ObjectiveBased on multi-index and multi-method detection， the quality of Rukuaixiao preparations was systematically evaluated from the perspective of characteristic components， and the existing problems were analyzed. MethodsLiquid chromatography-mass spectrometry（LC-MS） for the determination of 16 characteristic components was established to evaluate the quality of 129 batches of Rukuaixiao preparations. High performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was established to determine the contents of salvianolic acids and tanshinones， investigate the rationality of quality control index of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in the standard for Rukuaixiao preparations in the 2020 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China（hereinafter referred to as Chinese Pharmacopoeia） （volume Ⅰ）， and trace the causes of significant difference among different batches. The processing and different extraction methods of Vaccariae Semen were tested， analyzing the impact of formulation changes across different editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The LC-MS was established for determining the changes in the ratio of toosendanin and isotoosendanin after water extraction of Toosendan Fructus. The contents of active components in different parts of Gleditsiae Spina were determined to identify the reason of the low contents of characteristic components in some enterprises. ResultsBased on the comprehensive analysis of the samples from different dosage forms， the contents of characteristic components of Vaccariae Semen and Gleditsiae Spina in tablets from manufacturer B and granules from manufacturer D were significantly higher than those in tablets from manufacturer A， and tablets and capsules from manufacturer C. The contents of tanshinones in some batches of products from manufacturer A were abnormally high， potentially linked to the use of 70% ethanol reflux during extraction of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. All samples from manufacturer C exhibited abnormally high proportions of salvianic acid A and 3，4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde（salvianolic acid degradation products） to the total seven phenolic acids， indicating a risk of blindly pursuing tanshinol content and neglecting more effective components. The extraction rate of the characteristic components from Vaccariae Semen by decocting with water was obviously higher than that by reflux extraction with 70% ethanol. However， using the stir-fried Vaccariae Semen could reduce the loss of ingredients. The content ratio of toosendanin and isotoosendanin decreased from the crude herb to the prepared medicine when Toosendan Fructus was prepared by water decoction. The reason for the low component content of Gleditsiae Spina may be attributed to manufacturers using excessive non-medicinal parts in their formulations. ConclusionIt is suggested that enterprises should ensure the quality of raw material inputs， especially those without quality-control items in the standard， reduce the use of non-medicinal parts， and prohibit arbitrary alterations to manufacturing methods or processes. It is also recommended that Vaccariae Semen in Rukuaixiao capsules and granules should be changed to the stir-fried processed products. Isotoosendanin should be taken into consideration in the drug supervision when Toosendan Fructus is prepared into medicine by water decoction. Salvianolic acid B should be set as a quality control index for Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma when revising the pharmacopoeia standard of Rukuaixiao preparations.

ObjectiveBased on multi-index and multi-method detection， the quality of Rukuaixiao preparations was systematically evaluated from the perspective of characteristic components， and the existing problems were analyzed. MethodsLiquid chromatography-mass spectrometry（LC-MS） for the determination of 16 characteristic components was established to evaluate the quality of 129 batches of Rukuaixiao preparations. High performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was established to determine the contents of salvianolic acids and tanshinones， investigate the rationality of quality control index of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in the standard for Rukuaixiao preparations in the 2020 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China（hereinafter referred to as Chinese Pharmacopoeia） （volume Ⅰ）， and trace the causes of significant difference among different batches. The processing and different extraction methods of Vaccariae Semen were tested， analyzing the impact of formulation changes across different editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The LC-MS was established for determining the changes in the ratio of toosendanin and isotoosendanin after water extraction of Toosendan Fructus. The contents of active components in different parts of Gleditsiae Spina were determined to identify the reason of the low contents of characteristic components in some enterprises. ResultsBased on the comprehensive analysis of the samples from different dosage forms， the contents of characteristic components of Vaccariae Semen and Gleditsiae Spina in tablets from manufacturer B and granules from manufacturer D were significantly higher than those in tablets from manufacturer A， and tablets and capsules from manufacturer C. The contents of tanshinones in some batches of products from manufacturer A were abnormally high， potentially linked to the use of 70% ethanol reflux during extraction of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. All samples from manufacturer C exhibited abnormally high proportions of salvianic acid A and 3，4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde（salvianolic acid degradation products） to the total seven phenolic acids， indicating a risk of blindly pursuing tanshinol content and neglecting more effective components. The extraction rate of the characteristic components from Vaccariae Semen by decocting with water was obviously higher than that by reflux extraction with 70% ethanol. However， using the stir-fried Vaccariae Semen could reduce the loss of ingredients. The content ratio of toosendanin and isotoosendanin decreased from the crude herb to the prepared medicine when Toosendan Fructus was prepared by water decoction. The reason for the low component content of Gleditsiae Spina may be attributed to manufacturers using excessive non-medicinal parts in their formulations. ConclusionIt is suggested that enterprises should ensure the quality of raw material inputs， especially those without quality-control items in the standard， reduce the use of non-medicinal parts， and prohibit arbitrary alterations to manufacturing methods or processes. It is also recommended that Vaccariae Semen in Rukuaixiao capsules and granules should be changed to the stir-fried processed products. Isotoosendanin should be taken into consideration in the drug supervision when Toosendan Fructus is prepared into medicine by water decoction. Salvianolic acid B should be set as a quality control index for Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma when revising the pharmacopoeia standard of Rukuaixiao preparations.

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

OBJECTIVES: To explore the efficacy of DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy for management of cancer pain and provide reference for its standardized clinical application. Methods and. RESULTS: Recommendations were formulated based on literature review and expert group discussion, and consensus was reached following expert consultation. The consensus recommendations are comprehensive, covering the entire treatment procedures from preoperative assessment and preparation, surgical operation process, postoperative management and traditional Chinese medicine treatment to individualized treatment planning. The study results showed that the treatment plans combining traditional Chinese with Western medicine effectively alleviated cancer pain, reduced the use of opioid drugs, and significantly improved the quality of life and enhanced immune function of the patients. Postoperative follow-up suggested good treatment tolerance among the patients without serious complications. CONCLUSIONS The formulated consensus is comprehensive and can provide reference for clinicians to use DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy. The combined treatment has a high clinical value with a good safety profile for management of cancer pain.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Cancer Pain/therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Pain Management/methods* ; China

Pyroptosis is an identified programmed cell death that has been highly linked to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dynamics. However, the crucial proteins for modulating dynamic ER membrane curvature change that trigger pyroptosis are currently not well understood. In this study, a biotin-labeled chemical probe of potent pyroptosis inducer α-mangostin (α-MG) was synthesized. Through protein microarray analysis, reticulon-4 (RTN4/Nogo), a crucial regulator of ER membrane curvature, was identified as a target of α-MG. We observed that chemically induced proteasome degradation of RTN4 by α-MG through recruiting E3 ligase UBR5 significantly enhances the pyroptosis phenotype in cancer cells. Interestingly, the downregulation of RTN4 expression significantly facilitated a dynamic remodeling of ER membrane curvature through a transition from tubules to sheets, consequently leading to rapid fusion of the ER with the cell plasma membrane. In particular, the ER-to-plasma membrane fusion process is supported by the observed translocation of several crucial ER markers to the "bubble" structures of pyroptotic cells. Furthermore, α-MG-induced RTN4 knockdown leads to pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)-dependent conventional caspase-3/gasdermin E (GSDME) cleavages for pyroptosis progression. In vivo, we observed that chemical or genetic RTN4 knockdown significantly inhibited cancer cells growth, which further exhibited an antitumor immune response with anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1). In translational research, RTN4 high expression was closely correlated with the tumor metastasis and death of patients. Taken together, RTN4 plays a fundamental role in inducing pyroptosis through the modulation of ER membrane curvature remodeling, thus representing a prospective druggable target for anticancer immunotherapy.
Pyroptosis/immunology* ; Humans ; Endoplasmic Reticulum/immunology* ; Animals ; Nogo Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Xanthones/pharmacology* ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Mice, Nude

