Rubi Fructus has a long history of medicinal and edible use in China. It contains chemical components such as terpenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, fatty acids, and alkaloids, and possesses various pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, anti-tumor, anti-osteoporosis, and liver-protective effects. Rubi Fructus is widely applied in medical, health, and food fields. The quality of Rubi Fructus can directly affect the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication. Therefore, this article reviews the research progress on the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Rubi Fructus. Based on the concept of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) quality markers(Q-markers), the article explores the screening and determination of Q-markers for Rubi Fructus from various aspects, including plant kinship, traditional efficacy, medicinal properties, measurability of chemical composition, different processing methods, producing areas, harvesting periods, and planting conditions. The components ellagic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, rutin, astragalin, tiliroside, and hyperoside are preliminarily proposed as Q-markers for Rubi Fructus, providing a reference for the quality control of Rubi Fructus.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Rubus/chemistry* ; Fruit/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Morinda officinalis iridoid glycosides (MOIG) on bone loss of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats, and the mechanism of osteoclast function and activity induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RA rats were established by injecting bovin type II collagen. The Bio-ethic Committee of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University approved all experimental protocols associated with this study (IACUC-20180410-03). The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats were administered drug by gavage for 8 weeks; the femoral trabecular micro-structure changes were observed in CIA rats by micro-CT; the LPS-induced osteoclasts model further observed the effect and mechanism of anti-inflammatory osteoporosis in vitro. The results indicated that MOIG could markedly increase bone mineral density (BMD) in CIA rats, improve trabecular micro-structure. In vitro studies demonstrated that MOIG could significantly inhibit osteoclastogensis and differentiation, suppress tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, F-actin ring formation, TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) recruitment, and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-Bα (IκBα) degradation as well as p65 phosphorylation, thereby repressing nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway activation. Subsequently, MOIG effectively inhibited osteoclast nuclear factor of activated T-cells c1 (NFATc1) and cellular oncogene Fos (c-Fos) expression, as well as bone resorption related protein activity including matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP-9) and cathepsin K (CtsK). Meanwhile, MOIG also repressed the phosphorylation expression of Janus activating kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), thereby inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation. Moreover, further studies found that MOIG could suppress glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity, and GSK-3β gene silencing could markedly inhibit oetsoclast F-actin ring formation as well as the phosphorylation expression of p65 and STAT3. Of note, compared with GSK-3β gene silencing group, there was no significant difference in the group treated with both MOIG with GSK-3β gene silencing simultaneously. Thus, the results suggested that MOIG may inhibit NF-κB signaling pathway and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation via regulating GSK-3β, thereby alleviating bone destruction in RA.

Objective:To explore the effect of combining hand-brain perception training with hand-brain motor training based on mirror neuron theory on the recovery of upper limb function after a stroke.Methods:A group of 105 stroke survivors with upper limb dysfunction were randomly divided into a hand-brain perception (HP) group, a hand-brain motor (HM) group, and a combination (C) group, each of 35. In addition to conventional rehabilitation treatment (including exercise therapy, occupational therapy and physical factor therapy), the HP and HM groups were given hand-brain perception training and hand-brain motor training respectively, while group C was provided with both. Before the intervention and after 4 weeks, the upper limb motor functioning of all of the participants was assessed using the simplified version of the Fugl-Meyer upper limb motor function scale (FMA-UE). Sensory functioning was quantified using the tactile Semmes Weinstein monofilament examination (SWME), and the modified Barthel index (MBI) was used to quantify the participants′ ability in the activities of daily living.Results:After the intervention the average FMA-UE, MBI and SWME scores of all three groups had improved significantly, with group C′s average FMA-UE and MBI scores significantly better than the other two groups′ averages. The average SWME score of group C was then significantly better than that of group HM.Conclusions:Hand-brain perception combined with hand-brain motor training based on mirror neuron theory can further promote the recovery of upper limb sensory and motor functioning of stroke survivors., Such therapy is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

