1.Clinical Characteristics, Risk Factors, Diagnostic Methods and Therapeutic Response of Cutaneous Sporotrichosis Infection In An Endemic Region
Shen Wei Lee ; Dy-win Low ; Ken Chen Loh ; Adawiyah Jamil
Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences 2026;24(No. 1):44-51
Cutaneous sporotrichosis is a fungal infection caused by traumatic inoculation of Sporothrix. We aimed to study
the clinical characteristics of human sporotrichosis, risk factors for infection, the yield of diagnostic methods and
therapeutic response to standard clinical therapy. A cohort study of was performed. A total of 29 patients with
clinical features suggestive of sporotrichosis were recruited within a one-year period from all public hospitals in
Kedah, Malaysia. Majority were females (86%) who were housewives (69%). The most common comorbidities
were diabetes mellitus (38%), hypertension (31%) and dyslipidaemia (21%), none was a significant risk factor for
severity of infection. Mean duration of disease was 2±2 months. More than 2/3 of the patients (79%) had pet cats,
14(48%) recalled minor cat-inflicted trauma. Lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis (62%) was more common than
fixed cutaneous type, affecting the upper limbs in 94%. Ulcerations and nodules were the main lesion morphology.
Histopathology showed granulomatous inflammation in 72%, culture grew Sprorothrix in 55% and polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) detected Sporothrix schenkii sensu stricto in 65%. Itraconazole was effective with 93% of
patients achieving complete resolution with 4 months of therapy. Sporotrichosis in Malaysia remains endemic.
Feline contact is the most important risk factor for infection. Diagnosis is best confirmed with tissue PCR while
culture and histopathology are also useful. Sporothrix schenkii sensu stricto was the only species identified and
itraconazole is an effective first line therapeutic agent.
2.Dynamic Monitoring and Correlation Analysis of General Body Indicators, Blood Glucose, and Blood Lipid in Obese Cynomolgus Monkeys
Yanye WEI ; Guo SHEN ; Pengfei ZHANG ; Songping SHI ; Jiahao HU ; Xuzhe ZHANG ; Huiyuan HUA ; Guanyang HUA ; Hongzheng LU ; Yong ZENG ; Feng JI ; Zhumei WEI
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine 2025;45(1):30-36
ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the dynamic changes in general body parameters, blood glucose, and blood lipid profiles in obese cynomolgus monkeys, exploring the correlations among these parameters and providing a reference for research on the obese cynomolgus monkey model. Methods30 normal male cynomolgus monkeys aged 5 - 17 years old (with body mass index < 35 kg/m² and glycated hemoglobin content < 4.50%) and 99 spontaneously obese male cynomolgus monkeys (with body mass index ≥35 kg/m² and glycated hemoglobin content < 4.50%) were selected. Over a period of three years, their abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, body weight, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and four blood lipid indicators were monitored. The correlations between each indicator were analyzed using repeated measurement ANOVA, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression correlation analysis method. Results Compared to the control group, the obese group exhibited significantly higher levels of abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, body weight, body mass index, and triglyceride (P<0.05). In the control group, skinfold thickness increased annually, while other indicators remained stable. Compared with the first year, the obese group showed significantly increased abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, body weight, body mass index, triglyceride, and fasting blood glucose in the second year(P<0.05), with this increasing trend persisting in the third year (P<0.05). In the control group, the obesity incidence rates in the second and third years were 16.67% and 23.33%, respectively, while the prevalence of diabetes remained at 16.67%. In the obese group, the diabetes incidence rates were 29.29% and 44.44% in years 2 and 3, respectively. Among the 11-13 year age group, the incidence rates were 36.36% and 44.68%, while for the group older than 13 years, the rates were 28.13% and 51.35%. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations (P<0.05) between fasting blood glucose and age, abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, body weight, and triglyceride in the diabetic monkeys. Conclusion Long-term obesity can lead to the increases in general physical indicators and fasting blood glucose levels in cynomolgus monkeys, and an increase in the incidence of diabetes. In diabetic cynomolgus monkeys caused by obesity, there is a high correlation between their fasting blood glucose and age, weight, abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, and triglyceride levels, which is of some significance for predicting the occurrence of spontaneous diabetes.
