Geniposidic acid(GA), a natural iridoid, exists in the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, bark, fruits, and seeds of medicinal plants of Rubiaceae, Eucommiaceae, and Plantaginaceae. Modern pharmacological studies have revealed that GA has multiple pharmacological activities, including organ-protective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-osteoporosis, anti-neurodegenerative, and anti-cardiovascular effects. GA can enhance cell/organism defenses by upregulating key anti-inflammatory and antioxidant cytokines, while downregulating key node proteins in pro-inflammatory signaling pathways such as AhR and TLR4/MyD88, thereby exerting pharmacological effects such as organ protection. Pharmacokinetic investigations have suggested that after oral administration, GA can be distributed in multiple organs(kidney, liver, heart, spleen, lung, etc.). In addition, the pharmacokinetic behavior of GA could be significantly altered under disease conditions, as demonstrated by a marked increase in systematic exposure. This article comprehensively summarizes the reported pharmacological activities and mechanisms and systematically analyzes the pharmacokinetic characteristics and key parameters of GA, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis and scientific reference for the precise clinical application of GA-related Chinese patent medicines, as well as for the investigation and development of innovative drugs based on GA.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Animals ; Iridoid Glucosides/chemistry* ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology*

Objective To investigate the infection status and changing trend of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection in hospitalized patients in medical institutions,and provide reference for formulating HCV infection prevention and control strategies.Methods HCV infection surveillance results from cross-sectional survey data reported to China Healthcare-associated Infection(HAI)Surveillance System in 2020 were summarized and analyzed,HCV positive was serum anti-HCV positive or HCV RNA positive,survey result was compared with the survey results from 2003.Results In 2020,1 071 368 inpatients in 1 573 hospitals were surveyed,738 535 of whom underwent HCV test,4 014 patients were infected with HCV,with a detection rate of 68.93％and a HCV positive rate of 0.54％.The positive rate of HCV in male and female patients were 0.60％and 0.48％,respectively,with a statistically sig-nificant difference(x2=47.18,P＜0.001).The HCV positive rate in the 50-＜60 age group was the highest(0.76％),followed by the 40-＜50 age group(0.71％).Difference among all age groups was statistically signifi-cant(x2=696.74,P＜0.001).In 2003,91 113 inpatients were surveyed.35 145 of whom underwent HCV test,resulting in a detection rate of 38.57％;775 patients were infected with HCV,with a positive rate of 2.21％.In 2020,HCV positive rates in hospitals of different scales were 0.46％-0.63％,with the highest in hospital with bed numbers ranging 600-899.Patients'HCV positive rates in hospitals of different scales was statistically signifi-cant(X2=35.34,P＜0.001).In 2020,12 provinces/municipalities had over 10 000 patients underwent HCV-rela-ted test,and HCV positive rates ranged 0.19％-0.81％,with the highest rate from Hainan Province.HCV posi-tive rates in different departments were 0.06％-0.82％,with the lowest positive rate in the department of pedia-trics and the highest in the department of internal medicine.In 2003 and 2020,HCV positive rates in the depart-ment of infectious diseases were the highest,being 7.95％and 3.48％,respectively.Followed by departments of orthopedics(7.72％),gastroenterology(3.77％),nephrology(3.57％)and general intensive care unit(ICU,3.10％)in 2003,as well as departments of gastroenterology(1.35％),nephrology(1.18％),endocrinology(0.91％),and general intensive care unit(ICU,0.79％)in 2020.Conclusion Compared with 2003,HCV positive rate decreased significantly in 2020.HCV infected patients were mainly from the department of infectious diseases,followed by departments of gastroenterology,nephrology and general ICU.HCV infection positive rate varies with gender,age,and region.

Conversion therapy such as transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy(HAIC)is the main treatment method to transform unresectable advanced liver cancer into resectable liver cancer,which can not only effectively increase the survival rate of patients,but also provide patients with the opportunity of liver transplantation.However,pain is a major complication of TACE and HAIC in the treatment of liver cancer,and the incidence of abdominal pain after TACE is from 19.3%to 71.2%,and nearly 64.6%of patients have different degrees of pain during HAIC,which seriously affects the quality of life of patients and shortens their survival time.At present,the mechanism of pains caused by TACE and HAIC is not clear,and it may be related to local liver tissue swelling after embolic agents block the tumor blood supply artery,increased pressure in the liver tissue envelope or traction of the mass capsule,chemical stimulation of the hepatic artery by embolic agents and antineoplastic drugs,thrombosis adjacent to the normal organs,and visceral pain sensitization caused by intestinal ischemia.There are two main intervention measures for pain,one of which is lidocaine,opioids,non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and glucocorticoids,and the other is wrist and ankle acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine decoction,but their treatment effects are uneven.This article summarizes the status and treatment of pain caused by TACE and HAIC therapies for liver cancer,in order to provide reference for its clinical treatment.

