Compounds isolated from Epimedium include the total flavonoids of Epimedium , icariin, and its metabolites (icaritin, icariside I, and icariside II), which have similar molecular structures. Modern pharmacological research and clinical practice have proved that Epimedium and its active components have a wide range of pharmacological effects, especially in improving sexual function, hormone regulation, anti-osteoporosis, immune function regulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-tumor activity. To date, we still need a comprehensive source of knowledge about the pharmacological effects of Epimedium and its bioactive compounds on the male reproductive system. However, their actions in other tissues have been reviewed in recent years. This review critically focuses on the Epimedium , its bioactive compounds, and the biochemical and molecular mechanisms that modulate vital pathways associated with the male reproductive system. Such intrinsic knowledge will significantly further studies on the Epimedium and its bioactive compounds that protect the male reproductive system and provide some guidances for clinical treatment of related male reproductive disorders.
Male ; Epimedium/chemistry* ; Humans ; Genitalia, Male/drug effects* ; Flavonoids/therapeutic use* ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a hospital-made resuscitation pack, a Chinese medicinal herbal compound formula designed to enhance recovery in post-bronchoscopy patients. METHODS: In this randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the treatment or control groups. The patients in the treatment group applied the resuscitation pack, which contained aromatic compounded Chinese herbs. The patients in the control group applied a hospital-made, single herb placebo pack. Packs were placed on the Tiantu (CV 22) acupuncture point for 4 h as soon as the bronchoscopy finished. Efficacy indicators, such as recovery time, patients' symptoms including nausea and dizziness, and adverse events (AEs) were observed and compared. The outcome indices were evaluated at baseline, 1 and 24 h after the bronchoscopy. Subgroup analysis was further performed by patients' age and depth of sedation. RESULTS: When applying generalized estimating equations (GEE) to evaluate the intensity of post-bronchoscopy nausea and vomiting, the intensity was lower in the treatment group (163 cases) compared with the control group (162 cases; 95% CI: 0.004, 0.099, P=0.03]. Also, significantly lower intensity of nausea was observed in the 60-70 years of age subgroup (95% CI: 0.029, 0.169, P=0.006) and deep sedation subgroup (95% CI: 0.002, 0.124; P=0.04). There was no significant difference in dizziness between two groups by GEE (95% CI: -0.134, 0.297; P=0.459). In addition, no serious AEs were observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS Our study found that the resuscitation pack markedly improved patients' symptoms by reducing nausea and vomiting after bronchoscopy without AEs, compared with placebo in the perioperative period. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR2000038299).
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Bronchoscopy/adverse effects* ; Single-Blind Method ; Aged ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Treatment Outcome ; Resuscitation ; Adult ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVE: Resveratrol (Res) is a promising anticancer drug against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but whether its anti-HCC effects implicate mitophagy remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the specific role of Res in mitophagy and the related mechanisms during the treatment of HCC. METHODS: HepG2 cells and tumor-grafted nude mice were used to investigate the effects of low-, middle- and high-dose of Res on HCC progression and mitophagy in vitro and in vivo, respectively. A series of approaches including cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, wound healing and transwell assays were used to evaluate tumor cell functions. Transmission electron microscopy, immunofluorescence and Western blotting were used to assess mitophagy. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate, reactive oxygen species and membrane potential were used to reflect mitochondrial function. After disrupting the expression of metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), miR-143-3p, and ribonucleoside reductase M2 (RRM2), the effects of the MALAT1/miR-143-3p/RRM2 axis on cell function and mitophagy under Res treatment were explored in vitro. Additionally, dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation were used to confirm interactions between target genes. RESULTS: Res significantly inhibited the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HCC cells in vitro, while significantly suppressing tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner and inducing mitophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo. Interestingly, MALAT1 was highly expressed in HCC cells and its knockdown upregulated miR-143-3p expression in HCC cells, which subsequently inhibited RRM2 expression. Furthermore, in nude mice grafted with HCC tumors and treated with Res, the expression of MALAT1, miR-143-3p and RRM2 were altered significantly. In vitro data further supported the targeted binding relationships between MALAT1 and miR-143-3p and between miR-143-3p and RRM2. Therefore, a series of cell-based experiments were carried out to study the mechanism of the MALAT1/miR-143-3p/RRM2 axis involved in mitophagy and HCC; these experiments revealed that MALAT1 knockdown, miR-143-3p mimic and RRM silencing potentiated the antitumor effects of Res and its activation of mitophagy. CONCLUSION Res facilitated mitophagy in HCC and exerted anti-cancer effects by targeting the MALAT1/miR-143-3p/RRM2 axis. Please cite this article as: Feng CY, Cai CS, Shi XQ, Zhang ZJ, Su D, Qiu YQ. Resveratrol promotes mitophagy via the MALAT1/miR-143-3p/RRM2 axis and suppresses cancer progression in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(1): 79-91.
Humans ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism* ; Mitophagy/drug effects* ; Resveratrol/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Mice, Nude ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Mice ; Disease Progression ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

The pathogenesis of depression is complex, and some existing monoamine antidepressants have problems such as drug resistance or off-target failure. Traditional Chinese medicine has the characteristics of "multi-component and multi-target", and has been used in the treatment of depression in clinical practice. Yueju pill is effective in the treatment of depression. Geniposide and ligustrazine, the active ingredients of Gardeniae fructus and Ligusticum sinense 'Chuanxiong', play a key role in the treatment of depression. In this study, based on the neuroprotective activity of genipin and the rapid antidepressant activity of tetramethylpyrazine, a series of novel genipin derivatives were designed and synthesized through pharmacophore assembly principle, and their neuroprotective activity and antidepressant effect were investigated. The results showed that the novel genipin derivatives had well neuroprotective activity on the glutamate-induced HT-22 cell model, with compounds W-1 and W-3 showing better protective activity. In behavioral despair depression (BDD) model mice, compound W-3 was found to have better antidepressant activity than W-1 in tail suspension test and forced swimming test. Further study on the behavior of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model mice showed that W-3 could significantly improve the depression-like behavior of model mice. All animal experiments were approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine (approval number: AHUCM-mouse-2022027). The effects of the preferred compound W-3 on protein kinase A (PKA), cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A (5-HT_1A) receptor, N-methyl-D-aspartate ionic glutamate receptor 2A (GluN2A) and N-methyl-D-aspartate ionic glutamate receptor 2B (GluN2B) were analyzed by Western blot. W-3 treatment significantly up-regulated the protein expression of PKA, CREB, BDNF and 5-HT_1A, and down-regulated the protein expression of GluN2A and GluN2B. The results of qRT-PCR were consistent with those of Western blot. According to the above results, compound W-3 has a potential antidepressant effect, and its mechanism may be related to the activation of PKA-CREB-BDNF signaling pathway by regulating the expression of GluN2A, GluN2B and 5-HT_1A receptor proteins.

The common risks of artificial intelligence-aided medical detection devices during the clinical application were analyzed.Some measures were put forward such as improving the design of the devices,ensuring data security and enhancing social and legal supervision,and references were provided for efficiently integrating clinical and data resources and achieving safety during the clinical application of medical devices.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(11):77-82]

Pharmacokinetics of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is a discipline that adopts pharmacokinetic research methods and techniques under the guidance of TCM theories to elucidate the dynamic changes in the absorption,distribution,metabolism and excretion of active ingredients,active sites,single-flavour Chinese medicinal and compounded formulas of TCM in vivo.However,the sources and components of TCM are complex,and the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanisms of action of the majority of TCM are not yet clear,so the pharmacokinetic study of TCM is later than that of chemical medicines,and is far more complex than that of chemical medicines,and its development also confronts with challenges.The pharmacokinetic study of TCM originated in the 1950s and has experienced more than 70 years of development from the initial in vivo study of a single active ingredient,to the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of active ingredients,to the pharmacokinetic study of compound and multi-component of Chinese medicine.In recent years,with the help of advanced extraction,separation and analysis technologies,gene-editing animals and cell models,multi-omics technologies,protein purification and structure analysis technologies,and artificial intelligence,etc.,the pharmacokinetics of TCM has been substantially applied in revealing and elucidating the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanisms of action of Chinese medicines,research and development of new drugs of TCM,scientific and technological upgrading of large varieties of Chinese patent medicines,as well as guiding the rational use of medicines in clinics.Pharmacokinetic studies of TCM have made remarkable breakthroughs and significant development in theory,methodology,technology and application.In this paper,the history of the development of pharmacokinetics of TCM and the progress of cutting-edge research was reviewed,with the aim of providing ideas and references for the pharmacokinetics of TCM and related research.