The population aging and the coming of the information era are accompanied with the growing incidence of spinal degenerative diseases, which result in heavy social and economic burdens. Under the guidance of the tendon-bone theory, rich experience has been accumulated in the prevention and diagnosis of spinal degenerative diseases with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), which demonstrates unique advantages. China's government has placed people's health in the strategic position of development, providing a favorable environment for the realization of healthy aging. The Healthy China 2030 advocates special actions for healthy bones. As China is facing an important period of demographic transition, the Traditional Chinese Medicine for Bone Health Program has emerged, combining the needs of the national health strategy and the advantages of TCM. This paper discusses the background and significance of the program. According to the theory of five body constituents and the characteristics of musculoskeletal system diseases, this paper constructs a theoretical system of "tendon-meridian-muscle-bone-marrow" to explain the structure and function of the musculoskeletal system. From the holistic view of TCM, this system shows not only the structure and function of the musculoskeletal system but also the patterns of disease development and the mechanism of TCM treatment. The system facilitates the research on not only the comorbidities related to bone health but also the occurrence, development, and outcome of diseases. In the management of chronic degenerative diseases, attention should be paid to the establishment and improvement of the disease prevention and control system in addition to the disease treatment alone. Finally, this paper introduces the characteristic advantages of TCM in the whole process of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and health maintenance of spinal degenerative diseases, aiming to enrich the connotation of the tendon-bone theory, provide ideas and implementation strategies for TCM clinical practice, and ultimately achieve the effective management of the diagnosis and treatment of spinal degenerative diseases.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Spinal Diseases/prevention & control* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; China ; Bone and Bones/drug effects*

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and the risk factors of fungal sepsis in 25 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) among preterm infants in China, and to provide a basis for preventive strategies of fungal sepsis. Methods: This was a second-analysis of the data from the "reduction of infection in neonatal intensive care units using the evidence-based practice for improving quality" study. The current status of fungal sepsis of the 24 731 preterm infants with the gestational age of <34⁺⁰ weeks, who were admitted to 25 participating NICU within 7 days of birth between May 2015 and April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. These preterm infants were divided into the fungal sepsis group and the without fungal sepsis group according to whether they developed fungal sepsis to analyze the incidences and the microbiology of fungal sepsis. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidences of fungal sepsis in preterm infants with different gestational ages and birth weights and in different NICU. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to study the outcomes of preterm infants with fungal sepsis, which were further compared with those of preterm infants without fungal sepsis. The 144 preterm infants in the fungal sepsis group were matched with 288 preterm infants in the non-fungal sepsis group by propensity score-matched method. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of fungal sepsis. Results: In all, 166 (0.7%) of the 24 731 preterm infants developed fungal sepsis, with the gestational age of (29.7±2.0) weeks and the birth weight of (1 300±293) g. The incidence of fungal sepsis increased with decreasing gestational age and birth weight (both P<0.001). The preterm infants with gestational age of <32 weeks accounted for 87.3% (145/166). The incidence of fungal sepsis was 1.0% (117/11 438) in very preterm infants and 2.0% (28/1 401) in extremely preterm infants, and was 1.3% (103/8 060) in very low birth weight infants and 1.7% (21/1 211) in extremely low birth weight infants, respectively. There was no fungal sepsis in 3 NICU, and the incidences in the other 22 NICU ranged from 0.7% (10/1 397) to 2.9% (21/724), with significant statistical difference (P<0.001). The pathogens were mainly Candida (150/166, 90.4%), including 59 cases of Candida albicans and 91 cases of non-Candida albicans, of which Candida parapsilosis was the most common (41 cases). Fungal sepsis was independently associated with increased risk of moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (adjusted OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04-2.22, P=0.030) and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (adjusted OR 2.55, 95%CI 1.12-5.80, P=0.025). Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure (adjusted OR=2.50, 95%CI 1.50-4.17, P<0.001), prolonged use of central line (adjusted OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.03-1.08, P<0.001) and previous total parenteral nutrition (TPN) duration (adjusted OR=1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06, P<0.001) were all independently associated with increasing risk of fungal sepsis. Conclusions: Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis are the main pathogens of fungal sepsis among preterm infants in Chinese NICU. Preterm infants with fungal sepsis are at increased risk of moderate to severe BPD and severe ROP. Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure, prolonged use of central line and prolonged duration of TPN will increase the risk of fungal sepsis. Ongoing initiatives are needed to reduce fungal sepsis based on these risk factors.
Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Birth Weight ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Sepsis/epidemiology* ; Retinopathy of Prematurity/epidemiology* ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology*

This paper compared the differences between two kinds of Bufonis Venenum produced by Bufo gargarizans gargarizans and B. gararizans andrewsi, and verified the rationality of the market value orientation of Bufonis Venenum based on the zebrafish mo-del. Twenty batches of Bufonis Venenum from Jiangsu province, Hebei province, Liaoning province, Jilin province, and Liangshan, Sichuan province, including B. gargarizans gargarizans and B. gararizans andrewsi, were collected. The UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS combined with principal component analysis was used to compare the differences between two kinds of Bufonis Venenum. According to the limiting conditions of VIP>1, FC<0.5 or FC>2.0, and peak total area ratio>1%, 9 differential markers were determined, which were cinobufagin, cinobufotalin, arenobufagin, resibufogenin, scillaredin A, resibufagin, 3-(N-suberoylargininyl)-arenobufagin, 3-(N-suberoylargininyl)-marinobufagin, and 3-(N-suberoylargininyl)-resibufogenin. The content of 20 batches of Bufonis Venenum was determined according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition) by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the 2 batches of Bufonis Venenum, CS7(8.99% of total content) and CS9(5.03% of total content), with the largest difference in the total content of the three quality control indexes of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(bufalin, cinobufagin, and resibufogenin) were selected to evaluate their anti-liver tumor activity based on the zebrafish model. The tumor inhibition rates of the 2 batches were 38.06% and 45.29%, respectively, proving that only using the quality control indexes of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as the value orientation of Bufonis Venenum market circulation was unreasonable. This research provides data support for the effective utilization of Bufonis Venenum resources and the establishment of a rational quality evaluation system of Bufonis Venenum.
Animals ; Zebrafish ; Bufanolides/analysis* ; Bufonidae ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Quality Control ; Cell Line, Tumor

AIM: To evaluate the damage to optic nerve by detecting the morphological and functional changes of optic nerve in patients with acute primary angle-closure glaucoma.METHODS: The correlation among the positive rates of fundus photography, visual field examination, optical coherence tomography(OCT)scan of the optic nerve, and pattern visual evoked potentials(P-VEP)were analyzed in 28 patients with acute primary angle-closure glaucoma affecting.RESULTS: Among 28 eyes of 28 patients, optic nerve images were obtained in 25 eyes(89%), optic disc color in 25 eyes: there were 9 normal eyes and 16 eyes with congestion and edema, without pallor; C/D: < 0.6 in 5 eyes, > 0.6 in 1 eye, and indistinguishable in 19 eyes; disk edge: 6 eyes were normal, and 19 eyes could not be distinguished.Optic nerve images could not be obtained in 3 eyes(11%). Visual field examination: 9 eyes(32%)were normal, 2 eyes(7%)had visual field damage, 8 eyes(29%)had no reference value due to cataract visual field examination, 2 eyes(7%)had false positive rate ≥15%, and 7 eyes(25%)could not cooperate with the examination. The retinal nerve fiber layer thickness around optic disc was measured by OCT in 26 eyes(93%), of which the thickness of nerve fiber layer was normal in 24 eyes and local thinning in 2 eyes. Severe opacification of refractive stroma could not be measured in 2 eyes(7%). PVEP showed that the peak of P100 was normal in 18 eyes(64%)and prolonged in 10 eyes(36%). The amplitude of P100 wave was normal in 11 eyes(39%)and decreased in 17 eyes(61%).CONCLUSION: After a major acute attack of primary angle-closure glaucoma, the optic nerve does not exhibit typical glaucomatous damage but may present with optic disc congestion and edema. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation combining subjective and objective examination methods is necessary for optic nerve assessment, and currently, no more precise assessment method is available.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects and its possible mechanism of Wuzi Yanzong Pill (WYP) on Parkinson's disease (PD) model mice. METHODS: Thirty-six C57BL/6 male mice were randomly assigned to 3 groups including normal, PD, and PD+WYP groups, 12 mice in each group. One week of intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was used to establish the classical PD model in mice. Meanwhile, mice in the PD+WYP group were administrated with 16 g/kg WYP, twice daily by gavage. After 14 days of administration, gait test, open field test and pole test were measured to evaluate the movement function. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) neurons in substantia nigra of midbrain and binding immunoglobulin heavy chain protein (GRP78) in striatum and cortex were observed by immunohistochemistry. The levels of TH, GRP78, p-PERK, p-eIF2α, ATF4, p-IRE1α, XBP1, ATF6, CHOP, ASK1, p-JNK, Caspase-12, -9 and -3 in brain were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the PD group, WYP treatment ameliorated gait balance ability in PD mice (P<0.05). Similarly, WYP increased the total distance and average speed (P<0.05 or P<0.01), reduced rest time and pole time (P<0.05). Moreover, WYP significantly increased TH positive cells (P<0.01). Immunofluorescence showed WYP attenuated the levels of GRP78 in striatum and cortex. Meanwhile, WYP treatment significantly decreased the protein expressions of GRP78, p-PERK, p-eIF2α, ATF4, p-IRE1 α, XBP1, CHOP, Caspase-12 and Caspase-9 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS WYP ameliorated motor symptoms and pathological lesion of PD mice, which may be related to the regulation of unfolded protein response-mediated signaling pathway and inhibiting the endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated neuronal apoptosis pathway.

