The quality control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is the core issue to ensure the modernization,industrialization and internationalization of TCM.Compared with other detection methods,electrochemical analysis method has many advantages such as high sensitivity,fast detection speed and low cost,making it an important means of quality control for TCM and having broad development prospects.This article reviewed the research progress of electrochemical methods in quality control of TCM in recent years,discussed the application of electrochemical fingerprinting technique in identification of TCM,and comprehensively summarized the application of electrochemical technology in analyzing effective components and harmful substances in TCM,including flavonoids,alkaloids,quinones,glycosides,heavy metals and pesticide residues.Finally,the development prospects of electrochemical methods in the field of quality control of TCM were discussed.

Purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most lethal cancer globally and is associated with poor prognosis. Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) can regulate biological properties of carcinoma cells. FABP5 is overexpressed in many types of cancers; however, the role and mechanisms of action of FABP5 in GC remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical and biological functions of FABP5 in GC. Materials and Methods: We assessed FABP5 expression using immunohistochemical analysis in 79 patients with GC and evaluated its biological functions following in vitro and in vivo ectopic expression. FABP5 targets relevant to GC progression were determined using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Results: Elevated FABP5 expression was closely associated with poor outcomes, and ectopic expression of FABP5 promoted proliferation, invasion, migration, and carcinogenicity of GC cells, thus suggesting its potential tumor-promoting role in GC. Additionally, RNA-seq analysis indicated that FABP5 activates immune-related pathways, including cytokinecytokine receptor interaction pathways, interleukin-17 signaling, and tumor necrosis factor signaling, suggesting an important rationale for the possible development of therapies that combine FABP5-targeted drugs with immunotherapeutics. Conclusions These findings highlight the biological mechanisms and clinical implications of FABP5 in GC and suggest its potential as an adverse prognostic factor and/or therapeutic target.

Eosinophilia/genetics* ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Myeloproliferative Disorders/genetics* ; Neoplasms ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/genetics* ; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha/genetics*

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of kinetic changes in minimal residual disease (MRD) status, as well as its relationship with risk stratification, therapeutic response and treatment in patients with newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) . Methods: A total of 135 patients with newly-diagnosed MM were screened, and 105 patients who achieved VGPR or more as the best responses were included into this study. The MRD status was determined by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) at multiple intervals after two cycles of treatment until clinical relapse, death, or last follow-up. The statistical methods included Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox regression, etc. Results: ①In all 135 patients, 57.8% (78/135) patients achieved MRD negativity (MRD(-)) after treatment. In 105 patients who achieved VGPR and thus included in this study, the MRD(-) rate was 72.4% (76/105) , with a median interval of 3 months from starting treatment to achievement of MRD(-) status. ②The 2-year PFS rate of patients with MRD(-) status was significantly higher than that of MRD(+) status (62.2% vs 41.3%, P=0.001) , while MRD persistence (MRD(+)) was an independent factor for poor prognosis (multivariate analysis for PFS: P=0.044, HR=3.039, 95%CI 1.029-8.974) . ③Loss of MRD(-) status (i.e., MRD reappearance) showed inferior outcomes compared with MRD sustained negative ones, the PFS was 18 months versus not reach (P<0.001) and the OS was not reach for both (P=0.002) . ④The 2-year PFS and OS rates of patients with duration of MRD(-)status≥12 months were significantly higher than those of the control group (PFS: 77.7% vs 36.7%, P<0.001; OS: 96.4% vs 57.9%, P<0.001 respectively) . Duration of MRD(-) status was associated with a marked reduction in risk of relapse or death (univariate analysis for PFS: P<0.001, HR=0.865, 95%CI 0.815-0.918; for OS: P=0.001, HR=0.850, 95%CI 0.741-0.915 respectively) . ⑤Moreover, even in patients carrying high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities (CA) or ineligible for ASCT, MRD negativity remained its prognostic value to predict PFS (high-risk CA medianPFS: not reach vs 19 months, P=0.006; ineligible for ASCT medianPFS: not reach vs 25 months, P=0.052 respectively) . ⑥Last, treatment with the bortezomib-based regimens contributed to prolonged MRD(-) duration (median MRD(-) duratio: 25 months vs 10 months, P=0.034) . Conclusion: Our findings supported MRD(+) status as an independent poor prognostic factor in MM patients, which implicated that duration of MRD(-) status also played a significant role in evaluation of prognosis, while loss of MRD(-)status might serve as an early biomarker for relapse. Therefore, monitoring of MRD kinetics might more precisely predict prognosis, as well as guide treatment decision, especially for when to start retreatment in relapsed patients.
Bortezomib/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/therapy* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm, Residual/diagnosis* ; Prognosis ; Risk Assessment ; Treatment Outcome

Traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) decoction contains complex bitterness. In this paper,the simple mixing of TCM monomer bitter substances is used as the entry point to study the law of bitterness superposition. With berberine hydrochloride( alkaloids),geniposide( terpenoids),and arbutin( glycosides) as mother liquor,sophoridine( alkaloids),gentiopicroside( terpenoids),and puerarin( glycosides) as additive substances,these different additive substances were mixed with different mother liquor according to concentration gradients to form different liquid mixtures. The bitterness of the additive solution and the mixtures was evaluated by traditional human taste panel method( THTPM) and electronic tongue; the bitterness-concentration fitting model of the additive solution and the liquid mixtures was established by Weibull and logarithmic curves. By comparing and analyzing the bitterness-concentration model and the bitterness difference( ΔI_0/ΔI_e) of the additive solution and the mixture,the influence of mother liquor on the bitterness of the mixture was investigated. The results showed that both the additive solution bitterness model and the liquid mixture bitterness model were consistent with the Weibull model and the logarithmic model( THTPM: R~2≥0. 887 0,P<0. 01; electronic tongue test:R~2≥0. 753 2,P<0. 05). The fitting degree of the Weibull model was generally higher than that of the logarithmic model; the bitterness difference( ΔI_0) was monotonously decreasing; the fitting equation of tongue bitterness and electronic tongue bitterness: R~2≥0. 874 2,P<0. 01. In this article,through the superposition of different kinds of TCM bitter substances,THTPM and electronic tongue test was combined. It was found that the bitterness after superposition was still in Weibull or logarithmic relationship with the concentration of additive substances; THTPM showed that the effect of bitter mother liquor on the bitterness of the mixture decreased with the increase of the concentration of the additive; the bitterness of the electronic tongue was obviously related to the bitterness of THTPM. However,further verification is needed later by optimizing the concentration gradient and expanding the sample size.
Alkaloids/analysis* ; Electronic Nose ; Glycosides/analysis* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Taste ; Terpenes/analysis*

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication during pregnancy. Obesity and overweight are closely related to metabolic diseases and diabetes. However, the role of adipose tissue in the pathogenesis of GDM remains to be studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of vitamin D (VD) levels, VD receptor (VDR), and peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor γ (PPARγ) expression with GDM in overweight or obese women. Methods: One hundred and forty pregnant women with full-term single-birth cesarean-section were selected as the study subjects and grouped (70 GDM women, including 35 non-overweight/non-obese women [group G1] and 35 women with overweight or obesity [group G2]; 70 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance, including 35 non-overweight/non-obese women [group N1] and 35 overweight/obese women [group N2]). The levels of serum VD, blood biochemistry, and adiponectin were compared in these women. Subcutaneous adipose tissue was isolated from the abdominal wall incision. VDR and PPARγ messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript levels in these adipose tissues were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The differences between the levels of PPARγ protein and phosphorylated PPARγ Ser273 were detected by Western blotting. Results: The serum VD level of GDM women was lower in comparison to that of women with normal glucose tolerance (G1 vs. N1: 20.62 ± 7.87 ng/mL vs. 25.85 ± 7.29 ng/mL, G2 vs. N2: 17.06 ± 6.74 ng/mL vs. 21.62 ± 7.18 ng/mL, P < 0.05), and the lowest in overweight/obese GDM women. VDR and PPARγ mRNA expression was higher in the adipose tissues of GDM women in comparison to that of women with normal glucose tolerance (VDR mRNA: G1 vs. N1: 210.00 [90.58-311.46] vs. 89.34 [63.74-159.92], G2 vs. N2: 298.67 [170.84-451.25] vs. 198.28 [119.46-261.23], PPARγ mRNA: G1 vs. N1: 100.72 [88.61-123.87] vs. 87.52 [66.37-100.04], G2 vs. N2: 117.33 [100.08-149.00] vs. 89.90 [76.95-109.09], P < 0.05), and their expression was the highest in GDM+ overweight/obese women. VDR mRNA levels positively correlated with the pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), pre-delivery BMI, fasting blood glucose (FBG), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and PPARγ mRNA while it negatively correlated with the VD and the adiponectin levels (r = 0.395, 0.336, 0.240, 0.190, 0.235, -0.350, -0.294, respectively, P < 0.05). The degree of PPARγ Ser273 phosphorylation increased in obese and GDM pregnant women. PPARγ mRNA levels positively correlated with pre-pregnancy BMI, pre-delivery BMI, FBG, HOMA-IR, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, free fatty acid, and VDR mRNA, while it negatively correlated with the VD and adiponectin levels (r = 0.276, 0.199, 0.210, 0.230, 0.182, 0.214, 0.270, 0.235, -0.232, -0.199, respectively, P < 0.05). Conclusions Both GDM and overweight/obese women had decreased serum VD levels and up-regulated VDR and PPARγ mRNA expression in adipose tissue, which was further higher in the overweight or obese women with GDM. VD may regulate the formation and differentiation of adipocytes through the VDR and PPARγ pathways and participate in the occurrence of GDM.

Objective: To investigate the effect of 1q21 amplification (1q) on the therapeutic response and prognosis of bortezomib(Btz) in the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Methods: A total of 180 newly diagnosed MM were included for analyses of clinical characteristics, cytogenetics, objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), retrospectively. Gene expression profiling (GEP) was analyzed using publicly available R2 platform. Results: ① In 180 patients, 1q was found in 51.1% cases. Of them, 174 patients had complete follow-up data, including 88 cases with 1q and 86 without 1q (non-1q). ②Incidence of 1q was positively associated with percentage of IGH rearrangement (72.2%, P=0.017) and 1p deletion (1p) (27.8%, P=0.040). ③ The median PFS was 15.0 and 20.3 months for the 1q group and non-1q group, and the median OS was 29.4 and 44.0 months, respectively. Both PFS and OS of 1q group was significantly shorter than those of the non-1q group (P=0.029 and 0.038, respectively). Multivariate analysis further revealed that 1q was an independent prognostic factor for both PFS (HR=1.910, 95% CI 1.105-3.303, P=0.020) and OS (HR=2.353, 95% CI 1.090-5.078, P=0.029). ④ In 91 evaluable cases with 1q, very good partial remission (VGPR) rate was higher after treatment with Btz than those without Btz (62.1% vs 40.0%, P=0.032). Of note, the patients with 1q who received auto-HSCT after induction with Btz had significantly longer PFS than those without auto-HSCT (19 months vs 13 months, P=0.048). ⑤GEP analysis revealed that 1q21 amplification predominantly up-regulated expression of >50% genes within 1q21 region, and also altered expression of 28% genes in chromosome 1 and 10% genes in whole genome, particularly related to DNA repair and cell cycle. Conclusions: 1q is an independent adverse prognostic factor in patients with newly diagnosed MM. It is often associated with 1p deletion and IGH rearrangement. Patients with 1q respond well to Btz-based regimen, but they fail to gain long-term benefit from this treatment itself. However, auto-HSCT following Btz induction might improve survival of patients with 1q, suggesting a potential strategy to treat this high-risk subset of MM. GEP analysis warrants further attention in understanding the mechanisms underlying the high-risk of 1q.
Bortezomib/therapeutic use* ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/drug therapy* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect and safety of Kuanxiong Aerosol (, KA) on patients with angina pectoris.

METHODSBlock randomization was performed to randomly allocate 750 patients into KA (376 cases) and control groups (374 cases). During an angina attack, the KA group received 3 consecutive sublingual sprays of KA (0.6 mL per spray). The control group received 1 sublingual nitroglycerin tablet (NT, 0.5 mg/tablet). Log-rank tests and Kaplan-Meier estimations were used to estimate the angina remission rates at 6 time-points after treatment (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and >5 min). Logistic regression analysis was performed to observe the factors inflfluencing the rate of effective angina remission, and the remission rates and incidences of adverse reactions were compared for different Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) classes of angina.

RESULTSThe 5-min remission rates in the KA and control groups were not signifificantly different (94.41% vs. 90.64%, P>0.05). The angina CCS class signifificantly inflfluenced the rate of remission (95% confidence interval = 0.483-0.740, P<0.01). In the CCS subgroup analysis, the 3-and 5-min remission rates for KA and NT were similar in the CCSII and III subgroups (P>0.05), while they were signifificantly better for KA in the CCSI and II subgroups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Furthermore, the incidence of adverse reactions was signifificantly lower in the KA group than in the control group for the CCSII and III subgroups (9.29% vs. 26.22%, 10.13% vs. 20.88%, P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSKA is not inferior to NT in the remission of angina. Furthermore, in CCSII and III patients, KA is superior to NT, with a lower incidence of adverse reactions. (Registration No. ChiCTRIPR-15007204).

Aerosols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Angina Pectoris ; drug therapy ; Case-Control Studies ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Remission Induction ; Treatment Outcome