Objective:To investigate the value of dual-detector spectral CTA in distinguishing infarct core from penumbra in patients with acute ischemic stroke(AIS), and to further explore the risk factors associated with infarct core and their predictive value.Methods:The imaging and clinical data of 163 patients with AIS who met the inclusion criteria admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from March 2022 to May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients from March 2022 to December 2022 were used as the training group, and patients from January 2023 to May 2023 were used as the validation group for internal validation. The head and neck spectral CTA and brain CT perfusion imaging with dual-layer detector spectral CT were all carried out on all patients. Using CTP as reference, the patients were divided into infarct core group and non-infarct core group according to whether an infarct core occurred in the hypoperfusion regions of brain tissue. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen predictors related to the infarct core. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive efficacy.Results:A total of 163 patients were included in the study, including 112 in the training group and 51 in the validation group. There were significant differences in iodine density, effective atomic number, hypertension, triglyceride and neutrophils between the two groups ( P< 0.05). The cutoff values for iodine density values and effective atomic number values were 0.215 mg/mL and 7.405, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that iodine density and hypertension were independent risk factors for infarct core in AIS, and triglyceride was an independent protective factor. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of iodine density value was the largest (0.859), with a sensitivity of 70.27%, and a specificity of 90.67%, which had a good predictive value. The ROC curve analysis results for the validation group were consistent with the training group. Conclusions:Spectral CT parameters iodine density values and effective atomic number values have the potential to distinguish the infarct core area from the penumbra area in patients with AIS. Iodine density and hypertension were independent risk factors of infarct core in AIS, triglyceride was an independent protective factor, and iodine density values obtained by dual-layer spectral detector CT had a high predictive value.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics, etiological composition, imaging features, and prognosis of adrenal metastases.Methods:This study is a retrospective case series that included 96 patients with pathologically confirmed adrenal metastases who were treated at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from 2007 to 2017. Clinical features such as sex, age, tumor size, biochemical tests, imaging characteristics, postoperative pathology, treatment methods, and prognosis were collected and analyzed. The prognosis of patients and its influencing factors were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve and single-factor Cox risk proportional model.Results:Among the 96 included patients, 64 were male and 32 were female, with a median age of 60 years. There were 89 cases of unilateral adrenal metastases, five cases of bilateral metastases, and two cases with unspecified laterality. The median diameter of the metastases was 3.5 cm×2.9 cm, with an average CT value of 31 HU. Thirty-four cases of adrenal hormones were evaluated, and no abnormality was found.The primary tumor sites were as follows: lung ( n=36), kidney ( n=19), liver ( n=12), pancreas ( n=7), rectum ( n=3), stomach ( n=2), and one case each of tumor in the esophagus, skin, thyroid, left maxillary muscle, breast, bladder, cervix, chest wall, and gastrointestinal tract. There were three cases with unknown primary tumors. The most common pathological type was lung adenocarcinoma (20.8%, 20/96), followed by hepatocellular carcinoma (9.4%, 9/96) and high-grade invasive urothelial carcinoma of the kidney (8.3%, 8/96). Thirty-nine cases were diagnosed concurrently with the primary tumor, while 37 cases were diagnosed after the primary tumor, with a median interval of 15 months (range: 2-144 months). There was no significant correlation between the death risk of adrenal metastatic tumor patients and gender, age, and the size of the metastatic tumor (all P>0.05). There were 4 patients with radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone, 19 patients with surgery alone, and 6 patients with combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The median overall survival was 1, 3, and 7 years, respectively. Conclusions:Adrenal metastases were mostly diagnosed at the same time as the primary tumor or within 15 months after the diagnosis of the primary tumor. Unilateral metastasis is common. The lungs are the most common primary lesion, followed by the kidney and liver. CT is the preferred method for the diagnosis of adrenal metastases, and the plain CT value is more than 30 HU. The overall prognosis of adrenal metastases is poor. The prognosis was better for patients who underwent surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy than those who received only surgery or radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone.