Cistanches Herba(CH) is a famous tonic traditional Chinese medicine, with the effects of tonifying kidney Yang, nourishing kidney Yin, replenishing essence and blood, and moistening the intestines to relieve constipation. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that CH has anti-aging, anti-fatigue, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and anti-aging activities, serving as an ideal raw material for the development of pharmaceuticals and health products. In 2023, CH was added in the catalog of medicinal and food substances, which provided policy support for its application in conventional food products and expanding pathways for industrial diversification. To comprehensively understand current development status of CH products, this review systematically investigated professional databases including Yaozhi(https://db.yaozh.com), Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Compendium of National Standards for Chinese Patent Medicines, and Kezhuang and collected market survey data to thoroughly review the applications of CH as a primary ingredient in domestic and international Chinese patent medicines, health foods, cosmetics, and common food products. Furthermore, this review points out challenges in the current industrial development and future potential market prospects, aiming to provide guidance for the development and industrialization of CH-based pharmaceuticals and health products, thereby promoting the vigorous growth of the CH industry.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Cistanche/chemistry* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The first supplement of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China 2020 Edition will be imple-mented on March 12,2024.It plays an important role in connecting link between the preceding and the following.Among them,11 new pharmaceutical excipients monographs have been added and 46 monographs have been revised.This formulation and revision of pharmaceutical excipients standards are based on the concept of risk man-agement and the full lifecycle management and focuse on ensuring the clinical safety and effectiveness of drugs,the evaluation of critical quality attributes on pharmaceutical excipients is highlighted in the standard-making process,and functional-related characteristics(FRCs)and safety indicators are included.Moreover,the excipient standards have emphasized the concept of international pharmacopeia harmonization and green environmental protection and strengthened the standardization and operability.This article focuses on the general framework and the main charac-teristics of the standards of pharmaceutical excipients in the first supplement of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020,which can contribute to accurately understand and utilize the standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

A 31P-quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance(qNMR)method was established for simultaneous determination of sodium α-glycerophosphate,sodium β-glycerophosphate and phosphoric acid in concentrated divitamins and sodium phosphate syrup.The qNMR experimental conditions were optimized,including hexamethylphosphoramide as internal standard,20%deuterium oxide solution as solvent,zgig pulse sequence,delay time of 30 s,and scan number of 64.The 31P-NMR peaks atδ29.80 of hexamethylphosphoramide,δ0.69 of sodiumα-glycerophosphate,δ0.17 of sodiumβ-glycerophosphate andδ0.03 of phosphoric acid were chosen as the quantitative peaks(pH of the test solution was around 4.8).Method validation was performed in terms of precision(Relative standard deviation less than 0.6%),linearity(Correlative coefficient greater than 0.999),limit of detection(23.58 μg/mL for sodium glycerophosphate and 11.61 μg/mL for phosphoric acid)and limit of quantitation(78.60 μg/mL for sodium glycerophosphate and 38.70 μg/mL for phosphoric acid).The recoveries were 99.8%?103.2%,and relative standard deviations were 0.41%?1.98%.The results showed that the reliability of 31P-qNMR method were suitable for its intended use.Seven batches of concentrated divitamins and sodium phosphate syrups were tested by the established method,of which the total phosphorus content was consistent with that of colorimetry method,but the content of sodium glycerophosphate(Sum ofαtype andβtype)was relatively low,about 82%of the labeled amount.The content of phosphoric acid was high.This method simplified sample pretreatment and had high specificity,and was more suitable for determination and quality control of concentrated divitamins and sodium phosphate syrup.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a congenital, motile ciliopathy with pleiotropic symptoms. Although nearly 50 causative genes have been identified, they only account for approximately 70% of definitive PCD cases. Dynein axonemal heavy chain 10 (DNAH10) encodes a subunit of the inner arm dynein heavy chain in motile cilia and sperm flagella. Based on the common axoneme structure of motile cilia and sperm flagella, DNAH10 variants are likely to cause PCD. Using exome sequencing, we identified a novel DNAH10 homozygous variant (c.589C > T, p.R197W) in a patient with PCD from a consanguineous family. The patient manifested sinusitis, bronchiectasis, situs inversus, and asthenoteratozoospermia. Immunostaining analysis showed the absence of DNAH10 and DNALI1 in the respiratory cilia, and transmission electron microscopy revealed strikingly disordered axoneme 9+2 architecture and inner dynein arm defects in the respiratory cilia and sperm flagella. Subsequently, animal models of Dnah10-knockin mice harboring missense variants and Dnah10-knockout mice recapitulated the phenotypes of PCD, including chronic respiratory infection, male infertility, and hydrocephalus. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report DNAH10 deficiency related to PCD in human and mouse models, which suggests that DNAH10 recessive mutation is causative of PCD.
Humans ; Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Semen/metabolism* ; Dyneins/metabolism* ; Cilia/metabolism* ; Mutation ; Ciliary Motility Disorders/genetics*

OBJECTIVE To study the improvement effects and mechanisms of Tujia medicine musk needle therapy on cognitive dysfunction in ischemic stroke model rats. METHODS Totally 44 rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group， musk needle treatment group and ordinary acupuncture group， with 11 rats in each group. Except for the sham operation group， ischemic stroke model was induced by modified suture method in other groups. After modeling， musk needle treatment group and the ordinary acupuncture group were treated with Tujia musk needle （containing 3 mg of artificial musk） and traditional filiform needle respectively to intervene in the muscle layer of the contralateral scalp motor area， with an intervention duration of 3 courses. The sham operation group and model group were not given any treatment. The neurological deficits score in rats were recorded and Morris water maze behavioral tests were conducted. The morphology of neurons in the cortical area of rats was observed， and the expression of DCX/BrdU and NeuN/BrdU co-labeled cells in the ischemic subependymal area was observed. The plasma levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α） and vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） in rats were tested. RESULTS Compared with sham operation group， neurological deficit score of model group was increased significantly， escape latency prolonged significantly， and the times of crossing platform significantly reduced （P＜0.05）； the neuronal structure was significantly damaged， and the number of surrounding Nissl bodies decreased； the number of DCX/BrdU and NeuN/BrdU co- labeled cells in the ischemic subependymal area were significantly increased （P＜0.05）； the levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in plasma were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared with model group， neurological deficits score， escape latency， the times of crossing platform were all reversed significantly in musk needle treatment group and ordinary acupuncture group （P＜0.05）； the neuronal structure was improved， and the number of Nissl bodies increased； the number of DCX/BrdU and NeuN/BrdU co-labeled cells in the ischemic subependymal area were significantly increased （P＜0.05）； the plasma levels of HIF-1α and VEGF were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared with ordinary acupuncture group， the plasma level of HIF-1α was reduced （the difference was not statistically significant）， while the level of VEGF was significantly increased （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Tujia medicine musk needle therapy can significantly improve the cognitive dysfunction in ischemic stroke model rats， and its mechanism of action may be associated with promoting migration and differentiation of neural stem cell in ischemic subependymal area， preventing the excessive release of HIF-1α and increasing the expression of VEGF.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of emodin on inflammation and autophagy in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages and reveal its underlying mechanism. METHODS: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay was conducted to find the appropriate dose for emodin. RAW264.7 cells pretreated with different concentrations (0-50 μmol/L) of emodin or vehicle for 2 h prior to exposure to LPS for 16 h. Cell morphology was examined and propidium iodide staining was used to examine cell cycle. Expressions of inflammation-related proteins [nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κ B) and I-kappaB (I κ B)α] and autophagy-related proteins [light chain (LC)3, P62/sequestosome 1, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and p-mTOR] were examined using Western blot analysis. Expression of inflammation-related cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Autophagy was examined with LC3B fluorescence intensity and aggregation. The effect of emodin on autophagy was conducted with an autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA). RESULTS: The expression of NF-κ B in LPS-induced cells was significantly increased (P<0.01) and simultaneously I κ B α decreased compared with the normal cell (P<0.05). The expressions of TNF-α, IL-β, and IL-6 proteins in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells were significantly higher than in the normal cell (P<0.05 or P<0.01). LPS increased the percentage of cells in the G CONCLUSION Emodin could inhibit inflammation of mice RAW264.7 macrophages induced by LPS, possibly through activating autophagy.

Objective To investigate the expression differences and significance of periostin (PN) in eyelid basal cell carcinoma associated fibroblasts (BCAFs) andnormal fibroblasts (NFs) after separation,culture,purification and identification.Methods The third generation of purified BCAFs and NFs was selected,and the concentrations of cell suspensions were modulated to 20 × 106 L-1 by trypsin,and then the cell suspension were seeded and cultured in 6-well plate by 2 mL per well.The cell culture supernatants were collected when BCAFs and NFs were cultured by serum-free medium for 48 h,then the content of PN in cell culture supernatants from BCAFs and NFs was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The glass coverslips were placed at the bottom of the 6-well plate to make cell slides,and then the expression of PN in BCAFs and NFs cells were tested by immunofluorescence staining.Results ELISA showed that the content of PN in cell culture supernatants from BCAFs and NFs was (9.26 ± 2.35) μg · L-1 and (2.57 ± 0.41) μg · L-1.And the expression level of PN in BCAFs tested by immunofluorescence staining technology was higher than that in NFs cells,and the differences were statistically significant (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The expression and secretion of PN in the eyelid BCAFs were highly enhanced when compared with NFs,suggesting that periostein may promote or inhibit the occurrence and development of the eyelid basal cell carcinoma in the microenvironment of the eyelid basal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the hematopoietic differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

METHODSThe role of DMSO in hematopoietic differentiation of hESC was investigated by using a established stepwise hematopoietic differentiation system from hESC, immunofluorescouse assay and flow cytometry. Furthermore, the window phase of DMSO action was explored by adding it to the different stage of hematopoietic differentiation.

RESULTSImmunofluorescence and flow cytometry analysis showed that DMSO significantly promoted the generation of CD43hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). The flow cytometry demonstrated that DMSO profoundly promoted the generation of APLNRlateral plate mesoderm cells and CD31CD34hemogenic endothelium progenitors (HEP). The addition of DMSO in the window phase of lateral plate mesoderm cell generation could markedly improve the generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells.

CONCLUSIONDMSO promotes hematopoietic differentiation of hESC through enhancing the generation of APLNR positive lateral plate mesoderm cells. The addition of DMSO in the window phase of lateral plate mesoderm cell generation can significantly improve the generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells.

BACKGROUNDIt remains controversial whether patients with Stage II colorectal cancer would benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy after radical resection. The aim of this study was to establish two mathematical models to identify the suitable patients for adjuvant chemotherapy.

METHODSThe current study comprised of two steps. In the first step, 353 patients with Stage II colorectal cancer who underwent surgical procedures at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between June 2006 and December 2015 were entered and followed up for 6-120 months. Their clinical data were collected and enrolled into the database. We established two mathematical models by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis to identify the target patients; in the second step, 230 patients under the same standard between January 2012 and December 2016 were entered and followed up for 3-62 months to verify the two models' validation.

RESULTSIn the first step, totally 340 surgical patients with Stage II colorectal cancer were finally enrolled in this study. Statistical analysis showed that tumor differentiation (TD) (P < 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (P < 0.001), uncertain or positive margins (UPM) (P < 0.001), and fewer lymph nodes (LNs) (<12) retrieved (P < 0.001) were correlated with the overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS). We obtained two models: (1) OS risk score = 1.116 × TD + 2.202 × LVI + 3.676 × UPM + 1.438 × LN - 0.493; (2) DFS risk score = 0.789 × TD + 2.074 × LVI + 3.183 × UPM + 1.329 × LN - 0.432. According to the models and cutoff points [(0.07, 1.33) and (-0.04, 1.30), respectively], patients can be divided into three groups: low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk. Moreover, the high-risk group patients could benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. In the second step, totally 221 patients were finally used to verify the models' validation. The results proved that the models were accurate and feasible (P< 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAccording to the predictive models, patients with Stage II colorectal cancer in the high-risk group are strongly recommended for adjuvant chemotherapy, thus facilitating the individualized and precise treatment.