Objective:To investigate the effects of intravenous thrombolysis combined with Xingnaojing injection on hemodynamic indexes and neurological function in patients with cerebral infarction. Methods:A total of 142 patients with cerebral infarction who were treated in Xing An Meng Hospital from April 2020 to May 2021 were included in this study. They were randomly divided into a control group ( n = 71, intravenous thrombolysis) and a Xingnaojing injection group ( n = 71, intravenous thrombolysis + Xingnaojing injection). Intracranial arterial hemodynamic indexes, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale score, serum inflammatory factors, oxidative stress indexes, brain injury markers, and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results:After treatment, serum levels of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α were significantly lower in the Xingnaojing injection group than the control group [interleukin-1β: (4.05 ± 0.83) ng/L vs. (6.85 ± 1.02) ng/L, interleukin-6: (43.61 ± 5.14) ng/L vs. (60.31 ± 7.04) ng/L, tumor necrosis factor-α: (35.93 ± 4.25) ng/L vs. (20.93 ± 3.11) ng/L, t = 17.94, 16.14, 15.37, all P < 0.001]. After treatment, the mean blood flow velocities of the anterior cerebral artery, middle cerebral artery, and posterior cerebral artery in the Xingnaojing injection group were significantly higher than those in the control group [anterior cerebral artery: (49.36 ± 5.28) cm/s vs. (41.15 ± 5.12) cm/s, middle cerebral artery: (61.27 ± 7.02) cm/s vs. (50.19 ± 6.08) cm/s, posterior cerebral artery: (44.92 ± 5.63) cm/s vs. (37.26 ± 4.93) cm/s, t = 9.40, 10.05, 8.62, all P < 0.001]. After treatment, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score and Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale score in the Xingnaojing injection group were superior to those in the control group [National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score: (10.36 ± 1.52) points vs. (14.62 ± 2.05) points, Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale score: (76.19 ± 8.08) points vs. (65.28 ± 7.14) points, t = 14.06, 8.52, both P < 0.05]. After treatment, the serum level of malondialdehyde in the Xingnaojing injection group was significantly higher than that in the control group [(6.35 ± 1.02) μmol/L vs. (10.05 ± 1.63) μmol/L), t = 16.21, P < 0.001]. The serum level of superoxide dismutase in the Xingnaojing injection group was significantly lower than that in the control group [(114.31 ± 13.69) U/L vs. (92.25 ± 10.16) U/L), t = 10.90, P < 0.001]. Serum levels of neuron-specific enolase and S100β in the Xingnaojing injection group were significantly lower than those in the control group [neuron-specific enolase: (24.01 ± 3.24) IU/L vs. (30.31 ± 4.02) IU/L, S100β: (0.73 ± 0.17) ng/L vs. (1.13 ± 0.22) ng/L, t = 10.28, 12.12, both P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:Intravenous thrombolysis combined with Xingnaojing injection for the treatment of cerebral infarction can improve intracranial hemodynamics, reduce the inflammatory response and oxidative stress, and alleviate brain tissue injury. The combined therapy is beneficial to protect the neurological function of patients with cerebral infarction and is highly safe.