Germplasm degeneration occurs during the long-term cultivation of root-and rhizome-derived traditional Chinese medicine(RR-TCM), which seriously restricts the high-quality development of their industry. Therefore, it is urgent to solve the problem of germplasm degeneration through variety breeding. In this paper, based on previously published research articles, monographs, and news reports, the research progresses on the number and origins, breeding methods, and selection of new varieties of RR-TCM listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(Edition 2020) were summarized and analyzed. The results show that there are 169 kinds of RR-TCM listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(Edition 2020), originated from 223 origins with three breeding methods(i.e., seed propagation, vegetative reproduction, and tissue culture), and there are 215 species derived from seed propagation, 177 species derived from vegetative reproduction, and 164 species derived from tissue culture. To date, there are 62 origins breeding new varieties through conventional breeding, cross breeding, mutation breeding, ploidy breeding, or modern biotechnology breeding methods, including 57 origins breeding 145 new varieties through conventional breeding, 10 origins breeding 43 new varieties through mutation breeding, and seven origins breeding 12 new varieties through cross breeding method. They are used mainly to improve yield, disease resistance, and active ingredient content, but only a few new varieties have been widely used. This review will provide useful references in variety breeding, quality breeding, and standardized planting of RR-TCM.
Plant Breeding/methods* ; Plant Roots/growth & development* ; Rhizome/growth & development* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Plants, Medicinal/classification* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Medical institutions, with their clinical practice foundation and abundant human use experience data, have become important carriers for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and the "cradles" of the preparation of new TCM. To effectively promote the transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and establish an effective evaluation index system for the transformation of new TCM conforming to the characteristics of TCM, consensus experts adopted the literature research, questionnaire survey, Delphi method, etc. By focusing on the policy and technical evaluation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions, a comprehensive evaluation from the dimensions of drug safety, efficacy, feasibility, and characteristic advantages was conducted, thus forming a comprehensive evaluation system with four primary indicators and 37 secondary indicators. The expert consensus reached aims to encourage medical institutions at all levels to continuously improve the high-quality research and development and transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and targeted at clinical needs, so as to provide a decision-making basis for the preparation, selection, cultivation, and transformation of new TCM for medical institutions, improve the development efficiency of new TCM, and precisely respond to the public medication needs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive computed tomography angiography (CTA)-based fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) could become a gatekeeper to invasive coronary angiography. Deep learning (DL)-based CT-FFR has shown promise when compared to invasive FFR. To evaluate the performance of a DL-based CT-FFR technique, DeepVessel FFR (DVFFR). METHODS: This retrospective study was designed for iScheMia Assessment based on a Retrospective, single-center Trial of CT-FFR (SMART). Patients suspected of stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and undergoing both CTA and invasive FFR examinations were consecutively selected from the Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 1, 2016 to December 30, 2018. FFR obtained during invasive coronary angiography was used as the reference standard. DVFFR was calculated blindly using a DL-based CT-FFR approach that utilized the complete tree structure of the coronary arteries. RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty nine patients (60.5 ±10.0 years and 209 men) and 414 vessels with direct invasive FFR were included in the analysis. At per-vessel level, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of DVFFR were 94.7%, 88.6%, 90.8%, 82.7%, and 96.7%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was 0.95 for DVFFR and 0.56 for CTA-based assessment with a significant difference (P < 0.0001). At patient level, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of DVFFR were 93.8%, 88.0%, 90.3%, 83.0%, and 95.8%, respectively. The computation for DVFFR was fast with the average time of 22.5 ± 1.9 s. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that DVFFR was able to evaluate lesion hemodynamic significance accurately and effectively with improved diagnostic performance over CTA alone. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a critical disease in which coronary artery luminal narrowing may result in myocardial ischemia. Early and effective assessment of myocardial ischemia is essential for optimal treatment planning so as to improve the quality of life and reduce medical costs.