This study aims to explore the effects and mechanisms of the traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps sinensis(CS) in ameliorating heart aging and injury in mice based on animal experiments and network pharmacology. A mouse model of heart aging was established by continuously subcutaneous injection of D-galactose(D-gal). Thirty mice were randomly assigned into a normal group, a model group, a low-dose CS(CS-L) group, a high-dose CS(CS-H) group, and a vitamin E(VE) group. Mice in these groups were administrated with normal saline, different doses of CS suspension, or VE suspension via gavage daily. After 60 days of treatment with D-gal and various drugs, all mice were euthanized, and blood and heart tissue samples were collected for determination of the indicators related to heart aging and injury in mice. Experimental results showed that both high and low doses of CS and VE ameliorated the aging phenotype, improved the heart index and myocardial enzyme spectrum, restored the expression levels of proteins associated with cell cycle arrest and senescence-associated secretory phenotypes(SASP), and alleviated the fibrosis and histopathological changes of the heart tissue in model mice. From the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP),259 active ingredients of CS were retrieved. From Gene Cards and OMIM, 2 568 targets related to heart aging were identified, and 133common targets shared by CS and heart aging were obtained. The Gene Ontology(GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes( KEGG) pathway enrichment revealed that the pathways related to heart aging involved oxidative stress,apoptosis, inflammation-related signaling pathways, etc. The animal experiment results showed that both high and low doses of CS and VE ameliorated oxidative stress and apoptosis in the heart tissue to varying degrees in model mice. Additionally, CS-H and VE activated the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) pathway and inhibited the expression of key proteins in the nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) pathway in the heart tissue of model mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrated based on network pharmacology and animal experiments that CS may alleviate heart aging and injury in aging mice by reducing oxidative stress,apoptosis, and inflammation in the heart via the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB pathway.
Animals ; Cordyceps/chemistry* ; Mice ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics* ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Aging/genetics* ; Male ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Network Pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Heme Oxygenase-1/genetics* ; Heart/drug effects* ; Humans ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics*

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Dahuang Zhechong Pills(DHZCP) in delaying heart aging(HA) and explore the potential mechanism. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were employed to explore the targets and potential mechanisms of DHZCP in delaying HA. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were conducted with the DHZCP-containing serum to verify key targets and pathways in D-galactose(D-gal)-induced aging of cardiomyocytes. Active components of DHZCP were searched against the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCSMP), and relevant targets were predicted. HA-related targets were screened from the GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM), and DisGeNET. The common targets shared by the active components of DHZCP and HA were used to construct a protein-protein interaction network in STRING 12.0, and core targets were screened based on degree in Cytoscape 3.9.1. Metaspace was used for Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analyses of the core targets to predict the mechanisms. Molecular docking was performed in AutoDock Vina. The results indicated that a total of 774 targets of the active components of DHZCP and 4 520 targets related to HA were screened out, including 510 common targets. Core targets included B-cell lymphoma 2(BCL-2), serine/threonine kinase 1(AKT1), and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit A(HIF1A). The GO and KEGG enrichment analyses suggested that DHZCP mainly exerted its effects via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway, HIF-1α signaling pathway, longevity signaling pathway, and apoptosis signaling pathway. Among the pathways predicted by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, the PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signaling pathway was selected for verification. The cell-counting kit 8(CCK-8) assay showed that D-gal significantly inhibited the proliferation of H9c2 cells, while DHZCP-containing serum increased the viability of H9c2 cells. SA-β-gal staining revealed a significant increase in the number of blue-green positive cells in the D-gal group, which was reduced by DHZCP-containing serum. TUNEL staining showed that DHZCP-containing serum decreased the number of apoptotic cells. After treatment with DHZCP-containing serum, the protein levels of Klotho, BCL-2, p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT1/AKT1, and HIF-1α were up-regulated, while those of P21, P16, BCL-2 associated X protein(Bax), and cleaved caspase-3 were down-regulated. The results indicated that DHZCP delayed HA via multiple components, targets, and pathways. Specifically, DHZCP may delay HA by reducing apoptosis via activating the PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signaling pathway.
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology* ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/genetics* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Animals ; Rats ; Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Aging/metabolism* ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Heart/drug effects* ; Network Pharmacology