3.Overview of the amendments and revisions to the General Technical Requirements adopted by the Volume Ⅳ of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition
ZHANG Jun ; NING Baoming ; WEI Shifeng ; SHEN Haoyu ; SHANG Yue ; ZHU Ran ; XU Xinyi ; CHEN Lei ; LIU Tingting ; MA Shuangcheng
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(1):034-044
To introduce the general thinking, guidelines, work objectives and elaboration process of the general technical requirements adopted by volume Ⅳ of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition, and to summarize and figure out the main characteristics on dosage forms, physico-chemical testing, microbial and biological testing, reference standards and guidelines The newly revised general chapters of pharmacopoeia give full play to the normative and guiding role of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard, track the frontier dynamics of international drug regulatory science and the elaboration of monographs, expand the application of state-of-the-art technologies, and steadily promote the harmonization and unification with the ICH guidelines; further enhance the overall capacity of TCM quality control, actively implement the 3 R principles on animal experiments, and practice the concept of environmental-friendly; replace and/or reduce the use of toxic and hazardous reagents, strengthen the requirements of drug safety control This paper aims to provide a full-view perspective for the comprehensive, correct understanding and accurate implementation of general technical requirements included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition.
4.Interpretation and thoughts on the formulation and revision of the standards for exogenous harmful residues in traditional Chinese medicinal materials in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition
WANG Ying ; SHEN Mingrui ; LIU Yuanxi ; ZUO Tiantian ; WANG Dandan ; HE Yi ; CHENG Xianlong ; JIN Hongyu ; LIU Yongli ; WEI Feng ; MA Shuangcheng
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(1):083-092
As people’s attention to health continues to increase, the market demand for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is growing steadily. The quality and safety of Chinese medicinal materials have attracted unprecedented social attention. In particular, the issue of exogenous harmful residue pollution in TCM has become a hot topic of concern for both regulatory authorities and society. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition further refines the detection methods and limit standards for exogenous harmful residues in TCM. This not only reflects China’s high-level emphasis on the quality and safety of TCM but also demonstrates the continuous progress made by China in the field of TCM safety supervision. Basis on this study, by systematically reviewing the development history of the detection standards for exogenous harmful residues in TCM and analyzing the revisions and updates of these detection standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition, deeply explores the key points of the changes in the monitoring standards for exogenous harmful residues in TCM in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition. Moreover, it interprets the future development directions of the detection of exogenous residues in TCM, aiming to provide a reference for the formulation of TCM safety supervision policies.
5.The mRNA vaccines: A new era for the individualized treatment of pancreatic cancer
Xinjing WANG ; Wei WANG ; Baiyong SHEN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(4):619-624
Pancreatic cancer is currently recognized as one of the most malignant solid tumors, with a 5-year survival rate of 13% over a long period of time, and 80% of the patients have lost the opportunity for surgery at the time of confirmed diagnosis. In addition, the efficacy of conventional radiochemotherapy and targeted therapy is limited by high tumor heterogeneity and the complex immunosuppressive microenvironment. In recent years, mRNA vaccines have become a new focus of tumor immunotherapy due to their unique technical advantages. Based on non-integrating mRNA templates, mRNA vaccines enable precise encoding of tumor neoantigens, which are efficiently expressed in the host and can induce multifaceted immune responses. As for pancreatic cancer, current studies mainly focus on the development and optimization of tumor-associated antigen vaccines and tumor-specific antigen vaccines, as well as next-generation sequencing-guided neoantigen epitope optimization, innovative targeted delivery systems, and artificial intelligence-powered predictive models for immune response, thereby promoting the application of mRNA vaccines in the precise treatment of pancreatic cancer. Further studies should make breakthroughs in the targeted blockade of critical immunosuppressive molecules within the tumor microenvironment, the precise identification of tumor-specific antigenic epitopes, and the development of highly efficient vaccines, so as to bring new hopes for patients with pancreatic cancer.