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the modulation mechanism of Suanzaoren Decoction (SZRD) on basolateral amygdala (BLA) neuronal activity to alleviate chronic restraint stress (CRS)-related behavioral deficits. METHODS: The male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to 4 groups using the complete randomization method, including control (CON, n=19), CRS (n=19), SZRD (n=21), and fluoxetine (Flu, n=22) groups. Mice were restrained for 6 h per day, over a 21-d period to establish CRS models. The CON group remained in their cages without food or water during the 6-h matching period. SZRD and Flu groups received intragastric administration of SZRD (4.68 g/kg) and Flu (20 mg/kg) daily, respectively, 30 min before restraint for 21 consecutive days. The therapeutic effects of SZRD were evaluated using behavioral tests including the tail suspension test, elevated plus maze test, and forced swimming test. The cellular Fletcher B. Judson murine osteosarcoma proto-oncogene (c-Fos) expression in the BLA was measured using immunofluorescence, while action potential (AP) firing and synaptic transmission in BLA pyramidal neurons were evaluated using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. RESULTS: SZRD administration significantly increased time spent in the open arms and open-arm entries while reducing immobility time (P<0.05 or P<0.01). It downregulated CRS-induced c-Fos expression and AP firing of pyramidal neurons in the BLA (P<0.01). Additionally, SZRD selectively attenuated excitatory (P<0.01), but not inhibitory, synaptic transmission onto BLA pyramidal neurons. CONCLUSION SZRD alleviated CRS-induced anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in mice by modulating the excitability and synaptic transmission of BLA pyramidal neurons.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Depression/complications* ; Pyramidal Cells/pathology* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Basolateral Nuclear Complex/pathology* ; Restraint, Physical ; Anxiety/complications* ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects* ; Stress, Psychological/physiopathology* ; Mice ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism* ; Action Potentials/drug effects* ; Synaptic Transmission/drug effects*

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a highly aggressive hematologic malignancy with a poor prognosis, despite advancements in treatment. Many patients struggle with relapse or refractory disease. Investigating the role of the super-enhancer (SE) regulated gene ubiquitin-specific protease 20 (USP20) in T-ALL could enhance targeted therapies and improve clinical outcomes. Analysis of histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) data from six T-ALL cell lines and seven pediatric samples identified USP20 as an SE-regulated driver gene. Utilizing the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and BloodSpot databases, it was found that USP20 is specifically highly expressed in T-ALL. Knocking down USP20 with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) increased apoptosis and inhibited proliferation in T-ALL cells. In vivo studies showed that USP20 knockdown reduced tumor growth and improved survival. The USP20 inhibitor GSK2643943A demonstrated similar anti-tumor effects. Mass spectrometry, RNA-Seq, and immunoprecipitation revealed that USP20 interacted with hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF1A) and stabilized it by deubiquitination. Cleavage under targets and tagmentation (CUT&Tag) results indicated that USP20 co-localized with HIF1A, jointly modulating target genes in T-ALL. This study identifies USP20 as a therapeutic target in T-ALL and suggests GSK2643943A as a potential treatment strategy.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combining albumin-bound paclitaxel (abpaclitaxel) and anlotinib for ovarian cancer. In this study, 44 patients diagnosed with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer were enrolled. Patients received ab-paclitaxel along with anlotinib until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. Efficacy was assessed according to RECIST 1.1 criteria or Rustin's criteria. The primary endpoint was the investigator-evaluated objective response rate (ORR). 44 patients were enrolled between January 2021 and March 2023 with a median age of 49 years. Twenty-nine had measurable lesions and 15 had non-measurable lesions. Overall, the investigator-evaluated ORR was 56.8% (25/44; 95% CI 0.411-0.713) in intention-to-treat population and 58.1% (25/43; 95% CI 0.422-0.726) in per-protocol population. The median progression-free survival was 9.8 months, and the median duration of response was 7.4 months. For safety, grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) included leukopenia, gum pain, hypertension, and hand-foot syndrome. The response rates were 55.0% (11/20) in patients with previous use of antiangiogenic reagents and who had previous use of PARP inhibitors. The combination of ab-paclitaxel and anlotinib showed promising anti-tumor activity and a manageable safety profile in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Patients with previous use of antiangiogenic drugs or PARP inhibitors still benefited from this protocol.
Humans ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Indoles/therapeutic use* ; Quinolines/therapeutic use* ; Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial/drug therapy* ; Adult ; Ovarian Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Prospective Studies ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/administration & dosage* ; Aged ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel/therapeutic use* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy* ; Progression-Free Survival ; Paclitaxel/administration & dosage* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To report the nationwide surveillance results of pathogenic profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Gram-positive bloodstream infections in China in 2023.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-posttive bacteria from blood cultures were collected in member hospitals of National Bloodstream Infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）during January to December 2023. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the dilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. Statistical analyses were conducted using WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software.Results:A total of 4 385 Gram-positive bacterial isolates were obtained from 60 participating center. The top five pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus（ n=1 544，35.2%），coagulase-negative Staphylococci（ n=1 441，32.9%）， Enterococcus faecium（ n=574，13.1%）， Enterococcus faecalis（ n=385，8.8%），and α-hemolytic Streptococci（ n=187，4.3%）. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus（MRSA）and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci（MRCNS）was 26.2%（405/1 544）and 69.8%（1 006/1 441），respectively. Notably，all Staphylococci remained susceptible to glycopeptide or daptomycin. Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated excellent susceptibility（>97.0%）to cephalobiol，rifampicin，trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole，linezolid，minocycline，tigecycline，and eravacycline. No Enterococcus exhibiting resistance to linezolid were detected. Glycopeptide resistance was uncommon but more frequent in Enterococcus faecium（resistance to vancomycin and teicoplanin：both 1.7%）compared to Enterococcus faecalis（both 0.3%）. The detection rates of MRSA and MRCNS exhibited significant regional variations across the country（ χ2=17.674 and 148.650，respectively，both P<0.001）. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci were detected in central China. Institutional comparison demonstrated higher prevalence of MRSA（ χ2=14.111， P<0.001）and MRCNS（ χ2=4.828， P=0.028）in provincial hospitals than that in municipal hospitals. Socioeconomic analysis identified elevated detection rates of both MRSA（ χ2=18.986， P<0.001）and MRCNS（ χ2=4.477， P=0.034）in less developed regions（per capita GDP

Objective:To report the results of bacterial resistant investigation collaborative system（BRICS）on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2023，and provide reference for clinical tretment of bloodstream infections and prevention and control of bacterial resistance.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of BRICS were collected during January 2023 to December 2023. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，11 492 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 60 hospitals，of which 10 098（87.9%）were Enterobacterales and 1 394（12.1%）were non-fermentative bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（50.0%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（26.1%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（5.1%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（5.0%）and Enterobacter cloacae complex（4.1%）. The ESBL-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirablilis were 46.8%（2 685/5 741），18.3%（549/2 999）and 44.0%（77/175），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（76/5 741）and 15.0%（450/2 999）；32.9%（25/76）and 78.0%（351/450）of CREC and CRKP were sensitive to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. 94.7%（72/76）and 90.2%（406/450）of CREC and CRKP were sensitive to aztreonam/avibactam combination. Furthermore，57.9%（44/76）and 79.1%（356/450）were sensitive to imipenem/relebactam combination. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 64.6%（370/573），while more than 80.0% of CRAB complex was sensitive to tigecycline，eravacycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 17.0%（99/581）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of important Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions in China，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA and CRAB complex（ χ2=10.6，28.6，10.8 and 19.3， P<0.05）. The prevalence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli， CREC，CRAB complex and CRKP were higher in provincial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=12.5，9.8，12.7 and 57.8，all P<0.01）. Conclusions:Gram-negative bacteria are the main pathogens causing bloodstream infections in China，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of Klebsiella pneumoniae increases continuously with time. CRKP infection shows a slow upward trend，CREC infecton maintains a low prevalence level，and CRAB complex infection continues to exhibit a high prevalence rate. The composition and resistance patterns of pathogens causing bloodstream infections vary to some extent across different regions and levels of hospitals in China.