Objective:To investigate the safety,efficacy,and prognosis of high-dose melphalan in combination with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). Methods:The clinical data of 17 patients with newly diagnosed MM who underwent ASCT as first-line consolidation therapy at the Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College from March 2020 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The safety,efficacy,and prognosis of this treatment approach were evaluated. Results:Of the 17 patients,10 were male and 7 were female,with a median age of 56 (45-64) years. The stem cell engraftment rate was 100％,with a median neutrophil engraftment time of+10 (9-12) days and a median platelet engraftment time of+12 (10-21) days. The incidence of oral mucositis and intestinal infection after transplantation was 100％,with 2 cases of pulmonary infection,1 case of urinary tract infection,1 case of skin infection,and 11 cases of transient elevation of serum amylase. After transplantation,13 patients achieved a complete response (CR) or better,and the CR rate showed an increasing trend compared to before transplantation (13/17 vs 8/17;P=0.078). The median follow-up time was 18 (6-36) months,and 15 patients survived without progression,1 patient experienced disease progression,and 1 patient died due to clinical relapse and abandonment of treatment. The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate and progression-free survival (PFS) rate were approximately 90.0％ and 83.9％,respectively. Conclusion:High-dose melphalan in combination with ASCT as first-line consolidation therapy for MM can enhance the depth of patient response,further improve therapeutic efficacy,and the transplant-related complications are controllable,making it a viable option worth promoting in clinical practice.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was established and validated for determining the concentrations of costunolide(CO), piperine(PI), agarotetrol(AG), glycyrrhizic acid(GL), vanillic acid(VA), and glycyrrhetinic acid(GA) in rat plasma. This method was then applied to the toxicokinetic study of these six compounds in rats with chronic cerebral ischemia(CCI) following multiple oral doses of Zhachong Shisanwei Pills. Finally, the effects of continuous multiple-dose administration of Zhachong Shisanwei Pills on the liver of CCI rats were investigated. The results showed that after oral administration of different doses of Zhachong Shisanwei Pills, the in vivo exposure of AG, VA, and GA was relatively high, with AUC_(0-∞) values ranging from 604.0-2 494.2, 1 305.4-4 634.5, and 2 177.5-4 045.7 h·ng·mL~(-1), respectively, while the exposure of CO, PI, and GL was relatively low, with AUC_(0-∞) values ranging from 37.8-238.2, 2.4-17.0, and 146.9-408.5 h·ng·mL~(-1), respectively. The C_(max) and AUC_(0-∞) of the six compounds were positively correlated with the administered dose. The T_(max) of PI and AG ranged from 0.3 to 2.0 h, their T_(1/2) ranged from 0.8 to 2.9 h, and their mean residence time(MRT) ranged from 1.0 to 3.7 h. The T_(max) of GL and VA was shorter(0.4-1.9 h), while their T_(1/2)(2.6-5.9 h) and MRT(2.5-8.5 h) were longer. Both CO and GA exhibited a bimodal phenomenon, with T_(max) ranging from 1.6 to 6.6 h, T_(1/2) ranging from 2.8 to 7.7 h, and MRT ranging from 4.1 to 12.9 h. Liver histopathology after 28 days of continuous multiple-dose administration of Zhachong Shisanwei Pills showed that the liver tissue remained normal at a low dose(crude drug 0.8 g·kg~(-1), approximately 5 times the clinical equivalent dose). However, as the dose increased(crude drug 1.1-3.0 g·kg~(-1), 6.9-18.8 times the clinical equivalent dose), varying degrees of liver damage were observed. Blood biochemical tests revealed no significant changes in the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alkaline phosphatase(ALP), and total bile acid(TBA) in CCI rats from administration groups 1 to 3(crude drug 0.8, 1.1, 1.5 g·kg~(-1)). However, ALT, AST, ALP, and TBA levels in groups 4 and 5(crude drug 2.1, 3.0 g·kg~(-1)) showed significant increases. This study preliminarily elucidated the toxicokinetic characteristics of the six compounds in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills and their effects on liver tissue in CCI rats, providing data as a reference for clinical use.