6.Effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor empagliflozin in alleviating uremic cardiomyopathy and related mechanism
Shi CHENG ; Yeqing XIE ; Wei LU ; Jiarui XU ; Yong YU ; Ruizhen CHEN ; Bo SHEN ; Xiaoqiang DING
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2025;32(2):248-258
Objective To investigate the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (empagliflozin, EMPA) on myocardial remodeling in a mouse uremic cardiomyopathy (UCM) model induced by 5/6 nephrectomy, through the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB/AKT)/p65 signaling pathway. Methods The animals were divided into three groups: Sham group (n=6), UCM group (n=8), and UCM+EMPA group (n=8). A UCM model was established in C57BL/6N mice using the 5/6 nephrectomy. Starting from 5 weeks post-surgery, EMPA or a placebo was administered. After 16 weeks, blood pressure, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, 24-hour urine glucose and urine sodium were measured. Cardiac structure and function were assessed by echocardiography. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Masson trichrome staining were used to observe pathological changes in the heart and kidneys. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining was used to evaluate myocardial hypertrophy. The real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of myocardial hypertrophy- and fibrosis-related mRNAs. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of PI3K, AKT and p65 in myocardial tissues. Results After 16 weeks, UCM group exhibited significantly higher blood pressure, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen than sham group (P<0.01); UCM+EMPA group exhibited lower blood pressure, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and higher 24 h urine sodium and glucose than UCM group (P<0.05). Echocardiographic results showed ventricular remodeling in the UCM group, evidenced by left ventricular wall thickening, left ventricular enlargement, increased left ventricular mass, and decreased systolic function (P<0.05); ventricular remodeling was alleviated (P<0.05), though there was no significant improvement in systolic function in UCM+EMPA group. HE and Masson stainings revealed myocardial degeneration, necrosis, and interstitial fibrosis in UCM group (P<0.01); the myocardial pathology improved with reduced collagen deposition in UCM+EMPA group (P<0.01). WGA staining confirmed myocardial hypertrophy in UCM group (P<0.01), while myocardial hypertrophy was alleviated in UCM+EMPA group (P<0.01). RT-qPCR results showed myocardial hypertrophy- and fibrosis-related genes (NPPA, NPPB, MYH7, COL1A1, COL3A1, TGF-β1) were upregulated in UCM group (P<0.05), but downregulated in UCM+EMPA group. Western blotting showed PI3K, p-AKT/AKT ratio, and p-p65/p65 ratio were increased in UCM group, but decreased in UCM+EMPA group (P<0.05). Conclusion EMPA can improve myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis in the UCM mouse model, and it may play the role through inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/p65 signaling pathway.
7.Investigation on the current status of pharmaceutical care in medical institutions in China
Tingting ZHENG ; Yuqing ZHANG ; Sitong LIU ; Wei ZHANG ; Jin LU ; Qunhong SHEN ; Jiancun ZHEN
China Pharmacy 2025;36(9):1117-1122
OBJECTIVE To investigate the current status of pharmaceutical care in medical institutions in China, and provide experience and suggestions for better development of pharmaceutical care. METHODS Questionnaire survey was used to investigate the development of pharmaceutical care in medical institutions in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly) in March 2023, and descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression analysis on the influencing factors of pharmaceutical care were conducted. RESULTS A total of 1 368 questionnaires were sent out, and 1 304 valid questionnaires were collected with the effective recovery rate of 95.32%. Pharmaceutical care was carried out in 671 medical institutions (51.46%), and the rates of pharmaceutical care in tertiary, secondary, primary and other medical institutions were 74.79%, 27.97% and 7.35%, respectively. The average number of patients receiving pharmaceutical care was 2 638.96 per year, and there were 8.33 pharmacists in each medical institution to carry out pharmaceutical care, among which 93.68% were clinical pharmacists. The main departments covered by pharmaceutical care services included respiratory and critical care medicine, cardiology, intensive care unit, endocrinology, oncology, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology and other departments. There were only 48 medical institutions (7.15%) with additional compensation for pharmaceutical care services. The main experiences of developing pharmaceutical care were to pay attention to talent cultivation and discipline construction, but the main difficulties were serious shortage of staff and qualified talents, low compensation level and low enthusiasm. Grade of medical institutions, the number of pharmacists engaged in clinical pharmacy, the number of qualified clinical pharmacists and the degree of information in the pharmacy department were the main influencing factors for carrying out pharmaceutical care (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS In recent years, pharmaceutical care in Chinese medical institutions has made certain progress, while that of primary medical institutions, secondary medical institutions and other medical institutions should be improved. In the future, it is still necessary to further enhance the implementation of pharmaceutical care, promote personnel training, and attach importance to demonstrating the value of pharmaceutical care, thereby promoting the sustainable and high- quality development of pharmaceutical care.
