This study investigated the functions and regulatory mechanism of Portulacae Herba and its chemical components on the Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/myeloid differentiation primary response 88(MyD88)/nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB) inflammatory signaling pathway in the colon tissue of mice with dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis(UC). A total of 35 mice were randomly divided into groups, including a blank group, a model group, a mesalazine group(0. 5 g·kg~(-1)), and low, medium,and high dose alkaloids from Portulacae Herba groups(9, 18, 36 mg·kg~(-1)), and a combination treatment group, with 5 mice in each group. The blank group was given purified water, while the other groups were continuously given a 3% DSS solution for 7 days to induce the UC model. From day 8 onwards, the treatment group received oral gavage according to the prescribed doses for 14 days. The overall condition, body weight, stool characteristics, and presence of blood in the stool were recorded daily. After the experiment, the disease activity index(DAI) was assessed for each group, and colon length was measured. Histopathological changes in colon tissue were examined using hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-1β( IL-1β) in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA). The protein and m RNA expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB in colon tissue were measured using Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR).Compared to the blank group, the model group showed a significant decrease in body weight, a notable increase in DAI scores, a significant shortening of colon length, and evident histopathological damage. The levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β in the serum were significantly elevated, and the protein and m RNA expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB in colon tissue were significantly up-regulated. In contrast, the alkaloids from Portulacae Herba treatment groups significantly improved symptoms and reduced body weight loss in mice, decreased DAI scores, alleviated colon shortening, lowered serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,significantly down-regulated the expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB proteins and genes in colon tissue, as well as reduced histopathological damage. Therefore, the study suggests that alkaloids from Portulacae Herba can alleviate intestinal inflammation damage in DSS-induced UC mice, with its mechanism involving the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.
Animals ; Colitis, Ulcerative/immunology* ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/immunology* ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88/metabolism* ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Male ; Alkaloids/administration & dosage* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Humans ; Female ; Colon/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal

This study predicts the quality markers(Q-markers) for the cough-relieving and phlegm-expelling effects of Kening Granules based on pharmacodynamics, plasma drug chemistry, network pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics. Strong ammonia solution spray and phenol red secretion assays were employed to evaluate the cough-relieving and phlegm-expelling effects of Kening Granules. Twentysix absorbed prototype components of Kening Granules were identified by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with QExactive Plus quadrupole/Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Exactive Plus Orbitrap HRMS). Through network pharmacology, 11 potential active components were screened out for the cough-relieving and phlegm-expelling effects of Kening Granules. The 11 components acted on 40 common targets such as IL6, TLR4, and STAT3, which mainly participated in PI3K/Akt, HIF-1, and EGFR signaling pathways. Pharmacokinetic quantitative analysis was performed for 7 prototype components. Three compounds including azelaic acid, caffeic acid, and vanillin were identified as Q-markers for the cough-relieving and phlegm-expelling effects of Kening Granules based on their effectiveness, transmissibility, and measurability. The results of this study are of great significance for clarifying the pharmacological substance basis, optimizing the quality standards, and promoting the clinical application of Kening Granules.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Network Pharmacology ; Cough/blood* ; Male ; Humans ; Animals ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Quality Control ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Antitussive Agents/chemistry*