Animals ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Rats ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/toxicity* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Brain Ischemia/blood* ; Chromatography, Liquid/methods* ; Polyunsaturated Alkamides/blood* ; Piperidines/toxicity* ; Benzodioxoles/toxicity* ; Alkaloids/blood* ; Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Aim To prepare prostate cancer exosomes containing melittin and observe their uptake by prostate cancer cells. Methods Cells treated with starvation for different time were screened for exosome extraction. Exosomes from PC-3 cells were extracted by ultracentrifugation, and the extracted particles were examined by transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analyzer(NTA), and Western blot. Melittin exosome system was prepared by repeated freeze-thaw method, incubation at room temperature as well as electroporation, and the size of encapsulation efficiency was measured by centrifugation. A high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)method was applied to assay the content of melittin exosomes(exo-mel). Fluorescence inverted microscopy was employed to evaluate the uptake of melittin exosomes by PC-3 cells, DU145 cells as well as LNCaP cells. Results The results of starvation treatment showed that 24 h starvation treatment was the optimal time point. TEM results showed that the exosomes were round or oval in shape with a distinct membranous structure, and the diameter was around 100 nm. The reagent protein concentration for NTA analysis of exosomes was 0.222 g·L-1. The results of Western blot for the marker proteins of exosomes showed that Alix and CD63 were positively expressed, which indicated that the exosomes could be obtained by starvation culture of PC-3 cells and ultracentrifugation. The results of entrapment efficiency showed that the entrapment efficiency of electroporation method was 17.51% ± 2.39%, that of repeated freeze-thaw method was 11.46% ± 1.02%, and that of room temperature incubation method was 3.93% ± 2.44%. The encapsulation efficiency of electroporation was the highest with significant difference(P<0.05). The uptake assay showed that PC-3 cells could efficiently take up exo-mel in a time-dependent manner, and DU145 cells and LNCaP cells also could take up exo-mel over time. Conclusions Exosomes can be accessed by starvation treatment and high-speed centrifugation, and the prostate cancer melittin exosome system prepared by electroporation method could be taken up by prostate cancer cells.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) in Jiangsu province during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in China from December 7, 2022 to January 27, 2023, and to analyze the influencing factors of all-cause death.Methods:It was a multi-center cross-sectional investigation. Structured questionnaire was used to collect patient information by medical staff of each hemodialysis center (room) as investigators. Part of the demography data and laboratory examination data came from the Jiangsu Province Hemodialysis Data Information System. MHD patients from hemodialysis centers (rooms) at all levels of medical institutions and independent hemodialysis institutions in Jiangsu province during the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection were included, and the clinical characteristics and all-cause mortality of confirmed and suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were analyzed.Results:Questionnaire surveys and data analysis on 57 278 patients in 407 hemodialysis centers (rooms) were completed, accounting for 90.41% of the total number of MHD patients (63 357 cases) in Jiangsu province during the same period. There were 24 038 cases (41.97%) of SARS-CoV-2 infection and 14 805 cases (25.85%) of suspected infection, which were widely distributed in all dialysis centers in Jiangsu province. After clinical classification of 38 843 confirmed and suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection cases, 3 662 cases were severe and critical cases, accounting for 9.43% of the infected and suspected cases. Among the patients who had completed the questionnaires, there were 1 812 all-cause deaths, with an all-cause mortality rate of 3.16%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elderly (taking ≤50 years as a reference, 51-59 years: OR=1.583, 95% CI 1.279-1.933, P=0.001; 60-69 years: OR=3.972, 95% CI 3.271-4.858, P<0.001; 70-79 years: OR=7.236, 95% CI 5.917-8.698, P<0.001; ≥80 years: OR=11.738, 95% CI 9.459-14.663, P<0.001), male ( OR=1.371, 95% CI 1.229-1.529, P<0.001), and co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) (positive serum HBV surface antigen, OR=0.629, 95% CI 0.484-0.817, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for all cause mortality. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for male, age and current HBV infection prediction of all-cause death was 0.529 ( P<0.001), 0.724 ( P<0.001) and 0.514 ( P=0.042), respectively, and the cut-off value for age prediction of all-cause death was 65.5 years old. Compared with patients without HBV infection, MHD patients with HBV infection significantly reduced the proportion of severe and critically ill patients, all-cause hospitalizations and all cause deaths when infected with SARS-CoV-2 (4.99% vs. 6.41%, χ2=6.136, P=0.013; 8.90% vs. 11.44%, χ2=11.662, P<0.001; 2.01% vs. 3.37%, χ2=10.713, P=0.001, respectively). Conclusion:The MHD patients in Jiangsu province are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Elderly age and male gender are independent risk factors for death in MHD patients during the epidemic, while the HBV infection may be a protective factor for death of MHD patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.