8.Visual Analysis of Literature Research on Compatibility of Bitter and Pungent Medicinals in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Wei SONG ; Lele YANG ; Zhongyi ZHANG ; Tao SHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):19-28
ObjectiveTo analyze the research situation, hotspots, and trend of the compatibility of bitter and pungent medicinals in traditional Chinese medicine by knowledge mapping and provide reference for the inheritance and clinical application of this theory. MethodsThe literature on the compatibility of bitter and pungent medicinals was retrieved from 6 databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, Wanfang Data, SinoMed, Web of Science, and PubMed. The literature was searched with the keywords of bitter medicinals, pungent medicinals, compatibility, Banxia Xiexin decoction, Zhuyu pills, and Zuojin pills. The search time ranged from January 1, 1984 to August 10, 2024. NoteExpress 3.7 was used for literature screening, and CiteSpace 6.1.R2 was used to visualize the number of publications, authors, institutional cooperation network, and the co-occurrence, clustering, time line, and burst of keywords. ResultsA total of 628 Chinese articles and 151 English articles related to the compatibility of bitter and pungent medicinals were included, and the annual number of publications rose with fluctuations. WEI Wei was the core author of Chinses articles and SHEN Tao and ZHAO Yanling were the core authors of English articles. China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences formed a close cooperative network with many research institutions at home and abroad. The high-frequency keywords included pungent dispersing and bitter descending, Coptidis Rhizoma, Euodiae Fructus, Banxia Xiexin decoction, Zuojin pills, compatibility, spleen and stomach diseases, and gut microbiota, which mainly involved common prescriptions, diseases responding specifically to traditional Chinese medicine, mechanism research and so on. The keyword bursts concentrated in famous doctors' experience, network Meta-analysis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes mellitus, intestinal microbiota, etc. The compatibility of bitter medicinals and pungent medicinals was widely used in clinical practice. Based on pungent dispersing and bitter descending, the middle energizer was regulated for treating spleen and stomach diseases and inflammatory bowel disease. Bitter and pungent medicinals descending the turbid were used to treat diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia by lowering blood glucose and lipid levels. The mild bitter and slightly pungent medicinals were used as supplements to treat depression and COVID-19 by regulating Qi movement. ConclusionIn the past 40 years, the number of publications on the compatibility of bitter and pungent medicinals has been increasing, and the research team has begun to take form. Clinically, the compatibility of bitter and pungent medicinals is the main treatment for spleen and stomach diseases and glycolipid metabolic diseases. At present, the modern scientific essence of the compatibility of bitter and pungent medicinals is mainly explained based on famous doctors' experience inheritance, network meta-analysis, and intestinal flora.
9.Clinical Efficacy of Zhuyuwan in Treatment of Hyperlipidemia with Syndrome of Phlegm Turbidity and Obstruction
Lele YANG ; Danmei LUO ; Jiao CHEN ; Xiaobo ZHANG ; Wei SONG ; Wenyu ZHU ; Xin ZHOU ; Xueping LI ; Tao SHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):29-37
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Zhuyuwan in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. MethodsIn this study, hyperlipidemia patients treated in the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) from September 2022 to December 2023 were randomly assigned into a control group and an observation group. Finally, 162 valid cases were included, encompassing 74 cases in the control group and 88 cases in the observation group. The control group was treated with atorvastatin calcium tablets, and the observation group with atorvastatin calcium tablets + Zhuyuwan extract granules. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. The efficacy in terms of blood lipid level recovery, blood lipid levels, TCM syndrome distribution, efficacy in terms of TCM syndrome, and TCM symptom scores were compared between the two groups as well as between before and after treatment. Liver and kidney functions were monitored for safety assessment. ResultsIn terms of blood lipid level recovery, the total response rate in the observation group was 86.36% (76/88) and that in the control group was 86.49% (64/74), with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. After treatment, both groups showed declines in levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P<0.05) and elevations in the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P<0.05). Moreover, the observation group outperformed the control group in recovering the levels of TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C (P<0.05, P<0.01). In terms of TCM syndrome, hyperlipidemia was mostly caused by phlegm turbidity and obstruction. The total response rate in terms of TCM syndrome in the observation group was 87.30% (55/63), which was higher than that (63.46%, 33/52) in the control group (χ2=9.102, P<0.01). After treatment, the scores of total TCM symptoms, primary symptoms, and secondary symptoms decreased in both groups (P<0.05), and the observation group had lower scores than the control group (P<0.01). The observation group was superior to the control group in alleviating obesity, chest tightness, and low food intake (P<0.05). In terms of safety, the level of aminotransferase was slightly elevated in the control group, and no obvious adverse reaction was observed in the observation group, with no statistical significance in the incidence of adverse reactions. ConclusionZhuyuwan combined with atorvastatin can not only recover blood lipid levels and alleviate TCM symptoms but also reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions.
