The inheritance, innovation, and development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) need to be based on Chinese medicinal materials. The TCM seed industry is the source of TCM production, which is related to the stable supply and quality safety of TCM. This paper summarizes the basic situation of the TCM seed industry and introduces relevant policies and regulations to TCM seeds in the seed industry and the TCM field. At present, the Management Measures of TCM Seeds and Seedlings has not yet promulgated, and TCM seeds are classified as non-major crops in the category of crops for management. This paper also describes the current situation of TCM seed and seedling system construction, which is in the development stage, from six aspects, including the construction of TCM seed industry technical support system; the establishment of TCM seed standard; the construction of germplasm resource preservation system; TCM seed testing, variety registration, and variety protection; production and management of TCM seeds; TCM seed supervision. According to the development status of the TCM seed industry, four problems are put forward, including imperfect systems and standards relevant to TCM seeds, insufficient supervision and law enforcement regarding TCM seeds, insufficient policy measures and capital investment to promote the development of the industry, and the industry's falling into a low-level cycle.Accordingly, four suggestions are provided, including improving laws, regulations, and policies, perfecting standards and norms,strengthening supervision and law enforcement, and promoting support system construction, in order to boost the high-quality development of the TCM seed industry.
Seeds/chemistry* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*

This study aims to explore the effects and action mechanisms of the active ingredients in Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD), namely tetramethylpyrazine(TMP) and hydroxy-safflor yellow A(HSYA), on oxygen-glucose deprivation/reglucose-reoxygenation(OGD/R)-induced inflammation and oxidative stress of microglia(MG). Network pharmacology was used to screen the effective monomer ingredients of BYHWD and determine the safe concentration range for each component. Inflammation and oxidative stress models were established to further screen the best ingredient combination and optimal concentration ratio with the most effective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. OGD/R BV2 cell models were constructed, and BV2 cells in the logarithmic growth phase were divided into a normal group, a model group, an HSYA group, a TMP group, and an HSYA + TMP group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and interleukin-6(IL-6). Oxidative stress markers, including superoxide dismutase(SOD), nitric oxide(NO), and malondialdehyde(MDA), were also measured. Western blot was used to analyze the protein expression of both inflammation-related pathway [Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)] and oxidative stress-related pathway [nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)]. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the expression of proteins such as inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) and arginase-1(Arg-1). The most effective ingredients for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in BYHWD were TMP and HSYA. Compared to the normal group, the model group showed significantly increased levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA, along with significantly higher protein expression of NF-κB, TLR4, Nrf2, and HO-1 and significantly lower SOD levels. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant. Compared to the model group, both the HSYA group and the TMP group showed significantly reduced levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA, lower expression of NF-κB and TLR4 proteins, higher levels of SOD, and significantly increased protein expression of Nrf2 and HO-1. Additionally, the expression of the M1-type MG marker iNOS was significantly reduced, while the expression of the M2-type MG marker Arg-1 was significantly increased. The results of the HSYA group and the TMP group had statistically significant differences from those of the model group. Compared to the HSYA group and the TMP group, the HSYA + TMP group showed further significant reductions in IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and MDA levels, along with significant reductions in NF-κB and TLR4 protein expression, an increase in SOD levels, and elevated Nrf2 and HO-1 protein expression. Additionally, the expression of the M1-type MG marker iNOS was reduced, while the M2-type MG marker Arg-1 expression increased significantly in the HSYA + TMP group compared to the TMP or HSYA group. The differences in the results were statistically significant between the HSYA + TMP group and the TMP or HSYA group. The findings indicated that the combined use of HSYA and TMP, the active ingredients of BYHWD, can effectively inhibit OGD/R-induced inflammation and oxidative stress of MG, showing superior effects compared to the individual use of either component.
Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Inflammation/genetics* ; Oxygen/metabolism* ; Pyrazines/pharmacology* ; Microglia/metabolism* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; NF-kappa B/immunology* ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/immunology* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology* ; Humans

OBJECTIVES: To report the development, validation, and findings of the Multi-dimensional Attention Rating Scale (MARS), a self-report tool crafted to evaluate six-dimension attention levels. METHODS: The MARS was developed based on Classical Test Theory (CTT). Totally 202 highly educated healthy adult participants were recruited for reliability and validity tests. Reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability. Structural validity was explored using principal component analysis. Criterion validity was analyzed by correlating MARS scores with the Toronto Hospital Alertness Test (THAT), the Attentional Control Scale (ACS), and the Attention Network Test (ANT). RESULTS: The MARS comprises 12 items spanning six distinct dimensions of attention: focused attention, sustained attention, shifting attention, selective attention, divided attention, and response inhibition.As assessed by six experts, the content validation index (CVI) was 0.95, the Cronbach's alpha for the MARS was 0.78, and the test-retest reliability was 0.81. Four factors were identified (cumulative variance contribution rate 68.79%). The total score of MARS was correlated positively with THAT (r = 0.60, P < 0.01) and ACS (r = 0.78, P < 0.01) and negatively with ANT's reaction time for alerting (r = -0.31, P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS The MARS can reliably and validly assess six-dimension attention levels in real-world settings and is expected to be a new tool for assessing multi-dimensional attention impairments in different mental disorders.
Humans ; Adult ; Male ; Attention/physiology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Young Adult ; Psychometrics

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of catalpol affecting the differentiation of helper T cell 17 （Th17） by interfering the expressions of pyruvate kinase M2 （PKM2） and lactate dehydrogenase A （LDHA）. METHODS The naive CD4+ T cells were selected from the spleen of C57BL/6 mice， and were differentiated into Th17 cells by adding directional differentiation stimulants for 72 hours. At the same time， the cells were treated with 0 （directed control）， 20， 40 and 80 μg/mL catalpol. The flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of Th17 cell differentiation in cells； the colorimetric method was adopted to detect the levels of pyruvate and lactate in cell culture supernatant； mRNA expressions of retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor gamma t （RORγt）， PKM2 and LDHA were detected by qRT-PCR method； Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of PKM2， LDHA， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， and phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3） proteins in cells. RESULTS Compared with the directed control group， after 72 hours of treatment with 20， 40， 80 μg/mL catalpol， the differentiation ratio of Th17 cells were decreased by 6.74%， 8.41%， 9.24%， and the levels of pyruvate and lactate in the cell culture supernatant， the mRNA expressions of PKM2， LDHA and RORγt as well as the protein expressions of PKM2 and LDHA and the phosphorylation of STAT3 were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Catalpol can reduce the glycolysis level by down-regulating the expressions of PKM2 and LDHA， thereby inhibiting the differentiation of Th17 cells.

Female ; Humans ; Adenocarcinoma in Situ ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathology* ; Papillomavirus Infections ; Cervix Uteri/pathology* ; Adenocarcinoma/pathology* ; Papillomaviridae ; DNA, Viral

OBJECTIVE To observe the regulation of aerobic oxidation mediated by HIF-1α/PDHK1 pathway by PNS, and to explore its mechanism of promoting the differentiation of Naive CD4+T cells into Treg cells. METHODS Naive CD4+T cells were isolated from the spleen of C57BL/6 mice by magnetic beads and induced to differentiate into Treg cells for in vitro culture. Naive CD4+T cells were divided into PNS treatment group(5, 10, 20 μg·mL−1), PNS combined with HIF-1α inhibitor(PX-478) group, and the control group was set up. The proportion of Treg cells differentiation was detected by flow cytometry. The expression of HIF-1α and PDHK1 protein was detected by Western blotting. The expression of HIF-1α, PDHK1 and FOXP3 mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The level of IL-10 in cell culture supernatant was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS PNS could significantly increase the proportion of Treg cells and the secretion level of IL-10, and increase the expression of FOXP3 mRNA in cells. At the same time, the expression of HIF-1α and PDHK1 protein and mRNA was inhibited. When the cells were treated with 10 μmol·L−1 PX-478 and then treated with 10 μg·mL−1 PNS, the expression of PDHK1 and FOXP3 and the differentiation ratio of Treg cells were not significantly different from those treated with 10 μmol·L−1 PX-478 alone. CONCLUSION PNS can reduce the expression level of PDHK1 by HIF-1α to enhance the aerobic oxidation of Naive CD4+T cells and promote their differentiation into Treg cells.

Background::Bladder cancer, characterized by a high potential of tumor recurrence, has high lifelong monitoring and treatment costs. To date, tumor cells with intrinsic softness have been identified to function as cancer stem cells in several cancer types. Nonetheless, the existence of soft tumor cells in bladder tumors remains elusive. Thus, our study aimed to develop a microbarrier microfluidic chip to efficiently isolate deformable tumor cells from distinct types of bladder cancer cells.Methods::The stiffness of bladder cancer cells was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The modified microfluidic chip was utilized to separate soft cells, and the 3D Matrigel culture system was to maintain the softness of tumor cells. Expression patterns of integrin β8 (ITGB8), protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were determined by Western blotting. Double immunostaining was conducted to examine the interaction between F-actin and tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59). The stem-cell-like characteristics of soft cells were explored by colony formation assay and in vivo studies upon xenografted tumor models. Results::Using our newly designed microfluidic approach, we identified a small fraction of soft tumor cells in bladder cancer cells. More importantly, the existence of soft tumor cells was confirmed in clinical human bladder cancer specimens, in which the number of soft tumor cells was associated with tumor relapse. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the biomechanical stimuli arising from 3D Matrigel activated the F-actin/ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis pathways to enhance the softness and tumorigenic capacity of tumor cells. Simultaneously, we detected a remarkable up-regulation in ITGB8, TRIM59, and phospho-AKT in clinical bladder recurrent tumors compared with their non-recurrent counterparts.Conclusions::The ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis axis plays a crucial role in modulating tumor softness and stemness. Meanwhile, the soft tumor cells become more sensitive to chemotherapy after stiffening, that offers new insights for hampering tumor progression and recurrence.