Medical institutions, with their clinical practice foundation and abundant human use experience data, have become important carriers for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and the "cradles" of the preparation of new TCM. To effectively promote the transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and establish an effective evaluation index system for the transformation of new TCM conforming to the characteristics of TCM, consensus experts adopted the literature research, questionnaire survey, Delphi method, etc. By focusing on the policy and technical evaluation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions, a comprehensive evaluation from the dimensions of drug safety, efficacy, feasibility, and characteristic advantages was conducted, thus forming a comprehensive evaluation system with four primary indicators and 37 secondary indicators. The expert consensus reached aims to encourage medical institutions at all levels to continuously improve the high-quality research and development and transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and targeted at clinical needs, so as to provide a decision-making basis for the preparation, selection, cultivation, and transformation of new TCM for medical institutions, improve the development efficiency of new TCM, and precisely respond to the public medication needs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Lateral patellar compression syndrome (LPCS) is characterized by a persistent abnormally high stress exerted on the lateral articular surface of the patella due to lateral patellar tilt without dislocation and lateral retinaculum contracture, leading to anterior knee pain. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and prognosis of lateral retinaculum release (LRR) combined with chondroplasty in the treatment of LPCS. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated 40 patients who underwent LRR combined with chondroplasty for LPCS between 2020 and 2021. The assessment included improvement in postoperative tenderness and knee joint function. Patients were evaluated using the Lysholm, Tegner, and International Knee Documentation Committee 2000 scoring systems, as well as the visual analog scale, both preoperatively and postoperatively, with the paired comparisons analyzed using a t-test. Additionally, intraoperative observations were made regarding knee joint lesions, including cartilage damage and osteophyte formation, with analysis by the Chi-square test. RESULTS: The visual analog scale score for tenderness showed a significant decrease after surgery (p < 0.001). Evaluation of knee joint function also indicated significant improvements, as demonstrated by increased Lysholm, Tegner, and International Knee Documentation Committee 2000 scores postoperatively (p < 0.001, p = 0.011, p < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, all LPCS patients included in the study presented with cartilage injuries and osteophyte formation. Significant differences were noted in the incidence of cartilage damage and osteophyte formation at different locations within the knee among patients with LPCS. CONCLUSION LRR combined with chondroplasty is an effective surgical approach for treating patients with LPCS, with satisfactory recovery observed at the 1-year follow-up. Additionally, the incidence of cartilage damage and osteophyte formation in LPCS patients varies significantly depending on the specific location within the knee joint.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Patella/surgery* ; Knee Joint/physiopathology* ; Recovery of Function ; Young Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Cartilage, Articular/surgery* ; Adolescent

Ergopeptines or their derivatives are widely used for treating neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases. The nonribosomal peptide synthetase-d-lysergyl peptide synthetase A (LPSA) determines ergopeptine formation but the detailed mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we characterized two LPSAs from Claviceps purpurea Cp-1 strain through heterologous expression in Aspergillus nidulans feeding with d-lysergic acid. We proved that Cp-LPSA1 catalyzed the formation of ergocornine, α-ergocryptine, and β-ergocryptine, precisely controlled by the substrate specificity of its three modules. Cp-LPSA2 was initially inactive but could be restored to catalyze α-ergosine formation. Using this platform, we validated that P1-LPSA1 and P1-LPSA2 from the reported C. purpurea P1 strain catalyzed ergotamine and α-ergocryptine formation, respectively. Typically, the non-ribosomal peptide codes implicated in every module of the LPSAs were defined and elucidated, in which certain key residues could play a switched role for substrate specificity and product interconversion. By constructing chimeric LPSAs through module assembly, the production of the desired ergopeptines was achieved. Notably, 1.46 mg/L of α-ergocryptine and 1.09 mg/L of ergotamine were produced respectively by mixed-culture of C. paspali No. 24 (fermentation supernatant) and the recombinants of A. nidulans. Our findings provide insights into the biosynthetic mechanism of ergopeptines and lay a foundation for directed ergopeptine biosynthesis.

Panax notoginseng is the dried root and rhizome of Panax notoginseng(Burk.)F.H.Chen,a perennial erect herb of the genus Ginseng of the family Wujiaceae.As a traditional Chinese medicine in our country,Panax notoginseng has a good tonic effect,and the Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicines has the words that Panax notoginseng is used to tonify the blood,remove the blood stasis and damage,and stop epistaxis.It can also be used to pass the blood and tonify the blood with the best efficacy,and it is the most precious one of the prescription med-icines.Eaten raw,it removes blood stasis and generates new blood,subdues swelling and stabilizes pain,stops bleeding with-out leaving stasis,and promotes blood circulation without hurting the new blood;taken cooked,it can be used to replenish and strengthen the body.Notoginsenoside R1 is a characteristic com-pound in the total saponin of Panax ginseng.In recent years,China's aging has been increasing,and the incidence of neuro-logical disorders has been increasing year by year.Meanwhile,reports on notoginsenoside R1 in the treatment of neurological disorders are increasing,and its neuroprotective effects have been exerted with precise efficacy.The purpose of this paper is to review the treatment of neurological diseases and the mecha-nism of action of notoginsenoside R1,so as to provide a certain theoretical basis for clinical use and new drug development.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell exosomes (hUCMSC-ex) in wounds with escharectomy and skin grafting in scalded rats.Methods:The study was an experimental study. Twelve male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats aged 6-8 weeks were divided into combined treatment group, fixed+allogeneic skin group, autologous skin+allogeneic skin group, and allogeneic skin group by random number table method (the same grouping method hereinafter), with 3 rats in each group. The four groups of rats were inflicted with scalded wounds on the back and performed with escharectomy, and then the wounds of rats in combined treatment group were fixed with a metal ring (the same fixing method hereinafter) and transplanted with autologous skin grafts and allogeneic skin grafts, and the other three groups of rats were fixed and/or transplanted with skin grafts corresponding to the group name. At 14, 21, and 28 d after surgery, the wound healing area in the four groups of rats was measured. Another 15 male SD rats aged 6-8 weeks were divided into normal group with no treatment, high exosome group, low exosome group, supernatant group, and phosphate buffer solution (PBS) group, with 3 rats in each group. The last 4 groups of rats were treated as that in the above-mentioned combined treatment group, and then were injected around the wounds with 200 μL of PBS containing 100 μg of hUCMSC-ex, 200 μL of PBS containing 50 μg of hUCMSC-ex, 200 μL of supernatant with no hUCMSC-ex, and 200 μL of PBS at 0 (immediately), 7, 14, and 21 d after surgery, respectively. At 14, 21, and 28 d after surgery, the wound healing area in the four groups of rats was measured. The wound neo-epithelial tissue of rats in high exosome group and PBS group at 28 d after surgery and the normal skin tissue of rats in normal group at the same time point were taken, and the differentially expressed proteins were screened by label-free quantitative proteomics method; the two up-regulated and differentially expressed proteins, the immunoglobulin G1 heavy chain constant region (IGHG1) and cystatin A (CSTA) with the largest and second largest fold changes in comparison between high exosome group and PBS group were selected, and their protein expressions were detected by Western blotting. The number of samples in all experiments was 3.Results:At 14, 21, and 28 d after surgery, the wound healing area in combined treatment group, autologous skin+allogeneic skin group, and allogeneic skin group of rats was significantly larger than that in fixed+allogeneic skin group ( P<0.05), the wound healing area in autologous skin+allogeneic skin group of rats at 21 d after surgery and that in allogeneic skin group of rats at 14 and 21 d after surgery was significantly larger than that in combined treatment group ( P<0.05), and the wound healing area in allogeneic skin group of rats at 14 d after surgery was significantly larger than that in autologous skin+allogeneic skin group ( P<0.05). The wound healing area of rats in high exosome group and low exosome group at 14, 21, and 28 d after surgery and in supernatant group at 14 and 28 d after surgery was significantly larger than that in PBS group ( P<0.05); the wound healing area in high exosome group of rats at 14 and 21 d after surgery was significantly larger than that in supernatant group ( P<0.05), and the wound healing area at 14 d after surgery was significantly larger than that in low exosome group ( P<0.05); the wound healing area in low exosome group of rats at 14 d after surgery was significantly larger than that in supernatant group ( P<0.05). Compared with that in PBS group, 332 proteins were differentially expressed in the neo-epithelial tissue of the wounds in high exosome group of rats at 28 d after surgery ( P<0.05), among which the protein expressions of IGHG1 and CSTA were significantly up-regulated (with fold change of 12.60 and 2.27, respectively, P<0.05). Compared with those of normal skin tissue in normal group, 1 400 and 1 057 proteins were differentially expressed in the neo-epithelial tissue of the wounds in high exosome group and PBS group of rats at 28 d after surgery, respectively. The protein expressions of IGHG1 and CSTA in the wound neo-epithelial tissue in high exosome group of rats at 28 d after surgery were significantly larger than those in normal skin tissue of rats in normal group ( P<0.05) and those in PBS group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:hUCMSC-ex may accelerate the repair process of wounds with escharectomy and skin grafting and improve the quality of wound healing in scalded rats by regulating the protein expressions of IGHG1 and CSTA.

Objective To provide a longitudinal evaluation tool based on the frequency of aggressive be-havior for the aggression assessment of schizophrenia patients.Methods The Life History of Aggression was translated and revised to form the Life History of Aggression-Chinese Version(LHA-CV)based on 369 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in the Chengdu community and compulsory medical insti-tution.The reliability of LHA-CV was analyzed by means of split-half reliability,test-retest reliability and inter-evaluator consistency.The validity was analyzed by item analysis,construct validity and crite-rion validity.Results Item analysis found that LHA-CV had good homogeneity and discriminant validity.Exploratory factor analysis found that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin(KMO)test value was 0.80,and the Bartlett's sphericity test χ2=1203.46(P<0.05),and it revealed four factors including non-physical ag-gression,physical aggression,self-directed aggression and antisocial behavior/consequences.The factor loadings for all 11 items were greater than 0.40.Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the factor model,Chi-square degree of freedom(χ2/df)was 3.61,root mean square error of approxima-tion(RMSEA)was 0.07,goodness-of-fit index(GFI)was 0.92,comparative fit index(CFI)was 0.90,incremental fit index(IFI)was 0.90,and the discriminant validity of each factor was good.The criterion validity test showed the total score of LHA-CV was positively correlated with the aggressive behavior level of MacArthur Community Violence Instrument,the total score of Buss-Perry Aggression Scale,and the score of Antisocial Personality Disorder Subscale of Personality Diagnostic Question-naire-4th Edition Plus(PDQ-4+_ASPD,P<0.05).The Cronbach's α coefficient of non-physical aggres-sion,physical aggression,self-directed aggression,antisocial behavior/consequences and LHA-CV total score were 0.82,0.73,0.74,0.56 and 0.79,respectively.The test-retest reliability,Spearman-Brown split-half reliability and intra-class correlation coefficient of LHA-CV total score were 0.82(P<0.05),0.66 and 0.99,respectively.Conclusion LHA-CV has good reliability and validity,and can be used as an evaluation tool for longitudinally assessing aggressive behavior in schizophrenia patients.

Objective To observe the distribution of atypical memory B cells in peripheral blood of children with frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome(FRNS).Methods A total of 60 children with primary ne-phrotic syndrome(PNS)admitted to the hospital from October 2020 to March 2023 were selected as the re-search objects.According to the response to glucocorticoid(GC),they were divided into non-frequently relap-sing nephrotic syndrome(NFRNS)group(25 cases)and FRNS group(35 cases).A total of 20 age-and gen-der-matched healthy children were enrolled as the control group.The changes of atypical memory B cells in each group before and after GC treatment were compared,and the correlation between the changes and clinical data was analyzed.Results Before GC treatment,The percentages of total B cells(CD19+CD20+),total memory B cells(CD19+CD20+CD27+),resting memory B cells(CD19+CD20+CD21+CD27+)and atypical memory B cells(CD19+CD20+CD21-CD27-)in FRNS group and NFRNS group were significantly higher than those in control group.And the FRNS group was significantly higher than the NFRNS group(P＜0.05).After GC treatment,the percentages of total B cells,total memory B cells,resting memory B cells,acti-vated memory B cells(CD19+CD20+CD21-CD27+)and atypical memory B cells in FRNS group and NFRNS group were lower than those before GC treatment(P＜0.05).The FRNS group had a significantly higher pro-portion of atypical memory B cells than the NFRNS group and the control group(P＜0.05).Before GC treat-ment,the 24 h urinary protein in FRNS group and NFRNS group were higher than those in control group,and the levels of immunoglobulin G and albumin were lower than those in control group.The 24 h urinary protein in FRNS group was significantly higher than that in NFRNS group(P＜0.05).Before GC treatment,there was a positive correlation between 24 h urinary protein and the proportion of atypical memory B cells in FRNS group(P＜0.05).Conclusion There is abnormal distribution of atypical memory B cells in peripheral blood of FRNS children.The increase of atypical memory B cells can be used as a marker of recurrence of FRNS af-ter GC treatment.

Tranexamic acid is widely used in joint orthopedic surgery.At the same time,it has high safety and few adverse drug reactions.It can effectively improve intraoperative bleeding and promote early functional recovery of patients.This article reviews the mode of administration,safe dose,administration time and adverse drug reactions of tranexamic acid in the perioperative period of joint replacement and arthroscopic surgery,in order to provide reference for the clinical application of tranexamic acid.