10.Zhuyuwan in Treatment of Hyperlipidemia Complicated with Carotid Atherosclerosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Wei SONG ; Lele YANG ; Zhongyi ZHANG ; Tao SHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):38-45
ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy and safety of Zhuyuwan in the treatment of hyperlipidemia (syndrome of phlegm turbidity and obstruction) complicated with carotid atherosclerosis. MethodsA total of 120 patients with hyperlipidemia (syndrome of phlegm turbidity and obstruction) complicated with carotid atherosclerosis were randomly allocated into a treatment group and a control group, with 60 patients in each group. The control group orally took rosuvastatin calcium tablets, 10 mg each time, once a day. The treatment group took Zhuyuwan granules, 1 dose a day in 3 times. Both groups received diet and exercise guidance and were treated for 24 consecutive weeks. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scores were recorded before and after treatment. The levels of blood lipids [total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)], carotid color ultrasound [carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), plaque number, maximum plaque area, and maximum plaque thickness], vascular intimal repair-related factors [nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), and thromboxane B2 (TXB2)], and oxidative stress-related indicators [superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)] were measured before and after treatment. The occurrence of adverse reactions was observed during treatment, and the clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared after treatment. ResultsThe trial was completed and 112 patients (57 in the treatment group and 55 in the control group) were included in the statistical analysis, and the general information of the two groups was comparable. The total response rate in the treatment group was 87.72% (50/57), which was higher than that (74.55%, 41/55) in the control group (χ2=4.823, P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of main TCM symptoms such as body obesity, chest tightness, and limb numbness, the scores of secondary symptoms such as palpitation, insomnia, tastelessness in the mouth, reduced appetite, tongue and pulse manifestation scores, and the total TCM symptom score decreased in both groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). Moreover, the treatment group had lower scores of main symptoms such as body obesity, head heaviness, chest tightness, nausea, salivation, and limb numbness, scores of secondary symptoms such as tastelessness in the mouth and reduced appetite, and total TCM symptom score than the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). After treatment, both groups showed declines in TC, TG, LDL-C, IMT, plaque number, maximum plaque area, maximum plaque thickness, ET-1, sICAM-1, and TXB2 (P<0.05, P<0.01) and elevations in levels of HDL-C, NO, and SOD (P<0.05, P<0.01). The treatment group had lower TC, TG, LDL-C, IMT, plaque number, maximum plaque area, maximum plaque thickness, ET-1, sICAM-1, and TXB2 (P<0.01) and higher levels of HDL-C, NO, SOD, and GSH-Px (P<0.05, P<0.01) than the control group. During treatment, adverse reactions occurred in 3 cases (5.26%, 1 case of dizziness, 1 case of acid reflux, and 1 case of constipation) in the treatment group and 4 cases (7.27%, 2 cases of upper respiratory tract infection, 1 case of abdominal pain, and 1 case of low back pain) in the control group. ConclusionZhuyuwan can effectively reduce blood lipid levels, inhibit the formation of carotid atherosclerotic plaque, and alleviate the syndrome of phlegm turbidity and obstruction by promoting vascular intima repair and improving the antioxidant function.


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