Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including composition of pathogens , clinical characteristics, and disease prognosis acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in Chinese children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and laboratory data of 1 610 children <15 years of age with ABM in 33 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2019 to December 2020. Patients were divided into different groups according to age,<28 days group, 28 days to <3 months group, 3 months to <1 year group, 1-<5 years of age group, 5-<15 years of age group; etiology confirmed group and clinically diagnosed group according to etiology diagnosis. Non-numeric variables were analyzed with the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, while non-normal distrituction numeric variables were compared with nonparametric test. Results: Among 1 610 children with ABM, 955 were male and 650 were female (5 cases were not provided with gender information), and the age of onset was 1.5 (0.5, 5.5) months. There were 588 cases age from <28 days, 462 cases age from 28 days to <3 months, 302 cases age from 3 months to <1 year of age group, 156 cases in the 1-<5 years of age and 101 cases in the 5-<15 years of age. The detection rates were 38.8% (95/245) and 31.5% (70/222) of Escherichia coli and 27.8% (68/245) and 35.1% (78/222) of Streptococcus agalactiae in infants younger than 28 days of age and 28 days to 3 months of age; the detection rates of Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae were 34.3% (61/178), 14.0% (25/178) and 13.5% (24/178) in the 3 months of age to <1 year of age group; the dominant pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and the detection rate were 67.9% (74/109) and 44.4% (16/36) in the 1-<5 years of age and 5-<15 years of age . There were 9.7% (19/195) strains of Escherichia coli producing ultra-broad-spectrum β-lactamases. The positive rates of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and blood culture were 32.2% (515/1 598) and 25.0% (400/1 598), while 38.2% (126/330)and 25.3% (21/83) in CSF metagenomics next generation sequencing and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection. There were 4.3% (32/790) cases of which CSF white blood cell counts were normal in etiology confirmed group. Among 1 610 children with ABM, main intracranial imaging complications were subdural effusion and (or) empyema in 349 cases (21.7%), hydrocephalus in 233 cases (14.5%), brain abscess in 178 cases (11.1%), and other cerebrovascular diseases, including encephalomalacia, cerebral infarction, and encephalatrophy, in 174 cases (10.8%). Among the 166 cases (10.3%) with unfavorable outcome, 32 cases (2.0%) died among whom 24 cases died before 1 year of age, and 37 cases (2.3%) had recurrence among whom 25 cases had recurrence within 3 weeks. The incidences of subdural effusion and (or) empyema, brain abscess and ependymitis in the etiology confirmed group were significantly higher than those in the clinically diagnosed group (26.2% (207/790) vs. 17.3% (142/820), 13.0% (103/790) vs. 9.1% (75/820), 4.6% (36/790) vs. 2.7% (22/820), χ²=18.71, 6.20, 4.07, all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the unfavorable outcomes, mortility, and recurrence between these 2 groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The onset age of ABM in children is usually within 1 year of age, especially <3 months. The common pathogens in infants <3 months of age are Escherichia coli and Streptococcus agalactiae, and the dominant pathogen in infant ≥3 months is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus are common complications. ABM should not be excluded even if CSF white blood cell counts is within normal range. Standardized bacteriological examination should be paid more attention to increase the pathogenic detection rate. Non-culture CSF detection methods may facilitate the pathogenic diagnosis.
Adolescent ; Brain Abscess ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Meningitis, Bacterial/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Subdural Effusion ; beta-Lactamases

Metallomics is a frontier interdisciplinary subject at its vigorous development stage. Its goal is to systematically study the content, distribution, chemical species, structural characteristics and functions of metal elements in biological system. It is also a comprehensive discipline to study the existing state and function of free or complex metal elements in life. Metallomics is an ideal tool to study the biological behavior of inorganic elements, which can be used to solve many problems in the research of mineral Chinese medicine(MCM). It provides a strong theoretical basis and technical support for the research of MCM. Its theory and methods provide re-ference and enlightenment for the in-depth study of MCM, and also provide new ideas and open up new ways for the research of MCM. The application of metallomics theory and methods in the research of MCM is of great significance to reveal the material basis and mec-hanism of MCM, promote the process of basic research on MCM, fully exploit and utilize medicinal mineral resources and carry forward the traditional MCM treasure in China. In this paper, we introduced the concept, academic development, research content and research methods of metallomics, and discussed the application prospects of metallomics in the analysis of inorganic element composition characteristics and quality control, material basis and mechanism of MCM, so as to provide reference for further researches on MCM.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Minerals ; Quality Control

Cerebral Ventricles ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Punctures

Humans ; Meningeal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Meningioma/surgery* ; Neurosurgical Procedures ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome

Background:Pioglitazone may be beneficial in the treatment of psoriasis.However,based on the effectiveness and safety considerations,it has not been widely used.To fully evaluate the strength of evidence supporting psoriasis treatment with pioglitazone,we conducted a meta-analysis of existing published studies.Methods:PubMed,Ovid,Cochrane Library,Google Scholar,and Web of Science databases were systematically searched before February 2019.Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of pioglitazone administration compared with placebo,administered to patients with psoriasis for at least 10 weeks,and published in English were included.Quality of the included RCTs was identified by the modified Jadad scale.The quality of evidence for each outcome was evaluated using the GRADEpro Guideline Development Tool online software.Primary outcomes were proportion of patents showing psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score improvement (＞75％) and the mean percent change in PASI score from baseline to the end of treatment.Dichotomous data were analyzed using odds ratios (ORs) corresponding to the 95％ confidence interval (CI),whereas continuous variables,expressed as mean and standard deviation,were analyzed using the mean differences (MD) with the 95％ CI.Results:Six RCTs were analyzed.Meta-analysis showed that pioglitazone reduced the PASI scores in patients with psoriasis compared with the control group when administered at 30 mg per day (P ＜ 0.001,MD =-3.82,95％ CI =-5.70,-1.93) and at 15 mg per day (P =0.04,MD =-3.53,95％ CI =-6.86,-0.20).The PASI-75 of the pioglitazone group was significantly higher than that of the control group at 30 mg per day (P ＜ 0.001,OR =8.30,95％ CI =3.99,17.27) and at 15 mg per day (P =0.03,OR =2.96,95％ CI =1.08,8.06).No statistically significant differences in total adverse events were observed between the groups.There were no significant differences in common adverse reactions such as weight gain and elevated liver enzymes between the two pioglitazone groups.Conclusions:Use of pioglitazone in the current treatment of psoriasis is beneficial.The therapeutic effect of the daily 30 mg dose may be greater than that of the 15 mg dose per day with no significant change in the frequency of adverse reactions.

Objective:To investigate the spectrum of pathogenic agents in pediatric patients with acute respiratory infections (ARI) during the outbreak of coronavirus infectious diseases 2019 (COVID-19).Methods:Three groups of children were enrolled into the prospective study during January 20 to February 20, 2020 from Capital Institute of Pediatrics, including children in the exposed group with ARI and epidemiological history associated with COVID-19 from whom both pharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected, children in the ARI group without COVID-19 associated epidemiological history and children in the screening group for hospital admission, with neither COVID-19 associated epidemiological history nor ARI. Only nasopharyngeal swabs were collected in the ARI group and screening group. Each group is expected to include at least 30 cases. All specimens were tested for 2019-nCoV nucleic acid by two diagnostic kits from different manufacturers. All nasopharyngeal swabs were tested for multiple respiratory pathogens, whilst the results from the ARI group were compared with that in the correspondence periods of 2019 and 2018 used by t or χ 2 test. Results:A total of 244 children were enrolled into three groups, including 139 males and 105 females, the age was (5±4) years. The test of 2019-nCoV nucleic acid were negative in all children, and high positive rates of pathogens were detected in exposed (69.4%, 25/36) and ARI (55.3%, 73/132) groups, with the highest positive rate for mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) (19.4%, 7/36 and 17.4%, 23/132, respectively), followed by human metapneumovirus (hMPV) (16.7%, 6/36 and 9.8%, 13/132, respectively). The positive rate (11.8%, 9/76) of pathogens in the screening group was low. In the same period of 2019, the positive rate of pathogens was 83.7% (77/92), with the highest rates for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A (29.3%, 27/92), followed by influenza virus (Flu) A (H1N1) (19.6%, 18/92) and adenovirus (ADV) (14.1%, 13/92), which showed significant difference with the positive rates of the three viruses in 2020 (RSV A: χ 2=27.346, P<0.01; FluA (H1N1): χ 2=28.083, P<0.01; ADV: χ 2=7.848, P=0.005) . In 2018, the positive rate of pathogens was 61.0% (50/82), with the highest rate for human bocavirus (HBoV) (13.4%, 11/82) and followed by ADV (11.0%, 9/82), and significant difference was shown in the positive rate of HBoV with that in 2020 (χ 2=6.776, P=0.009). Conclusions:The infection rate of 2019-nCoV is low among children in Beijing with no family clustering or no close contact, even with epidemiological history. The spectrum of pathogens of ARI in children during the research period is quite different from that in the previous years when the viral infections were dominant. MP is the highest positively detected one among the main pathogens during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Beijing where there is no main outbreak area.