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combining third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKI) with brain radiotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases. Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of patients with newly diagnosed EGFR-mutant NSCLC with brain metastases who received first-line treatment with third-generation EGFR-TKI with or without brain radiotherapy at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University between January 2018 and December 2022. Patients treated with EGFR-TKI plus brain radiotherapy were assigned to the combination group, while those treated with EGFR-TKI alone were assigned to the monotherapy group. Intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), intracranial disease control rate (iDCR), intracranial objective response rate (iORR), and adverse events were compared between groups. Subgroup analyses were performed according to EGFR exon 19 deletion (19del) and exon 21L858R mutation status. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, with the log-rank test applied for group comparisons and univariate analysis, while multivariate analysis was conducted using Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results:A total of 107 patients were included: 57 (53%) in the monotherapy group and 50 (47%) in the combination group. The combination therapy significantly improved iORR (80% vs. 60%, P=0.023), prolonged median OS (37.7 vs. 31.6 months, P=0.004), and extended median iPFS (21.8 vs. 16.7 months, P=0.018). The iDCR was 100% in both groups, and the difference in median PFS was not statistically significant (18.6 vs. 15.2 months, P=0.086). In the 19del subgroup ( n=53), patients in the combination group had longer OS ( P=0.028) and iPFS ( P=0.028). In the 21L858R subgroup ( n=54), the median OS was also longer in the combination group ( P=0.050). Multivariate analysis identified TKI monotherapy and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score=2 as independent adverse prognostic factors for iPFS, while TKI monotherapy, age ≥65 years, ECOG score=2, and >3 brain metastases were the independent adverse prognostic factors for OS. The incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:First-line combination therapy with third-generation EGFR-TKI and cranial radiotherapy provides superior efficacy and acceptable safety compared with EGFR-TKI monotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma and brain metastases. Both EGFR 19del and 21L858R mutation subgroups benefit from the combined treatment approach.

Objective To explore the effectiveness of the peripheral arterial calcification scoring system(PACSS)based on computed tomography angiography(CTA)in assessing renal function in patients with peripheral arterial disease(PAD).Methods The clinical data,CTA imaging data,and laboratory results from PAD patients who underwent lower limb artery CTA examination were retrospectively collected.The PACSS was utilized to score the calcification in both lower limb arteries.Participants were categorized into three groups based on their estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)(normal group:eGFR≥90 mL/min;mild renal dysfunction group:eGFR 60-89 mL/min,and moderate to severe renal dysfunction group:eGFR＜60 mL/min).The demographic data,clinical symptoms,and comorbidities among the three groups were compared by analysis of variance(ANOVA).The Spearman correlation coefficient was employed to evaluate the relationship between eGFR,cystatin C,and PACSS score.Results The age(P＜0.001)and PACSS score(P＜0.05)of patients with renal dysfunction were significantly higher than those of patients with normal renal function.However,there were no significant differences in gender,prevalence of diabetes,hypertension,or severe limb ischemia.Spearman correlation analysis showed that eGFR was negatively correlated with PACSS score(r=-0.18 in the right lower limb,P=0.037,r=-0.24 in the left lower limb,P=0.006).In contrast,cystatin C was positively correlated with PACSS score(r=0.26 in the right lower limb,P＜0.001,r=0.22 in the left lower limb,P=0.002).Conclusion The PACSS score of lower limb artery in PAD patients is corre-lated with the severity of renal dysfunction.This finding may facilitate early warning and clinical intervention for PAD patients with renal dysfunction.