The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors （TKI） has been an important advance in the systemic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma， but their sustained anti-angiogenic therapy leads to increased tumor hypoxia， accelerates the development of a hypoxic microenvironment and promotes the expressions of hypoxia-inducible factors （HIF）， thereby inducing drug resistance of tumor patients to TKI. This paper summarizes the mechanism of action of HIF mediating TKI resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma in aspects of metabolic reprogramming， abnormal expressions of cancer and cancer-associated genes， and ferroptosis， and sorts resistance response strategies to provide reference for clinical solutions to TKI resistance issues. As results show， HIF/ glycolysis axis inhibitors （isoflavonoid genistein， simvastatin， etc.） can improve TKI resistance based on metabolic reprogramming mechanism； oncogene-targeted inhibitors combined with TKI （the combination of capsaicin and sorafenib） can improve TKI resistance based on abnormal expression of cancer and cancer-related genes； fatty acid synthase inhibitor （orlistat） can improve TKI resistance based on ferroptosis mechanism.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of in-hospital mortality and establish a risk prediction model for patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(VA-ECMO).Methods We retrospectively collected the data of 302 patients receiving VA-ECMO in ICU of 3 hospitals in Guangdong Province between January,2015 and January,2022 using a convenience sampling method.The patients were divided into a derivation cohort(201 cases)and a validation cohort(101 cases).Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the risk factors for in-hospital death of these patients,based on which a risk prediction model was established in the form of a nomogram.The receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve,calibration curve and clinical decision curve were used to evaluate the discrimination ability,calibration and clinical validity of this model.Results The in-hospital mortality risk prediction model was established based the risk factors including hypertension(OR=3.694,95%CI:1.582-8.621),continuous renal replacement therapy(OR=9.661,95%CI:4.103-22.745),elevated Na2+ level(OR=1.048,95%CI:1.003-1.095)and increased hemoglobin level(OR=0.987,95%CI:0.977-0.998).In the derivation cohort,the area under the ROC curve(AUC)of this model was 0.829(95%CI:0.770-0.889),greater than those of the 4 single factors(all AUC<0.800),APACHE Ⅱ Score(AUC=0.777,95%CI:0.714-0.840)and the SOFA Score(AUC=0.721,95%CI:0.647-0.796).The results of internal validation showed that the AUC of the model was 0.774(95%CI:0.679-0.869),and the goodness of fit test showed a good fitting of this model(χ2=4.629,P>0.05).Conclusion The risk prediction model for in-hospital mortality of patients on VA-ECMO has good differentiation,calibration and clinical effectiveness and outperforms the commonly used disease severity scoring system,and thus can be used for assessing disease severity and prognostic risk level in critically ill patients.

Objective:To analyze the changes in the management methods of large medical equipment in China, evaluate the equity of large medical equipment allocation planning from the 13th Five-Year Plan to the 14th Five-Year Plan.Methods:The literature research was used to sort out the characteristics and changes of the management of large medical equipment in China. The database was established to quantitatively analyze the existing number of large medical equipment at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan and the planned number of large medical equipment at the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and then the fairness evaluation was carried out based on the Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient.Results:Since the 1980s, the management measures of large-scale medical equipment in China have been introduced and updated iteratively to meet the needs of social development and medical services. In addition to conventional radiotherapy equipment, the number of large medical equipment per million population in China at the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan at least doubled compared with the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, among which the heavy ion radiotherapy system and the laparoscopic surgery system increased by more than two times. Lorenz curve analysis showed that the fairness of large medical equipment based on population distribution at the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan was better than that at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, especially for heavy ion proton radiotherapy system, high-end radiotherapy equipment and PET/MR. The Gini coefficient of large medical equipment planning based on population distribution during the 14th Five-Year Plan was generally smaller than that of the 13th Five-Year Plan. Except for the heavy ion proton radiotherapy system and PET/MR in North China, the Gini coefficient of the planned number of all kinds of equipment in the six regions of the country during the 14th Five-Year Plan was less than 0.4 based on population distribution, which was in a relatively fair state.Conclusions:The management of large medical equipment in China keeps pace with the times and constantly adapts to the new development stage of health care. The fairness of large medical equipment allocation planning based on population distribution in six regions of China has been steadily improved, and it is suggested that the fairness based on population distribution and the clinical application of existing equipment should be taken into account in the allocation planning.