Establish a production line with controllable process and high intelligence, contribute to improve the quality and production efficiency of aconite processed by microwave, and promote the transformation and application of aconite processed by microwave. According to the principle of aconite detoxification and the characteristics of industrial microwave equipment, an industrial production line of aconite processed by microwave was established with diester alkaloids and monoester alkaloids as indicators, and pilot production was carried out. At the same time, the content of active constituents and efficacy were compared with that of the main processed products, such as Shengfupian, Baifupian and Heishunpian. The results showed that the industrial production of aconite processed by microwave can be divided into two stages: "Liquid seal to detoxification - drying and puffing". The content of monoester alkaloids in 10 batches of aconite processed by microwave was 0.071%-0.166% and the content of diester alkaloids was 0.004%-0.016%, which met the relevant requirements of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia in 2020. Compared with Heishunpian and Baifupian, the retention rate of the effective components of aconite processed by microwave was higher. Pharmacological experiments showed that aconite processed by microwave not only retained the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of Heishunpian and Baifupian, but also significantly increased the levels of leukocytes and lymphocytes in mice with liver cancer chemotherapy, enhanced the CD4/CD8 ratio in spleen cells of mice (P < 0.05), thus regulating the body's immunity. However, this effect of Baifupian was weak, while Heishunpian and Shengfupian had no such effect. Through the above research, this study established microwave processing line with controllable process and high intelligence, as well produced the aconite processed by microwave with low toxicity and stable quality. It laid a foundation for the industrialized continuous production and clinical positioning of aconite by microwave processed, and provided scientific support for the development and application of microwave technology in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. All animal experiments in this study were reviewed and approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine before being carried out (Approval No. 2020-28).

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) with perineural invasion (PNI), and explore the prognostic value of PNI on sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma. Methods: The clinical data of 105 patients with sinonasal ACC admitted to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2000 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were restaged according to American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition. Follow-up visits were conducted to obtain information of treatment failure and survival outcome. The Log rank test was used for univariate analysis of prognostic factors, and Cox regression model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis. Results: The maxillary sinus (n=59) was the most common primary site, followed by the nasal cavity (n=38). There were 93 patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ. The treatment modalities included surgery alone (n=14), radiotherapy alone (n=13), preoperative radiotherapy plus surgery (n=10), and surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy (n=68). The median follow-up time was 91.8 months, the 5-year local control (LC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 72.6%, 73.0%, 52.9% and 78.0%, respectively. There were 33 patients (31.4%) with PNI-positive. The 5-year DMFS, PFS, and OS rates of PNI-positive group were 53.7%, 29.4% and 56.5%, respectively, which were significantly inferior to those of PNI-negative group (80.8%, 63.0% and 86.8%, respectively, P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the 5-year LC rate between both groups (64.5% vs 76.5%, P=0.273). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed PNI was one of the poor prognostic factors of DMFS (HR=3.514, 95%CI: 1.557-7.932), PFS (HR=2.562, 95%CI: 1.349-4.866) and OS (HR=2.605, 95%CI: 1.169-5.806). Among patients with PNI-positive, the 5-year LC, PFS and OS rates of patients received surgery combined with radiotherapy were 84.9%, 41.3% and 72.7%, respectively, which were significantly higher than 23.3%, 10.0% and 26.7% of patients receiving surgery or radiotherapy alone (P<0.05). Conclusion: The presence of PNI increases the risk of distant metastasis in patients with sinonasal ACC. Compared with patients with PNI-negative, the prognosis of patients with PNI-positive is relatively poor, and surgery combined with radiotherapy for PNI-positive sinonasal ACC results in good clinical outcomes.
Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic/pathology* ; Humans ; Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms/therapy* ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies

Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum(GGEC) is commonly used for the clinical treatment of indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, and infantile malnutrition with accumulation. In recent decades, omnivorous domestic chickens, the original source of GGEC, has been replaced by broilers, which may lead to significant changes in the quality of the yielding GGEC. Through subjective and objective sensory evaluation, biological evaluation, and chemical analysis, this study compared the odor and quality between GGEC derived from domestic chickens and that from broilers. The odor intensity between them was compared by odor profile analysis and it was found that the fishy odor of GGEC derived from domestic chickens was significantly weaker than that of GGEC from broilers. Headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry(HS-SPME/GC-QQQ-MS/MS) suggested that the overall odor-causing chemicals were consistent with the fishy odor-causing chemicals. According to the odor activity va-lue and the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) result, dimethyl trisulfide, 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine, and 2-methylisoborneol were responsible for the fishy odor(OAV≥1) and the content of fishy odor-causing chemicals in GGEC derived from broilers was 1.12-2.13 folds that in GGEC from domestic chickens. The average pepsin potency in GGEC derived from broilers was 15.679 U·mg~(-1), and the corresponding figure for the medicinal from domestic chickens was 26.529 U·mg~(-1). The results of pre-column derivatization reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography(RP-HPLC) assay showed that the content of total amino acids and digestion-promoting amino acids in domestic chickens-derived GGEC was 1.12 times and 1.15 times that in GGEC from broilers, and the bitter amino acid content was 1.21 times folds that of the latter. In conclusion, GGEC derived from domestic chickens had weaker fishy odor, stronger enzyme activity, higher content of digestion-promoting amino acids, and stronger bitter taste than GGEC from broilers. This study lays a scientific basis for studying the quality variation of GGEC and provides a method for identifying high-quality GGEC. Therefore, it is of great significance for the development and cultivation of GGEC as both food and medicine and breeding of corresponding varieties.
Animals ; Odorants/analysis* ; Chickens ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Solid Phase Microextraction ; Amino Acids ; Endothelium/chemistry* ; Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis*

Despite the distinctive characteristics and remarkable efficacy, animal medicine is stenchy, which decreases the comp-liance of patients. At the moment, the research on the method for deodorizing animal medicines lags behind. To be specific, the components related to the odor and the basic properties transformation of the components are unclear and there is a lack of specific deodorizing method. This study aims to clarify the main components related to the stench of animal medicine, such as aldehydes, amines, trimethylamines and sulfur compounds, and their basic properties, and to explore their metabolism and transformation in vivo and in vitro, which is expected to serve as a reference for the research on deodorization of animal medicine and development of new techniques.
Animals ; Odorants ; Aldehydes

A new rapid, quality control method based on quantitative water tests has been established for the quality evaluation of Indigo Naturalis. The Turbiscan stability index (TSI) of 26 batches of Indigo Naturalis was measured by a stability analyzer. The parameters, including the method by which the ingredients are added, their particle size, amount, and the testing temperature, were systematically optimized and the methodological indexes such as repeatability and stability were determined. The content of indigo and indirubin in 26 batches of Indigo Naturalis was determined by high performance liquid chromatography and the total ash was measured. The correlation analysis between the active ingredients, total ash content and TSI value of Indigo Naturalis was determined by SPSS 26.0 and Origin 2021. This research shows that the best way to prepare samples for testing is to add 0.2 g of Indigo Naturalis powder which has passed through a No. 7 sieve but failed to pass through a No. 9 sieve to a glass bottle containing 20 mL pure water by a funnel and scan at 25 ℃ with a stability analyzer. Consistency analysis showed that the content ranking of indigo and indirubin is opposite to the TSI value, and the content ranking of total ash is generally consistent with the TSI value. Correlation analysis showed that the correlation coefficients of indigo and indirubin content and TSI value were -0.850 and -0.801, respectively, and R² was 0.72 and 0.64. The correlation coefficient between total ash content and TSI value was 0.724, R² was 0.52. Using the change in TSI value of Indigo Naturalis powder in water, this study establishes the range of classification of Indigo Naturalis decoction pieces and the content of relevant components, which can be used to authenticate Indigo Naturalis and evaluate its quality.

Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum (GGEC) is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for digestion. Its odor is unpleasant, which decreases children's compliance with taking this traditional medicine. Traditional processing methods utilize heat processing methods such as stir-frying and vinegar processing to deodorize the medicine, but this affects the activity of digestive enzymes, so there is a need to find a new method for removing the fishy odor while retaining the beneficial effect of GGEC. Here we have developed the use of supercritical CO₂ low-temperature fluid extraction to eliminate the odor while retaining the medicinal benefits. Headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-QQQ-MS/MS) combined with the gas activity value method was used to determine compositional differences in the product before and after supercritical CO₂ extraction and separation. Then, based on the sensory evaluation of volunteers, combined with the analysis of volatile components, the fishy odor intensity and the types of fishy odorants were compared between the raw product, stir-fried product, vinegar product and the supercritical CO₂ extract. Pepsin and amylase activity were used to compare the differences in the digestive enzyme activities with the four forms of GGEC, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to compare the differences in the structure. We compared the content of total amino acids, digestive amino acids and bitter amino acids, and an animal model of delayed gastric emptying in mice with soybean oil, based on a phenol red indicator, was used to determine differences in the efficacy of gastric emptying in vivo. The results show that the fishy odor of GGEC powder is significantly reduced after supercritical extraction, and the substances that contribute the fishy odor are only 12.8% of the raw material. The results of FT-IR analysis show that the supercritical extract of GGEC is not changed in its material structure compared with the raw product. The digestive enzyme activity titers showed that amylase and pepsin activity in the raw products are about 3.9 and 1.4 times higher than those of stir-fried products and vinegar products. The activity titers of amylase and pepsin in the supercritical CO₂ extracts are about 2.7 and 1.3 times higher than those of stir-fried products and vinegar products, and there was no significant difference in the content of digestive-promoting amino acids in the four types of GGEC. The in vivo validation experiment showed that the average gastric emptying rates of the mice in the raw product group, the supercritical extract group, the stir-fried product group, and the vinegar product group were 69%, 59%, 40% and 51%, respectively. Compared with the stir-frying method and the vinegar-simmering method, the supercritical CO₂ fluid extraction method retained the gastric emptying effect of GGEC. In general, the supercritical CO₂ fluid low-temperature extraction method removes the fishy odor of GGEC as compared with the traditional stir-frying method and vinegar method, and retains the biologically active components and the effect on digestion of GGEC.

Objective: To analyze the current adherence to imatinib in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in China and its influencing factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Study period: from October 1, 2020 to November 31, 2020. Study subjects: GIST patients taking imatinib who were diagnosed and treated in public tertiary level A general hospitals or oncology hospitals; those who had not been pathologically diagnosed, those who never received imatinib, or those who had taken imatinib in the past but stopped afterwards were excluded. The Questionnaire Star online surgery platform was used to design a questionnaire about the adherence to adjuvant imatinib therapy of Chinese GIST patients. The link of questionnaire was sent through WeChat. The questionnaire contained basic information of patients, medication status and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Results: A total of 2162 questionnaires from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities were collected, of which 2005 were valid questionnaires, with an effective rate of 92.7%. The survey subjects included 1104 males and 901 females, with a median age of 56 (22-91) years old. Working status: 609 cases (30.4%) in the work unit, 729 cases (36.4%) of retirement, 667 cases of flexible employment or unemployment (33.3%). Education level: 477 cases (23.8%) with bachelor degree or above, 658 cases (32.8%) of high school, 782 cases (39.0%) of elementary or junior high school, 88 cases (4.4%) without education. Marital status: 1789 cases (89.2%) were married, 179 cases (8.9%) divorced or widowed, 37 cases (1.8%) unmarried. Two hundred and ninety-four patients (14.7%) had metastasis when they were first diagnosed, including 203 liver metastases, 52 peritoneal metastases, and 39 other metastases. One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine patients underwent surgical treatment, of whom 1642 (81.9%) achieved complete resection. The median time of taking imatinib was 25 (1-200) months. Common adverse reactions of imatinib included 1701 cases (84.8%) of periorbital edema, 1031 cases (51.4%) of leukopenia, 948 cases (47.3%) of fatigue, 781 cases (39.0%) of nausea and vomiting, 709 cases (35.4%) of rash, and 670 cases (33.4%) of lower extremity edema. The score of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale showed that 392 cases (19.6%) had poor adherence, 1023 cases (51.0%) had moderate adherence, and 590 cases (29.4%) had good adherence. Univariate analysis showed that gender, age, work status, economic income, residence, education level, marriage, the duration of taking medication and adverse reactions were associated with adherence to adjuvant imatinib therapy (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that female (OR=1.264, P=0.009), non-retirement (OR=1.454, P=0.001), monthly income ≤4000 yuan (OR=1.280, P=0.036), township residents (OR=1.332, P=0.005), unmarried or divorced or widowed (OR=1.362, P=0.026), the duration of imatinib medication >36 months (OR=1.478, P<0.001) and adverse reactions (OR=1.719, P=0.048) were independent risk factors for poor adherence to adjuvant imatinib. Among patients undergoing complete resection, 324 (19.7%) had poor adherence, 836 (50.9%) had moderate adherence, and 482 (29.4%) had good adherence. Meanwhile, 55 patients with good adherence (11.4%) developed recurrence after surgery, 121 patients with moderate adherence (14.5%) developed recurrence, 61 patients with poor adherence (18.8%) developed recurrence, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.017). Conclusions: The adherence to adjuvant therapy with imatinib in Chinese GIST patients is relatively poor. Females, non-retirement, monthly income ≤4000 yuan, township residents, unmarried or divorced or widowed, the duration of imatinib medication >36 months, and adverse reactions are independently associated with poor adherence of GIST patients. Those with poor adherence have a higher risk of recurrence after surgery. Positive interventions based on the above risk factors are advocated to improve the prognosis of patients with GIST.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Imatinib Mesylate/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy*

Breast cancer is a major chronic disease threatening women's health. It has topped the global cancers as the diagnosed cases outnumbered lung cancer patients in 2020. Internal damage due to the seven emotions is an important cause of breast cancer and the disorders of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis and endocrine system and the abnormal immune defense mechanism in response to psychological stress all affect the occurrence and development of breast cancer. It is noteworthy that the theory of seven emotions in traditional Chinese medicine and the psychological stress theory of modern medicine have something in common in some aspects. Therefore, this study explored the correlation between internal damage due to the seven emotions and psychological stress and analyzed the molecular biological mechanisms of psychological stress influencing breast cancer from the perspective of modern medicine, which is helpful to reasonably prevent breast cancer and other related tumors and improve the prognosis of breast cancer patients through emotion regulation.
Breast Neoplasms/genetics* ; Emotions ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; Stress, Psychological

Toxoplasma gondii infection is widespread worldwide, not only posing a serious threat to human food safety and animal husbandry, but also endangering human health. The selectivity index was employed to measure anti-T. gondii activity. Hederagenin (HE) exhibited potent anti-T. gondii activity and low cytotoxicity. For this reason, HE was selected for in vivo experiments. HE showed 64.8%±13.1% inhibition for peritoneal tachyzoites in mice, higher than spiramycin 56.8%±6.0%. Biochemical parameters such as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutathione, and malondialdehyde, illustrated that HE was a good inhibitor of T. gondii in vivo. This compound was also effective in relieving T. gondii-induced liver damage. Collectively, it was demonstrated that HE had potential as an anti-T. gondii agent.

Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum (GGEC) represents digestion-promoting medicines with measurable effects and extensive clinical application. However, its effective components are not clear. The quality control index in the current edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia is rather elementary and does not reflect its clinical efficacy. In this study, a bioassay method based on pepsin activity was proposed as a novel quality control method. With pepsin activity as the evaluation index, the extraction of GGEC was optimized and a method for the determination of biological potency was established by using the qualitative reaction parallel line method. The biological potency and consistency of 20 batches of GGEC were investigated. To provide scientific evidence in support of this bioassay method, two validation experiments were designed. One was to study the viscosity-reducing activity of a nutritional semi-solid paste after adding GGEC samples with differing potency. The other was to correlate the gastric residual rate in mice and pepsin activity with the alcohol soluble extract content. The results showed that the optimal preparation method was to dilute crude powder of GGEC with 50 volumes of water and subject to ultrasonic extraction at 300 W and 40 kHz for 0.5 h. The shape of the dose-response curve was similar to that of the positive control drug multienzyme tablets and the precision, intermediate precision and repeatability met the methodology requirements. The results showed that the potency of 20 batches of samples ranged from 13.49 to 34.69 U·mg^-1, with an average value of 22.21 U·mg^-1. The validation experiment demonstrated that the effect of reducing the viscosity of the nutrient paste became more significant as GGEC sample potency increased. The correlation coefficient R of gastric residual rate with pepsin potency and alcohol soluble extract content was 0.867 and 0.518, respectively, which indicated that the pepsin potency was highly correlated with in vivo activity. This study shows that a bioassay method based on pepsin activity is reliable and reproducible for GGEC and could provide reference method for the quality evaluation of other digestant herbs.