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

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are a core carrier for the inheritance and innovation of TCM, and their quality and safety are critical to public health and the sustainable development of the industry. Conventional quality control models, while having established a well-developed system through long-term practice, still face challenges such as relatively long inspection cycles, insufficient objectivity in characterizing complex traits, and urgent needs for improving the efficiency of integrating multidimensional quality information when confronted with the dual demands of large-scale production and precision quality control. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning can deeply analyze multidimensional data of the morphology, spectroscopy, and chemical fingerprints of decoction pieces by constructing high-dimensional feature space analysis models, significantly improving the standardization level and decision-making efficiency of quality evaluation. This article reviews the research progress in the application of machine learning in the processing, production, and rapid quality evaluation of TCM decoction pieces. It further analyzes current challenges in technological implementation and proposes potential solutions, offering theoretical and technical references to advance the digital and intelligent transformation of the industry.
Machine Learning ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Quality Control ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans

This article reports the clinical features and gene mutation types of a large family with Nascimento form of syndromic X-linked intellectual developmental disorder (MRXSN), involving 9 individuals across 3 generations, and a literature review was conducted. In this family, 9 individuals had similar manifestations including mental retardation and unusual facies, and 4 of them had passed away. Genetic testing showed that the proband had the deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene, which was inherited from the mother. Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the proband and his uncle had the deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene; the proband's mother, grandmother, and great-aunt had a heterozygous deletion of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene; the proband's father, sister, and aunt had a normal copy number of exons 2-3 of the UBE2A gene. The 34 patients reported in the literature had diverse clinical phenotypes, and UBE2A gene mutations (22/34, 65%) and large fragment deletions (12/34, 35%) were the main mutation types. Moderate to severe mental retardation (34/34, 100%), speech and language impairment (33/34, 97%), and unusual facies (32/34, 94%) were the main clinical manifestations of MRXSN patients. The disease has obvious phenotypic heterogeneity, and early diagnosis facilitates optimal prenatal and postnatal management to improve reproductive outcomes.
Humans ; Male ; Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes/genetics* ; Female ; X-Linked Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Gene Deletion ; Child ; Pedigree ; Child, Preschool ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect and safety of Lu'e Biyan Formula (LBF) combined with loratadine in the treatment of moderate to severe allergic rhinitis (AR) patients with Fei (Lung)-qi deficiency-coldness (FQDC) syndrome. METHODS: From September 2023 to December 2024, moderate to severe AR patients with FQDC syndrome were recruited from the Outpatient Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Pulmonary Diseases Part 1, China-Japan Friendship Hospital. Participants were randomly assigned to a test group and a control group by using a random number table at a ratio of 1:1. Both groups received oral loratadine tablets (10 mg, once daily) for 2 weeks. In addition, the test group received oral LBF (30 mL, twice daily), and the control group received a placebo of LBF. Changes in the Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), Total Non-nasal Symptom Score (TNNSS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ), and Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores before and after treatment were compared between groups. Moreover, the total effective rates and disease recurrence rates were compared. Adverse events (AEs) during the study period were also recorded. RESULTS: Totally 109 participants were recruited, and the full analysis set included 105 cases, 54 in the test group and 51 in the control group. Compared with the pre-treatment values, the scores of sneezing, runny nose, nasal obstruction, nasal itching, TNSS, TNNSS, VAS, RQLQ, and CM syndrome were significantly reduced in both groups at 1 and 2 weeks post-treatment and 12 weeks post-drug withdrawal (P<0.01). After treatment, the aforementioned scores in the test group were all markedly lower than those in the control group (P<0.01). Moreover, the total effective rate in the test group was higher than that in the control group (98.15% vs. 70.59%, P<0.01). After 12 weeks of drug withdrawal, there was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between groups (13.21% vs. 22.22%, P>0.05). No obvious AEs were observed in either group following treatment. CONCLUSIONS The combination of LBF with loratadine can effectively alleviate the symptoms of moderate to severe AR patients with FQDC syndrome, thereby improving their quality of life. This therapy demonstrated both precise effect and high safety. (Trial registration No. ITMCTR2025000589).
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Rhinitis, Allergic/drug therapy* ; Female ; Adult ; Double-Blind Method ; Quality of Life ; Qi ; Middle Aged ; Loratadine/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Syndrome ; Lung/drug effects* ; Young Adult ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the current status of cleaning and disinfection of endoscopic ultrasound micro-probes in tertiary hospitals in Beijing.Methods 51 tertiary hospitals in Beijing were selected with convenience sam-pling method,and a questionnaire survey was conducted on head nurses in endoscopy centers,the investigation in-cluded pre-treatment,cleaning,disinfection,sterilization,biological testing,disinfection traceability,storage and maintenance of endoscopic ultrasound microprobes.Results Among the 51 tertiary hospitals,33 were first-class hospitals and 18 were second-class hospitals.76.47％(n=39)of hospitals performed bed-side pre-cleaning on ultrasound microprobes after use,bed-side pre-treatment methods for endoscopic ultrasound microprobes mainly included enzyme solution wiping(38.47％,15/39)and ethanol wiping(30.77％,12/39);96.08％(n=49)of hospitals performed manual cleaning for ultrasound microprobes,with"enzyme wash-scrub-dry"as the main method(58.82％,n=30);96.08％(n=49)of hospitals disinfected microprobes after use,with chemical disinfectant im-mersion as the main methods(65.31％,n=32);43.14％(n=22)of hospitals sterilized the microprobes,and the main method of sterilization was immersion in 0.2％-0.35％peroxyacetic acid for 10-15 minutes(77.27％,17/22);41.18％(n=21)of hospitals regularly conducted biological monitoring on microprobes;37.25％(n=19)of hospitals traced the cleaning and disinfection process of microprobes;88.24％(n=45)of hospitals regularly inspec-ted,maintained,and repaired microprobes.Conclusion The pre-treatment,cleaning,disinfection,sterilization,and biological monitoring of endoscopic ultrasound microprobes in 51 tertiary hospitals in Beijing varies significantly,and it is recommended that a relevant expert consensus or guideline be formulated as early as possible,so as to standardize the cleaning and disinfection of endoscopic ultrasound microprobes.

Aim To observe the effects of Wenfei Jiangzhuo formula(WFJZF)on rats with vascular de-mentia and investigate its possible mechanism of ac-tion.Methods Thirty-six healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into the sham group,model group,donepezil group,and low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose groups of Wenfei Jiangzhuo formula,with six rats per group.Except for the sham group,the other groups were prepared as VaD models,and each group was gavaged with the corresponding drugs after suc-cessful modeling,and tests were performed after three weeks of treatment.Behavioral,hippocampal CA1 area morphology,neural dendrites and mitochondrial chan-ges were observed in all groups of rats,and phospho-glycerate mutase 5(PGAM5),dynamics-related pro-teins1(Drp1),opticatrophyprotein-1(OPA1),and other proteins were detected in each group.Results Compared with the sham group,rats in the model group and each intervention group had prolonged es-cape latency(P＜0.05),a shorter number of travers-als across the platforms(P＜0.05),a sparse morphol-ogy of hippocampal neurons,a reduction in the number of secondary dendritic spines,and a rupture of the out-er membrane of the mitochondria;the expression of the PGAM5 and Drp1 proteins in hippocampal tissues was elevated(P＜0.05),and the expression of the OPA1 and Mfn1/2 protein expression decreased(P＜0.05);compared with the model group,donepezil group and Wenfei Jiangzhuo formula high-dose group of rats had shorter evasion latency(P＜0.05),increased number of times to traverse the platform(P＜0.05),increased number of hippocampal neurons,tightly packed,more secondary dendritic structures,and reduced mitochon-drial damage;the expression of PGAM5 and Drp1 pro-teins was reduced(P＜0.05),and the expression of OPA1 and Mfn1/2 proteins was elevated(P＜0.05).Conclusions Wenfei Jiangzhuo formula can regulate the PGAM5-Drp1 signaling axis to improve the balance of mitochondrial homeostasis,thus improving the cog-nitive condition of the brain and exerting cerebroprotec-tive effects.

Objective To analyze the medication rules of national patented Chinese herbal compounds for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN)by data mining method,and to provide reference for clinical medication.Methods The patents of Chinese medicine compound for the treatment of DPN were retrieved from the website of the China National Intellectual Property Administration(CNIPA).Excel 2021 was used for frequency statistics.RAW Graphs 2.0 was used to make a Sankey diagram of the efficacy of high-frequency Chinese medicinals.SPSS Statistics 25.0 software was used for hierarchical cluster analysis of the medicines,and the core prescriptions were mined based on Cytoscape 3.9.1.Results A total of 101 patented prescription were included,involving 243 herbs.The top three Chinese medicines in the descending order of occurrence frequency were Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Astragali Radix,and Paeoniae Radix Alba.Most of the medicines of patented Chinese medicine compounds for the treatment of DPN were warm and mild in nature,sweet,bitter and pungent in flavor,and had the meridian tropism of liver,heart and spleen meridians.According to the therapeutic actions,the medicine can be divided into tonic drugs,blood-activating and stasis-removing drugs,exterior-releasing drugs,liver-calming and wind-extinguishing drugs,heat-clearing drugs,bleeding-arresting drugs,mind-calming drugs,and urination-promoting and dampness-percolating drugs.The association rule analysis revealed the drug combination of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix with the highest support.After hierarchical cluster analysis,the top 31 Chinese medicinals were classified into 7 groups.The core prescription which was composed of 7 medicines,namely Astragali Radix,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Spatholobi Caulis,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix,Cinnamomi Ramulus and Angelicae Sinensis Radix was finally mined out.Conclusion The treatment of DPN with patented Chinese herbal compounds is based on the therapies of supplementing deficiency,activating blood and removing stasis,and warming and unblocking meridians and collaterals.Meanwhile,consolidating the acquired foundation by strengthening spleen and soothing liver is also stressed.Clinically,the herbal pairs of Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix,Paeoniae Radix Alba-Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma are the optional drugs,and the core prescription composed of Astragali Radix,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Spatholobi Caulis,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix,Cinnamomi Ramulus and Angelicae Sinensis Radix can be used for the whole course of DPN.

Objective:To understand the prevalence and characteristics of Rhinovirus (HRV) infection in influenza-like Illness (ILIs) patients in Mianyang, Sichuan province, China.Methods:Throat swabs were collected from patients of ILIs in sentinel hospitals in Mianyang during 2021—2022. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect 16 common pathogens. The VP4/VP2 coding region genes of HRV positive samples were amplified by nest PCR. The phylogeny, consistency and amino acid variation of different serotypes were analyzed and compared with reference sequences from GenBank database.Results:A total of 332 ILIs′ samples were collected with a virus detection rate of 58.73% (195/332) in Mianyang. Among them, 23 samples (23/332) were HRV-positive, and 18 VP4/VP2 sequences of HRV strains were successfully amplified. It was found that 13 HRV serotypes were detected in ILIs samples in Mianyang, which belonged to three genotypes, namely HRV-A (12 strains), HRV-B (5 strains) and HRV-C (1 strain).Conclusions:HRV was one of the pathogens of ILIs cases in Mianyang during 2021—2022, with HRV-A types as the dominant strains.