The Occupational Classification Dictionary of the People's Republic of China (2015 Edition) has added a new occupation type, Medical Nursing Assistants, aiming to meet the strong demand for medical care in the context of the aging population in China.In order to standardize the services of medical nursing assistants for the elderly in home and community settings and contribute to healthy aging, the National Health Commission issued the " Service Standards for Medical Nursing Assistants of Older Adults in Home and Community" ( WS/ T 803—2022) on September 28, 2022.The standards regulate the service processes, service items and requirements, as well as service evaluation and improvement for elderly medical nursing assistants.The interpretation of the standard's formulation background, the compilation process, and the standard's content are as follows.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and prognosis of biliary drainage via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) before steroid therapy in treating autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) complicated with obstructive jaundice.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data of patients with AIP complicated with obstructive jaundice who received steroid therapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from 2010 to 2023. Patients were divided into a drainage group (receiving ERCP biliary drainage before steroid therapy) and a steroid group (receiving only steroid therapy). Short-term efficacy, long-term efficacy, hospitalization costs and postoperative complications of ERCP biliary drainage were compared between the two groups.Results:A total of 69 patients were included, with 32 in the drainage group, aged 62.78±11.21 years, which demonstrated significantly higher costs (34 816.57±11 688.85 yuan VS 16 518.50±6 544.37 yuan, t=7.0, P<0.001), with 25.00% (8/32) experiencing ERCP-related complications, compared with 37 patients in the steroid group, aged 55.41±2.15 years. There was no significant difference in hospitalization duration between the drainage group (10.38±4.56 days) and the steroid group (8.95±4.99 days, t=1.2, P=0.219). After 1 month of treatment, total bilirubin [118.5 (76.2, 309.3) μmol/L VS 48.7 (30.5, 148.4) μmol/L, U=1 728.5, P<0.001] and direct bilirubin [84.5 (47.7, 236.3) μmol/L VS 37.7 (18.3, 105.7) μmol/L, U=1 588.5, P=0.001] levels in the drainage group remained higher than those in the steroid group, while alanine aminotransferase levels were lower [74.0 (46.5,110.5) U/L VS 143.0 (51.0,253.5) U/L, U=769.0, P=0.006]. No significant differences were observed in these biochemical indices between the two groups at 4-month and 12-month follow-ups ( P>0.05). The recurrence rates were 28.1% (9/32) in the drainage group and 21.6% (8/37) in the steroid group, with no significant difference in recurrence rate between groups ( χ2=0.4, P=0.266). Conclusion:ERCP biliary drainage does not significantly improve long-term efficacy or reduce recurrence rates in AIP patients with obstructive jaundice. Instead, it increases the risk of postoperative complications and medical costs. Direct steroid therapy is safe and feasible for confirmed AIP with obstructive jaundice.

Objective To investigate the expression of serum microRNA-204-5p(miR-204-5p)in patients with sudden deafness(SD)and its relationship with cochlear function and hearing prognosis.Methods A to-tal of 113 SD patients admitted to this hospital from October 2020 to October 2023 were selected as the case group.According to the hearing prognosis of SD patients,they were divided into a poor prognosis group(n=43)and a good prognosis group(n=70).Another 95 healthy people who underwent the physical examination were selected as the control group.Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect serum levels of miR-204-5p and endothelin-1(ET-1),and the relationship between them and cochlear function was analyzed.Automatic hemorheology instrument was used to detect the hemo-dynamic parameters.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of hearing prognosis in SD patients.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive val-ue of serum miR-204-5p in hearing prognosis of SD patients.Results The serum levels of miR-204-5p and ET-1 and hemodynamic parameters including plasma viscosity(PV),low-shear viscosity(LSV)and whole blood high-shear viscosity(HSV)in the case group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).The incidence of cochlear dysfunction in the miR-204-5p high expression group was higher than that in the miR-204-5p low expression group(P<0.05).The levels of serum miR-204-5p,ET-1,PTA,HSV,LSV and PV in the poor prognosis group were significantly higher than those in the good prognosis group(P<0.05).HSV,LSV,PV,miR-204-5p and ET-1 were related factors affecting the hearing prognosis of SD patients(P<0.05).The area under the curve of serum miR-204-5p,ET-1 combined with hemodynamic pa-rameters to predict the hearing prognosis of SD patients was 0.976.It was better than that of each individual diagnosis(Zfive combination-HSV=3.464,Zfive combination-LSV=3.014,Zfive combination-PV=3.741,Zfive combination-miR-204-5p=3.476,Zfive combination-ET-1=2.829,P=0.001,0.003,<0.001,0.001,0.005).The sensitivity and specificity of combined prediction were 95.35%and 88.57%,respectively.Conclusion Serum miR-204-5p level is significantly in-creased in SD patients,which is closely related to cochlear function and hearing prognosis.Serum miR-204-5p and ET-1 levels combined with hemodynamic indicators have higher predictive efficiency for hearing prognosis in SD patients.

Objective To explore the efficacy of DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy for management of cancer pain and provide reference for its standardized clinical application.Methods and Results Recommendations were formulated based on literature review and expert group discussion,and consensus was reached following expert consultation.The consensus recommendations are comprehensive,covering the entire treatment procedures from preoperative assessment and preparation,surgical operation process,postoperative management and traditional Chinese medicine treatment to individualized treatment planning.The study results showed that the treatment plans combining traditional Chinese with Western medicine effectively alleviated cancer pain,reduced the use of opioid drugs,and significantly improved the quality of life and enhanced immune function of the patients.Postoperative follow-up suggested good treatment tolerance among the patients without serious complications.Conclusion The formulated consensus is comprehensive and can provide reference for clinicians to use DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy.The combined treatment has a high clinical value with a good safety profile for management of cancer pain.