This study aimed to provide scientific evidence for predicting quality markers(Q-markers) of Elephantopus scaber by establishing UPLC fingerprint of E. scaber from different geographical origins and determining the content of 13 major components, as well as conducting in vitro anti-cancer activity investigation of the main components. The chromatographic column used was Waters CORTECS UPLC C_(18)(2.1 mm×150 mm, 1.6 μm), and the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid solution(gradient elution). The column temperature was set at 30 ℃, and the flow rate was 0.2 mL·min~(-1). The injection volume was 1 μL, and the detection wavelength was 240 nm. The UPLC fingerprint of E. scaber was fitted using the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine(2012 edition) to determine common peaks, evaluate similarity, identify and determine the content of major components. The CCK-8 assay was used to explore the inhibitory effect of the main components on the proliferation of lung cancer cells. The results showed that in the established UPLC fingerprint of E. scaber, 35 common peaks were identified. Thirteen major components, including neochlorogenic acid(peak 1), chlorogenic acid(peak 2), cryptochlorogenic acid(peak 3), caffeic acid(peak 4), schaftoside(peak 6), galuteolin(peak 9), isochlorogenic acid B(peak 10), isochlorogenic acid A(peak 12), isochlorogenic acid C(peak 18), deoxyelephantopin(peak 28), isodeoxyelephantopin(peak 29), isoscabertopin(peak 31), and scabertopin(peak 32) were identified and quantified, and a quantitative analysis method was established. The results of the in vitro anti-cancer activity study showed that deoxyelephantopin, isodeoxyelephantopin, isoscabertopin, and scabertopin in E. scaber exhibited inhibition rates of lung cancer cell proliferation exceeding 80% at a concentration of 10 μmol·L~(-1), higher than the positive drug paclitaxel. These results indicate that the fingerprint of E. scaber is highly characteristic, and the quantitative analysis method is accurate and stable, providing references for the research on quality standards of E. scaber. Four sesquiterpene lactones in E. scaber show significant anti-cancer activity and can serve as Q-markers for E. scaber.
Humans ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Asteraceae/chemistry* ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy*

To analyze the research status of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer at home and abroad in the past 45 years by using bibliometric and scientific knowledge map methods，and explore the development trends in future. The literature of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer was retrieved from CNKI and Web of Science (WOS) till December 31, 2020 since the database establishment, and CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were used to perform visual map analysis through cooperation network, keyword co-occurrence, keyword timeline, keyword emergence and other methods. Totally, 1 585 literature in CNKI and 1 564 literature in WOS were included, and the annual publication amount showed a fluctuating upward trend. Cooperation between countries was centered on China and the United States, and there was relatively little cooperation among different institutions. The analysis of keyword and cited literature showed that researches focused on the control of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy on cancer complications and adverse reactions of western medicine. The main research types in WOS were systematic review and randomized controlled trial (RCT), while in CNKI was review, depth studies on mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer were rare. The concern about the quality of life of cancer patients may become research emphasis in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer in future, and the research scope tends to integrative and holistic oncology.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Bibliometrics ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Neoplasms/therapy*

Objective To reveal the incidence,mortality,and risk factors of bleeding-related perioperative cardiac arrest(POCA). Methods We carried out a single-center retrospective case-control study which enrolled all the POCA cases reported from January 2010 to September 2020 in the patient safety incident reporting system of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.For the screening of risk factors,the patients were respectively assigned into the POCA group and the control group at a ratio of 1∶3 according to the same sex,age,American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)physical status,and type of surgery in the same month.Potential risk factors for POCA were first selected by univariate analysis.The significant risk factors were then checked based on the clinical experience and further included in the multivariate Logistic regression model. Results Totally 16 bleeding-related POCA cases were collected from the patient safety incident reporting system among the study period,with an overall incidence of 0.36/10 000.The blood loss volume of POCA group and control group was(7 037.50±5 477.70)ml and(375.63±675.14)ml,respectively(P<0.001),and 14(87.5%)patients suffering from bleeding-related POCA died within three days after anesthesia.According to the univariate analysis,patients' body mass index[(21.79±3.57)kg/m² vs.(24.26±3.91)kg/m²,P=0.043],hemoglobin level[(113.44±31.08)g/L vs.(131.75±19.70)g/L,P=0.039],and alanine aminotransferase level[(17.31±7.73)U/L vs.(26.91±24.73)U/L,P=0.022]were significantly lower in the POCA group than in the control group.Further Logistic regression analysis showed that smaller body mass index and lower preoperative hemoglobin level were independently associated with the occurrence of bleeding-related POCA. Conclusions Bleeding-related POCA rarely occurred but had high mortality.Adequate precautions should be taken for the patients who are to receive surgeries with high risk of intraoperative massive bleeding.Elevating preoperative hemoglobin level might decrease the incidence of bleeding-related POCA.
Case-Control Studies ; Heart Arrest/etiology* ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors