1.Classic Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions in Treatment of Cancer-related Anemia: A Review
Kai YANG ; Dongju HU ; Huiying XIAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(2):335-346
Anemia is one of the common accompanying symptoms of tumors. Whether chemotherapy-related anemia (CRA) or anemia caused by the disease itself, it greatly affects patients' survival rate, quality of life, and even their confidence in treatment. Currently, Western medicine mainly treats CRA through blood product transfusion and the use of erythropoietin, which can rapidly increase hemoglobin levels but are associated with strong dependence and short duration of efficacy. Therefore, exploring the theoretical basis, treatment methods, and advantages of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in managing CRA has become a focus of current research. According to recent clinical observations and related reports, TCM demonstrates favorable clinical efficacy in the treatment of CRA. By reviewing literature on classic TCM prescriptions for CRA, this article summarizes clinical cases, relevant pharmacological studies, and possible mechanisms of action. These analyses show that classic TCM prescriptions for CRA are mainly tonifying formulas, primarily those that tonify qi and blood and strengthen the spleen and kidney, and they offer clear therapeutic efficacy, high safety, and the potential to reduce toxicity and enhance effectiveness. In addition to tonifying formulas, modern prescriptions for CRA, such as those that promote blood circulation and remove stasis, promote new blood generation, and exert detoxifying and anticancer effects, have also been confirmed by clinical research to provide good therapeutic outcomes. By summarizing and analyzing the efficacy and mechanisms of classic TCM prescriptions for CRA and the clinical research status of modern formulas, this article aims to provide new strategies for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of CRA.
2.Differences in chemical components and quality analysis of Gardenia jasminoides before and after processing with ginger
Lihua TANG ; Yu WU ; Xuedi HUANG ; Xiaolian HU ; Yi TANG ; Zilong CHEN ; Xiaofan XIAO ; Xide YE
China Pharmacy 2026;37(2):168-173
OBJECTIVE To analyze the differences in chemical components of Gardenia jasminoides before and after processing with ginger, and to evaluate the quality differences among different producing areas. METHODS Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to analyze the compositional differences of G. jasminoides before and after processing with ginger. The water content, total ash, and ethanol-soluble extract content of ginger- processed G. jasminoides were determined according to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. High performance liquid chromatography was adopted to determine the contents of genipin gentiobioside, geniposide, crocin Ⅰ and crocin Ⅱ in ginger- processed G. jasminoides. RESULTS A total of 49 chemical components were identified from raw G. jasminoides and ginger- processed G. jasminoides, including 14 flavonoids, 15 iridoids, 10 organic acids, 2 alkaloids and 8 other compounds. Among them, 42 components were detected in raw G. jasminoides, 28 in ginger-processed G. jasminoides, and 21 components were common to both. After processing with ginger, raw G. jasminoides lost 21 components (including iridoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and others), while 7 chemical components were added (including coumarins, organic acids, organic acid esters, and flavonoids). For the 15 batches of ginger-processed G. jasminoides, the water content ranged from 5.64% to 7.11%, total ash from 2.92% to 4.87%, and ethanol-soluble extract from 40.61% to 58.02%. The average contents of genipin gentiobioside, geniposide, crocin Ⅰ and crocin Ⅱ were 0.108 7, 0.542 2, 0.565 0, and 0.012 5 mg/g, respectively. CONCLUSIONS After processing with ginger, G. jasminoides loses 21 components, while 7 new components are added. Differences are observed in the water content, total ash, ethanol-soluble extract, and the contents of genipin gentiobioside, geniposide, crocin Ⅰ, and crocin Ⅱ of ginger-processed G. jasminoides from different producing areas. Notably, samples from Fujian exhibit high contents of genipin gentiobioside and ethanol-soluble extract, while samples from Jiangxi have a high content of crocin Ⅰ.
3.Role of SPINK in Dermatologic Diseases and Potential Therapeutic Targets
Yong-Hang XIA ; Hao DENG ; Li-Ling HU ; Wei LIU ; Xiao TAN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):417-424
Serine protease inhibitor Kazal-type (SPINK) is a skin keratinizing protease inhibitor, which was initially found in animal serum and is widely present in plants, animals, bacteria, and viruses, and they act as key regulators of skin keratinizing proteases and are involved in the regulation of keratinocyte proliferation and inflammation, primarily through the inhibition of deregulated tissue kinin-releasing enzymes (KLKs) in skin response. This process plays a crucial role in alleviating various skin problems caused by hyperkeratinization and inflammation, and can greatly improve the overall condition of the skin. Specifically, the different members of the SPINK family, such as SPINK5, SPINK6, SPINK7, and SPINK9, each have unique biological functions and mechanisms of action. The existence of these members demonstrates the diversity and complexity of skin health and disease. First, SPINK5 mutations are closely associated with the development of various skin diseases, such as Netherton’s syndrome and atopic dermatitis, and SPINK5 is able to inhibit the activation of the STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby effectively preventing the metastasis of melanoma cells, which is important in preventing the invasion and migration of malignant tumors. Secondly, SPINK6 is mainly distributed in the epidermis and contains lysine and glutamate residues, which can act as a substrate for epidermal transglutaminase to maintain the normal structure and function of the skin. In addition, SPINK6 can activate the intracellular ERK1/2 and AKT signaling pathways through the activation of epidermal growth factor receptor and protease receptor-2 (EphA2), which can promote the migration of melanoma cells, and SPINK6 further deepens its role in stimulating the migration of malignant tumor cells by inhibiting the activation of STAT3 signaling pathway. This process further deepens its potential impact in stimulating tumor invasive migration. Furthermore, SPINK7 plays a role in the pathology of some inflammatory skin diseases, and is likely to be an important factor contributing to the exacerbation of skin diseases by promoting aberrant proliferation of keratinocytes and local inflammatory responses. Finally, SPINK9 can induce cell migration and promote skin wound healing by activating purinergic receptor 2 (P2R) to induce phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor and further activating the downstream ERK1/2 signaling pathway. In addition, SPINK9 also plays an antimicrobial role, preventing the interference of some pathogenic microorganisms. Taken as a whole, some members of the SPINK family may be potential targets for the treatment of dermatological disorders by regulating multiple biological processes such as keratinization metabolism and immuno-inflammatory processes in the skin. The development of drugs such as small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies has great potential for the treatment of dermatologic diseases, and future research on SPINK will help to gain a deeper understanding of the physiopathologic processes of the skin. Through its functions and regulatory mechanisms, the formation and maintenance of the skin barrier and the occurrence and development of inflammatory responses can be better understood, which will provide novel ideas and methods for the prevention and treatment of skin diseases.
4.The Use of Speech in Screening for Cognitive Decline in Older Adults
Si-Wen WANG ; Xiao-Xiao YIN ; Lin-Lin GAO ; Wen-Jun GUI ; Qiao-Xia HU ; Qiong LOU ; Qin-Wen WANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):456-463
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects the health of the elderly, marked by its incurability, high prevalence, and extended latency period. The current approach to AD prevention and treatment emphasizes early detection and intervention, particularly during the pre-AD stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which provides an optimal “window of opportunity” for intervention. Clinical detection methods for MCI, such as cerebrospinal fluid monitoring, genetic testing, and imaging diagnostics, are invasive and costly, limiting their broad clinical application. Speech, as a vital cognitive output, offers a new perspective and tool for computer-assisted analysis and screening of cognitive decline. This is because elderly individuals with cognitive decline exhibit distinct characteristics in semantic and audio information, such as reduced lexical richness, decreased speech coherence and conciseness, and declines in speech rate, voice rhythm, and hesitation rates. The objective presence of these semantic and audio characteristics lays the groundwork for computer-based screening of cognitive decline. Speech information is primarily sourced from databases or collected through tasks involving spontaneous speech, semantic fluency, and reading, followed by analysis using computer models. Spontaneous language tasks include dialogues/interviews, event descriptions, narrative recall, and picture descriptions. Semantic fluency tasks assess controlled retrieval of vocabulary items, requiring participants to extract information at the word level during lexical search. Reading tasks involve participants reading a passage aloud. Summarizing past research, the speech characteristics of the elderly can be divided into two major categories: semantic information and audio information. Semantic information focuses on the meaning of speech across different tasks, highlighting differences in vocabulary and text content in cognitive impairment. Overall, discourse pragmatic disorders in AD can be studied along three dimensions: cohesion, coherence, and conciseness. Cohesion mainly examines the use of vocabulary by participants, with a reduction in the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives in AD patients. Coherence assesses the ability of participants to maintain topics, with a decrease in the number of subordinate clauses in AD patients. Conciseness evaluates the information density of participants, with AD patients producing shorter texts with less information compared to normal elderly individuals. Audio information focuses on acoustic features that are difficult for the human ear to detect. There is a significant degradation in temporal parameters in the later stages of cognitive impairment; AD patients require more time to read the same paragraph, have longer vocalization times, and produce more pauses or silent parts in their spontaneous speech signals compared to normal individuals. Researchers have extracted audio and speech features, developing independent systems for each set of features, achieving an accuracy rate of 82% for both, which increases to 86% when both types of features are combined, demonstrating the advantage of integrating audio and speech information. Currently, deep learning and machine learning are the main methods used for information analysis. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate for AD exceeds 80%, and the diagnostic accuracy rate for MCI also exceeds 80%, indicating significant potential. Deep learning techniques require substantial data support, necessitating future expansion of database scale and continuous algorithm upgrades to transition from laboratory research to practical product implementation.
5.Network toxicology and its application in studying exogenous chemical toxicity
Yanli LIN ; Zehua TAO ; Zhao XIAO ; Chenxu HU ; Bobo YANG ; Ya WANG ; Rongzhu LU
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(2):238-244
With the continuous development of society, a large number of new chemicals are continuously emerging, which presents a challenge to current risk assessment and safety management of chemicals. Traditional toxicology research methods have certain limitations in quickly, efficiently, and accurately assessing the toxicity of many chemicals, and cannot meet the actual needs. In response to this challenge, computational toxicology that use mathematical and computer models to achieve the prediction of chemical toxicity has emerged. In the meantime, as researchers increasingly pay attention to understanding the interaction mechanisms between exogenous chemical substances and the body from the system level, and multiomics technologies develop rapidly such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, huge amounts of data have been generated, providing rich information resources for studying the interactions between chemical substances and biological molecules. System toxicology and network toxicology have also developed accordingly. Of these, network toxicology can integrate these multiomics data to construct biomolecular networks, and then quickly predict the key toxicological targets and pathways of chemicals at the molecular level. This paper outlined the concept and development of network toxicology, summarized the main methods and supporting tools of network toxicology research, expounded the application status of network toxicology in studying potential toxicity of exogenous chemicals such as agricultural chemicals, environmental pollutants, industrial chemicals, and foodborne chemicals, and analyzed the development prospects and limitations of network toxicology research. This paper aimed to provide a reference for the application of network toxicology in other fields.
6.Pathological changes in the total knee joint during spontaneous knee osteoarthritis in guinea pigs at different months of age
Xiaoshen HU ; Huijing LI ; Junling LYU ; Xianjun XIAO ; Juan LI ; Xiang LI ; Ling LIU ; Rongjiang JIN
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(11):2218-2224
BACKGROUND:The guinea pig is considered to be the most useful spontaneous model for evaluating primary osteoarthritis in humans because of its similar knee joint structure and close histopathologic features to those of humans. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the pathological process of spontaneous knee osteoarthritis in guinea pigs by analyzing the histopathology of the total knee joint of guinea pigs aged 1 to 18 months. METHODS:Eight healthy female Hartley guinea pigs in each age group of 1,6,10,14,16,and 18 months old were selected.The quadriceps femoris was taken for hematoxylin-eosin staining,and the total knee joint was stained with hematoxylin-eosin and toluidine blue.The histopathology of the cartilage,subchondral bone,synovium,meniscus,and muscles were observed under light microscope.Mankin's score and synovitis score were compared,and the correlation analysis was conducted. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:As the guinea pig age increased,the Mankin's score increased(P<0.05),and the pathological score of synovitis also gradually increased(P<0.05),and there was a significant positive correlation between the two(r=0.641,P<0.001).The incidence rate of subchondral bone marrow lesion in 18-month-old guinea pigs was 50%,and the incidence of meniscus injury was 37.5%.In addition,osteophyte and narrowing of the joint space were observed,and only a few guinea pigs had inflammation in the quadriceps femoris.To conclude,guinea pigs develop significant cartilage defects,synovial inflammation,subchondral bone lesions,meniscus injury,osteophyte formation,and joint space narrowing as they age,all of which are similar to the pathological processes of primary knee osteoarthritis in humans,making it an ideal model of spontaneous knee osteoarthritis.
7.Effectiveness of group skills training intervention on social ability of high functional autism spectrum disorder children
HU Shasha, ZHAO Xiao, ZHU Zhenzhen, LIU Xiaoli, WANG Rong, HU Zhenyu, ZHANG Wenwu
Chinese Journal of School Health 2025;46(2):167-171
Objective:
To evaluate the intervention efficacy of integrated group social skills training on social ability in school age patients with high functioning ASD, so as to provide a reference for improving social skills in children with high functioning ASD.
Methods:
From January 2021 to December 2023, 62 children aged 7-12 with high functioning ASD who visited the Children s Psychiatry Outpatient Department of the Affiliated Kangning Hospital of Ningbo University were recruited, and were randomly divided into a training ( n =31) and a control group ( n =31) by a random number table method. The training group received a 20 week structured group social training program (mental interpretation courses and social courses), while the control group received only conventional treatment. Chinese version of Griffith Empathy Measure Parent Ratings (GEM-PR) and Social Response Scale (SRS) were used to assess the symptoms of social deficits before and after treatment. Emotional face recognition tasks and eye movement trajectories were used to test the characteristics of social visual attention in children with ASD. Group comparison was conducted using t-test and Mann-Whitney U test.
Results:
At baseline, there were no significant differences in GEM-PR score ( t = -1.20 to -0.81), SRS score ( t =-0.36-1.75), emotional face recognition accuracy and reaction time ( t =-0.58-1.85), and eye movement trajectory ( U/t =-1.63-0.29) between the two group ( P >0.05). After intervention, the total GEM-PR score and empathic cognitive factor score of training group [18.00(10.00,24.00),9.00(8.00,13.00)] were significantly higher than those of the control group [12.00(-1.00,18.00),2.00(-2.00,7.00)], and the total SRS score and social cognition, social perception, social communication, social motivation (73.23±14.20, 16.16±2.72, 6.58±2.50, 24.29±5.61, 9.52±3.73) were significantly lower than those of the control group (95.26±15.29, 19.90±2.84, 12.58±2.49,31.94±6.38, 13.74±4.81) ( U/t =-2.38, -4.59; -5.88, -5.29, -9.47, -5.01, -3.87, P <0.05). The overall correct rate of emotional face recognition and the correct rate of angry, fearful and neutral faces recognition in the training group [(81.55±6.62)%,(76.86±12.06)%,(79.61±12.42)%,(94.27±6.26)%] were significantly higher than the control group [(70.55±13.82)%,(62.82±18.77)%,(67.18±18.85)%,(79.60±20.05)%], and the average reaction time [(2 226.70±274.43)ms] was lower than the control group [(2 417.27±324.10)ms] (t=4.00, 3.50, 3.07, 3.89, -2.42, P<0.05). The time to first eye gaze [764.74 (748.64, 793.73) ms] in the training group was significantly lower than that in the control group [810.92 (782.86, 877.42) ms], and the proportion of moderatetohigh intensity attention area in the face [(37.37±1.27)%] was significantly higher than that in the control group [(30.34±1.23)%] (U/t=3.44, 8.89, P<0.05).
Conclusion
Integrated group social training can significantly improve the social communication and empathy ability of high functioning ASD children, increase active attention and recognition ability of faces, and improve mental development of children with ASD.
8.Progress in ablation therapy of pulmonary nodules
Xu SHEN ; Cheng SHEN ; Congjia XIAO ; Haonan LIN ; Yunke ZHU ; Feng LIN ; Hu LIAO
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2025;32(03):401-405
In recent years, with the improvement of people's awareness of physical examination and the more accurate detection equipment, the detection rate of pulmonary nodules is getting higher and higher. Surgical resection is the first choice for the treatment of malignant pulmonary nodules, but multiple pulmonary nodules, nodules in complex areas and those with surgical contraindications are not suitable for surgery. As an effective, less invasive and low-cost treatment, ablation has developed rapidly in the treatment of multiple pulmonary nodules. This article introduces the progress of several common ablation techniques (radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryoablation) in the treatment of multiple pulmonary nodules, the indications and contraindications of ablation techniques, the efficacy evaluation and complications after ablation therapy, and the prospects of ablation techniques in the treatment of multiple pulmonary nodules.
9.Cloning, subcellular localization and expression analysis of SmIAA7 gene from Salvia miltiorrhiza
Yu-ying HUANG ; Ying CHEN ; Bao-wei WANG ; Fan-yuan GUAN ; Yu-yan ZHENG ; Jing FAN ; Jin-ling WANG ; Xiu-hua HU ; Xiao-hui WANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):514-525
The auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) gene family is an important regulator for plant growth hormone signaling, involved in plant growth, development, as well as response to environmental stresses. In the present study, we identified
10.Improvement effect of metformin on liver injury in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis rats
Shuang WU ; Hailin CHENG ; Dan LIU ; Ting XIAO ; Xingbang WU ; Huadong LI ; Xudong HU
China Pharmacy 2025;36(7):837-842
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of metformin (Met) on liver injury in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) rats by regulating the PI3K/AKT/PDGF signaling pathway. METHODS NASH model was constructed by feeding rats with a high- glucose and high-fat diet, and assigned into Model group, Met low-dose group (Met-L group, 100 mg/kg), Met medium-dose group (Met-M group, 200 mg/kg), Met high-dose group (Met-H group, 400 mg/kg), and high dose of Met+PI3K activator group (Met-H+740 Y-P group, 400 mg/kg Met+50 mg/kg 740 Y-P), with 12 rats in each group. Another 12 rats were regarded as the Control group. Each group of rats was orally administered/injected with the corresponding medication once a day for 6 consecutive weeks. The changes in body weight and liver index of rats were recorded and analyzed. The pathological damage [evaluation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS)], lipid deposition (calculation of the proportion of oil red O-positive staining area), and fibrosis (calculation of collagen deposition score) were observed in liver tissue of rats. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)] in serum and liver tissue, the levels of serum lipid metabolism indicators [total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)] and liver function indicators [aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine Δ 基金项目 武汉市知识创新专项项目(No.2022020801010588); aminotransferase (ALT)] were measured. The expression levels of PI3K/AKT/PDGF signaling pathway-related proteins and Caspase-3 in liver tissue of rats were determined. RESULTS Compared with the Control group, body weight, liver index, the levels of serum lipid metabolism indicators and liver function indicators, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in serum and liver tissue, the NAS, the proportion of oil red O-positive staining area, the collagen deposition fraction, and the levels of phosphorylated PI3K and AKT proteins, as well as the expression levels of PDGF and Caspase-3 proteins in liver tissue, were all significantly increased (P<0.05). The liver tissue showed severe pathological damage, characterized by an abundance of lipid droplets and pronounced collagen deposition. After the intervention with Met, the aforementioned quantitative indicators and pathological changes in rats were significantly improved in a dose- dependent manner (P<0.05). 740 Y-P could reverse the improvement effects of high dose of Met on the above indexes of rats (P< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Met can improve liver damage, and alleviate inflammatory reactions and liver fibrosis of NASH rats, the mechanism of which may be associated with inhibiting PI3K/AKT/PDGF signaling pathway.


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