Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global health problem that causes major illnesses and disabilities worldwide. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of AR has increased progressively over the last few decades in more developed countries and currently affects up to 40% of the population worldwide. Likewise, a rising trend of AR has also been observed over the last 2–3 decades in developing countries including China, with the prevalence of AR varying widely in these countries. A survey of self-reported AR over a 6-year period in the general Chinese adult population reported that the standardized prevalence of adult AR increased from 11.1% in 2005 to 17.6% in 2011. An increasing number of original articles and imporclinical trials on the epidemiology, pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnosis, management and comorbidities of AR in Chinese subjects have been published in international peer-reviewed journals over the past 2 decades, and substantially added to our understanding of this disease as a global problem. Although guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AR in Chinese subjects have also been published, they have not been translated into English and therefore not generally accessible for reference to non-Chinese speaking international medical communities. Moreover, methods for the diagnosis and treatment of AR in China have not been standardized entirely and some patients are still treated according to regional preferences. Thus, the present guidelines have been developed by the Chinese Society of Allergy to be accessible to both national and international medical communities involved in the management of AR patients. These guidelines have been prepared in line with existing international guidelines to provide evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of AR in China.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; China ; Comorbidity ; Developed Countries ; Developing Countries ; Diagnosis* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Global Health ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis, Allergic*

Gram-negative pathogen-induced nosocomial infections and resistance are a most serious menace to global public health. Qingfei Xiaoyan Wan (QF), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, has been used clinically in China for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections, acute or chronic bronchitis and pulmonary infection. In this study, the effects of QF on Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced acute pneumonia in mice were evaluated. The mechanisms by which four typical anti-inflammatory ingredients from QF, arctigenin (ATG), cholic acid (CLA), chlorogenic acid (CGA) and sinapic acid (SPA), regulate anti-inflammatory signaling pathways and related targets were investigated using molecular biology and molecular docking techniques. The results showed that pretreatment with QF significantly inhibits the release of cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) and chemokines (IL-8 and RANTES), reduces leukocytes recruitment into inflamed tissues and ameliorates pulmonary edema and necrosis. In addition, ATG was identified as the primary anti-inflammatory agent with action on the PI3K/AKT and Ras/MAPK pathways. CLA and CGA enhanced the actions of ATG and exhibited synergistic NF-κB inactivation effects possibly via the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway. Moreover, CLA is speculated to target FGFR and MEK firstly. Overall, QF regulated the PI3K/AKT and Ras/MAPK pathways to inhibit pathogenic bacterial infections effectively.

Objective: To explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of search volume (SV) of allergic rhinitis (AR) and related search terms on Baidu Index, as well as the correlation between SV from Baidu Index and epidemiology of AR. Methods: SV of AR and related search terms in mainland area of China from January 2012 to December 2016 were extracted from Baidu Index. Firstly, we investigated the temporal and spatial characteristics of SV of AR and related search terms ("pollen allergy" and" dust mite allergy", etc.), and explored the correlation between SV of AR and SV of related search terms. Secondly, the SV of specific search terms in Beijing and Guangzhou were compared with the actual pollen count in Beijing from April to September in 2016 and the monthly outpatient volume of AR patients in the Otorhinolaryngology Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from 2014 to 2016 respectively to analyze the consistency between SV from Baidu Index and the real-world data. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between different search terms according to the normality and homogeneity of variance of the data. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: SV of AR showed repetitively seasonal pattern, with the first peak in May and the second peak from August to September. SV of AR in northeast China, north China and northwest China were correlated with both SV of "pollen allergy" and "dust mite allergy" (r value was 0.533, 0.638, 0.609, 0.791, 0.517, 0.682, respectively, all P<0.05). In east China, central China, south China and southwest China, SV of AR showed significant correlation only with SV of "dust mite allergy" (r value was 0.897, 0.884, 0.799, 0.937, respectively, all P<0.05), but not with SV of "pollen allergy" (r value was 0.110, 0.171, 0.020, 0.265, respectively, all P>0.05). The correlation between pollen count and the SV of AR on the day and SV of "pollen allergy" on the next day was the highest (r value was 0.692 and 0.713, respectively, all P<0.05). The SV of AR was correlated with the monthly outpatient volume of AR patients one month and two months later (r value was 0.523 and 0.503, respectively, all P<0.05). Conclusion The SV of AR and related search terms show different trends in different times and regions which are consistent with the AR epidemiological survey, and significantly correlate with pollen count and AR outpatient volume.

Members of the proto-oncogene superfamily are indispensable molecular switches that play critical roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, and cell survival. Recent studies have attempted to prevent the interaction of RAS/GTP with RAS guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), impair RAS-effector interactions, and suppress RAS localization to prevent oncogenic signalling. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the natural triterpenoic acid inhibitor glycyrrhetinic acid, which is isolated from the roots of plant species, on RAS stability. We found that glycyrrhetinic acid may bind to the P-loop of RAS and alter its stability. Based on our biochemical tests and structural analysis results, glycyrrhetinic acid induced a conformational change in RAS. Meanwhile, glycyrrhetinic acid abolishes the function of RAS by interfering with the effector protein RAF kinase activation and RAS/MAPK signalling.