evaluation criteria of the polysaccharides contents of not less than 2.0% and 1.7% were proposed for sea-tangle and sargassum, respectively. Nine identical monosaccharide derivatives appeared on the HPLC chromatograms of the hydrolysis and derivatized solutions of the two drugs. Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis using the peak areas of monosaccharides derivatives as the variables were performed, and the results indicated that mannuronic acid and xylose with the opposite concentrations in the two drugs were the differential components. A discriminative criterion using the peak area ratio of these two monosaccharides derivatives was proposed for the qualitative identification. In conclusion, a more specific and quantitative quality control method was developed for sea-tangle and sargassum.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Laminaria ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Polysaccharides ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Sargassum ; chemistry ; Seaweed ; chemistry