Objective: To provide the new quality control means for Alumen by investigating the elemental differences between calcined Alumen and its counterfeit processed products of ammonium alum, and establishing their characteristic chromatogram. Method: The contents of 22 inorganic elements both in calcined Alumen and processed products of ammonium alum were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-optical emission spectrometer-mass spectrometry (ICP-OES/ICP-MS),SPSS 16.0 was used for cluster analysis (CA) while SIMCA-P 13.0 with t-test and Rank-Sum test was used to identify the differential inorganic elements. In addition, the characteristic spectrum of the inorganic elements for calcined Alumen and counterfeit calcined alumen were established. Result: Calcined Alumen had highest contents of K and Al while counterfeit calcined Alumen has highest contents of Al and Fe;Cr,Sr,and Mn contents in calcined Alumen were relatively higher,while Mn,Ti,and Ga contents in processed products of ammonium alum were relatively higher. The content of K in calcined Alumen was about 205 times of that of counterfeit products. On the contrary,the average contents of Fe,Ti,Mn and Ga in counterfeit products of ammonium alum were much higher than those in calcined Alumen,33,46,38, 27 times, respectively. A total of 18 samples were clustered into two categories in CA:calcined Alumen and processed products of ammonium alum. 18 inorganic elements showed significant difference in contents(P<0.05),Be, Mg,Al,K,Ti,V,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu,Ga,As,Sn,Sb,Hg,Tl,and Pb respectively. Characteristic spectrum of 21 inorganic elements in calcined Alumen and counterfeit calcined Alumen were established. Conclusion: This method can be used for quality control of calcined Alumen.

Objective: Ammonium alum is a common counterfeit of Alumen,and the processed product of ammonium alum is a common counterfeits of calcined Alumen. This paper aims to establish a method for identifying Alumen,calcined Alumen,ammonium alum and their processed products. Method: The samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X ray diffraction (XRD) in this paper. Result: Ammonium alum and Alumen showed obvious changes in morphology after processing. Both Alumen and ammonium alum showed obvious differences in morphology at×250 and×1 000 times microscope. Alumen presented irregular fragments,clear edge corners,smooth surface,scattered irregular small particles,occasional holes and longitudinal edges. Ammonium alum presented irregular clumps,blunt edges,not obvious edges and corners,uneven surface,scattered smaller and round-like particles. The difference in morphology was not obvious at×250 times microscope between Alumen and ammonium alum processed products. While at×1 000 times,the surface of calcined Alumen was uneven with coarse particles; the surface of counterfeit calcined Alumen was flat,and the coarse particle characteristics were not obvious. XRD can be used to rapidly and accurately identify the primary phase of Alumen,calcined Alumen,ammonium alum and ammonium alum processed products:KAl(SO₄)₂·12H₂O,NH₄Al(SO₄)₂·12H₂O,KAl(SO₄)₂,and NH₄Al(SO₄)₂ respectively, with 2θ angle characteristic value of 23,12,22 and 5 respectively for XRD peak. Conclusion: SEM and XRD techniques can be used for the identification of Alumen,calcined Alumen,ammonium alum and their counterfeit products.

Objective: To evaluate the quality of Limonitum from different mineral genesis and select its high quality mineral resources by analyzing its mineral compositions and content. Method: The mineral compositions and content of different samples were analyzed by polarizing microscope and X-ray diffraction,and goethite content was taken as the evaluation index. SPSS 16.0 statistical software was used for hierarchical cluster analysis of the mineral compositions in different samples. Result: Limonite,quartz,illite and mica kaolinite were the main components of Limonitum from leaching disseminated type. Sedimentary type limonite was mainly composed of limonite,quartz and albite. Residual-alteration type limonite was mainly composed of limonite,quartz,diopside and carnallite. The content of goethite in limonite was highest (46.4%) in sedimentary type limonite from Jiangxi province,followed by that in leaching-disseminated type from Jiangsu province (17.9%) and leaching-disseminated type from Shandong province (0.5%). The content of sedimentary goethite was higher than 12.0%and the content of leaching-disseminated type goethite was between 0.5%and 18.0%, with significant difference; and the content of residual-alteration type was below 3.0%. Cluster analysis of mineral components in different samples showed that 6 samples of leaching-dissemination type were clustered into one group,3 samples of sedimentation type were clustered into one group,and 2 samples of residual-alteration type were clustered into one group. Conclusion: The quality of sedimentary type Limonitum in Jiangxi is the best. Generally,the quality of sedimentary type is better than that of leaching-disseminated type, and the quality of leaching disseminated type is better than that of residual-alteration type.