OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

Pharmacotranscriptomic profiles, which capture drug-induced changes in gene expression, offer vast potential for computational drug discovery and are widely used in modern medicine. However, current computational approaches neglected the associations within gene‒gene functional networks and unrevealed the systematic relationship between drug efficacy and the reversal effect. Here, we developed a new genome-scale functional module (GSFM) transformation framework to quantitatively evaluate drug efficacy for in silico drug discovery. GSFM employs four biologically interpretable quantifiers: GSFM_Up, GSFM_Down, GSFM_ssGSEA, and GSFM_TF to comprehensively evaluate the multi-dimension activities of each functional module (FM) at gene-level, pathway-level, and transcriptional regulatory network-level. Through a data transformation strategy, GSFM effectively converts noisy and potentially unreliable gene expression data into a more dependable FM active matrix, significantly outperforming other methods in terms of both robustness and accuracy. Besides, we found a positive correlation between RS_GSFM and drug efficacy, suggesting that RS_GSFM could serve as representative measure of drug efficacy. Furthermore, we identified WYE-354, perhexiline, and NTNCB as candidate therapeutic agents for the treatment of breast-invasive carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and castration-resistant prostate cancer, respectively. The results from in vitro and in vivo experiments have validated that all identified compounds exhibit potent anti-tumor effects, providing proof-of-concept for our computational approach.

Despite therapy with potent antiviral agents, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients remain at high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While metabolites have been rediscovered as active drivers of biological processes including carcinogenesis, the specific metabolites modulating HCC risk in CHB patients are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that baseline plasma from CHB patients who later developed HCC during follow-up exhibits growth-promoting properties in a case-control design nested within a large-scale, prospective cohort. Metabolomics analysis reveals a reduction in long-chain acylcarnitines (LCACs) in the baseline plasma of patients with HCC development. LCACs preferentially inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro at a physiological concentration and prevent the occurrence of HCC in vivo without hepatorenal toxicity. Uptake and metabolism of circulating LCACs increase the intracellular level of acetyl coenzyme A, which upregulates histone H3 Lys14 acetylation at the promoter region of KLF6 gene and thereby activates KLF6/p21 pathway. Indeed, blocking LCAC metabolism attenuates the difference in KLF6/p21 expression induced by baseline plasma of HCC/non-HCC patients. The deficiency of circulating LCACs represents a driver of HCC in CHB patients with viral control. These insights provide a promising direction for developing therapeutic strategies to reduce HCC risk further in the antiviral era.

A series of phthalimide-donepezil (PTA-DPZ) hybrids (5a-e, 6a-l) were designed, synthesized and evaluated as selective inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The results showed that some hybrids had strong AChE inhibitory activity with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) at nanomolar range, which was better than the control drugs galanthamine and tacrine, and equivalent to DPZ. Compound 6k exhibited the strongest inhibition to AChE with an IC₅₀ value of 0.13 μmol·L^-1. Kinetic and molecular modeling studies showed that 6k targeted both catalytic active site and peripheral anionic site of AChE. Moreover, some compounds could inhibit AChE-induced β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation. In addition, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion prediction results showed 6k conforms to the Lipinski's rule of five and had high partition coefficient P value. These compounds, especially 6k, may be considered as a dual-functional lead compound for in-depth research.

Tuberous sclerosis complex(TSC)is a rare genetic disease that can lead to benign dysplasia in multiple organs such as the skin, brain, eyes, oral cavity, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and bones. Its main symptoms include epilepsy, intellectual disabilities, skin depigmentation, and facial angiofibromas, whilst incidence is approximately 1 in 10 000 to 1 in 6000 newborns. This case presents a middle-aged woman who initially manifested with epilepsy and nodular depigmentation. Later, she developed a lower abdominal mass, elevated creatinine, and severe anemia. Based on clinical features and whole exome sequencing, the primary diagnosis was confirmed as TSC. Laboratory and imaging examinations revealed that the lower abdominal mass originated from the uterus. CT-guided biopsy pathology and surgical pathology suggested a combination of leiomyoma and abscess. With the involvement of multiple organs and various complications beyond the main diagnosis, the diagnostic and therapeutic process for this patient highlights the importance of rigorous clinical thinking and multidisciplinary collaboration in the diagnosis and treatment of rare and challenging diseases.

AIM:To observe the effect of fudostei-ne on induced sputum cell components and lung function in patients with stable neutrophil-dominat-ed COPD.METHODS:From October 2019 to Octo-ber 2022,53 patients with stable COPD were select-ed and divided into fudosteine group and placebo group.The placebo group was treated with routine treatment,and the fudosteine group was treated with fudosteine on the basis of routine treatment.The two groups were treated for 6 months.The clinical symptoms[Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire(SGRQ),COPD Assessment Test(CAT)and Modified British Medical Research Council Dys-pnea scale(MMRC),Breathlessness,Cough,and Sputum Scale(BCSS)],lung function index,induced sputum cytology analysis and other related exami-nation results were recorded in detail before and after treatment.RESULTS:(1)Compared with the baseline,the forced expiratory volume in one sec-ond(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC),and the ra-tio of FEV1 to FVC(FEV1/FVC)of the two groups were improved after treatment,and the differenc-es were statistically significant(P＜0.05).However,after treatment,there was no significant difference in pulmonary function between the two groups ex-cept for the percentage of carbon monoxide diffu-sion in the predicted value(DLCO％pre)(DLCO％pre in the fudosteine group was higher than that in the placebo group).(2)After treatment,the total num-ber of induced sputum cells and neutrophil counts in the fudosteine group were lower than those in the placebo group.Compared with the number of cells in each component at baseline,the total num-ber of induced sputum cells and neutrophil count in the fudosteine group were significantly lower(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Fudosteine treatment in pa-tients with stable neutrophil-dominated COPD can improve lung function,reduce the total number of induced sputum cells and the total number of neu-trophils,thereby improving airway inflammation.

AIM:To observe the effect of fudostei-ne on induced sputum cell components and lung function in patients with stable neutrophil-dominat-ed COPD.METHODS:From October 2019 to Octo-ber 2022,53 patients with stable COPD were select-ed and divided into fudosteine group and placebo group.The placebo group was treated with routine treatment,and the fudosteine group was treated with fudosteine on the basis of routine treatment.The two groups were treated for 6 months.The clinical symptoms[Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire(SGRQ),COPD Assessment Test(CAT)and Modified British Medical Research Council Dys-pnea scale(MMRC),Breathlessness,Cough,and Sputum Scale(BCSS)],lung function index,induced sputum cytology analysis and other related exami-nation results were recorded in detail before and after treatment.RESULTS:(1)Compared with the baseline,the forced expiratory volume in one sec-ond(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC),and the ra-tio of FEV1 to FVC(FEV1/FVC)of the two groups were improved after treatment,and the differenc-es were statistically significant(P＜0.05).However,after treatment,there was no significant difference in pulmonary function between the two groups ex-cept for the percentage of carbon monoxide diffu-sion in the predicted value(DLCO％pre)(DLCO％pre in the fudosteine group was higher than that in the placebo group).(2)After treatment,the total num-ber of induced sputum cells and neutrophil counts in the fudosteine group were lower than those in the placebo group.Compared with the number of cells in each component at baseline,the total num-ber of induced sputum cells and neutrophil count in the fudosteine group were significantly lower(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Fudosteine treatment in pa-tients with stable neutrophil-dominated COPD can improve lung function,reduce the total number of induced sputum cells and the total number of neu-trophils,thereby improving airway inflammation.

AIM:To observe the effect of fudostei-ne on induced sputum cell components and lung function in patients with stable neutrophil-dominat-ed COPD.METHODS:From October 2019 to Octo-ber 2022,53 patients with stable COPD were select-ed and divided into fudosteine group and placebo group.The placebo group was treated with routine treatment,and the fudosteine group was treated with fudosteine on the basis of routine treatment.The two groups were treated for 6 months.The clinical symptoms[Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire(SGRQ),COPD Assessment Test(CAT)and Modified British Medical Research Council Dys-pnea scale(MMRC),Breathlessness,Cough,and Sputum Scale(BCSS)],lung function index,induced sputum cytology analysis and other related exami-nation results were recorded in detail before and after treatment.RESULTS:(1)Compared with the baseline,the forced expiratory volume in one sec-ond(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC),and the ra-tio of FEV1 to FVC(FEV1/FVC)of the two groups were improved after treatment,and the differenc-es were statistically significant(P＜0.05).However,after treatment,there was no significant difference in pulmonary function between the two groups ex-cept for the percentage of carbon monoxide diffu-sion in the predicted value(DLCO％pre)(DLCO％pre in the fudosteine group was higher than that in the placebo group).(2)After treatment,the total num-ber of induced sputum cells and neutrophil counts in the fudosteine group were lower than those in the placebo group.Compared with the number of cells in each component at baseline,the total num-ber of induced sputum cells and neutrophil count in the fudosteine group were significantly lower(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Fudosteine treatment in pa-tients with stable neutrophil-dominated COPD can improve lung function,reduce the total number of induced sputum cells and the total number of neu-trophils,thereby improving airway inflammation.

AIM:To observe the effect of fudostei-ne on induced sputum cell components and lung function in patients with stable neutrophil-dominat-ed COPD.METHODS:From October 2019 to Octo-ber 2022,53 patients with stable COPD were select-ed and divided into fudosteine group and placebo group.The placebo group was treated with routine treatment,and the fudosteine group was treated with fudosteine on the basis of routine treatment.The two groups were treated for 6 months.The clinical symptoms[Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire(SGRQ),COPD Assessment Test(CAT)and Modified British Medical Research Council Dys-pnea scale(MMRC),Breathlessness,Cough,and Sputum Scale(BCSS)],lung function index,induced sputum cytology analysis and other related exami-nation results were recorded in detail before and after treatment.RESULTS:(1)Compared with the baseline,the forced expiratory volume in one sec-ond(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC),and the ra-tio of FEV1 to FVC(FEV1/FVC)of the two groups were improved after treatment,and the differenc-es were statistically significant(P＜0.05).However,after treatment,there was no significant difference in pulmonary function between the two groups ex-cept for the percentage of carbon monoxide diffu-sion in the predicted value(DLCO％pre)(DLCO％pre in the fudosteine group was higher than that in the placebo group).(2)After treatment,the total num-ber of induced sputum cells and neutrophil counts in the fudosteine group were lower than those in the placebo group.Compared with the number of cells in each component at baseline,the total num-ber of induced sputum cells and neutrophil count in the fudosteine group were significantly lower(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Fudosteine treatment in pa-tients with stable neutrophil-dominated COPD can improve lung function,reduce the total number of induced sputum cells and the total number of neu-trophils,thereby improving airway inflammation.

AIM: To observe the effect of fudosteine on induced sputum cell components and lung function in patients with stable neutrophil-dominated COPD. METHODS: From October 2019 to October 2022, 53 patients with stable COPD were selected and divided into fudosteine group and placebo group. The placebo group was treated with routine treatment, and the fudosteine group was treated with fudosteine on the basis of routine treatment. The two groups were treated for 6 months. The clinical symptoms [Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and Modified British Medical Research Council Dyspnea scale (MMRC), Breathlessness, Cough, and Sputum Scale (BCSS)], lung function index, induced sputum cytology analysis and other related examination results were recorded in detail before and after treatment. RESULTS: (1) Compared with the baseline, the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and the ratio of FEV1 to FVC (FEV1/FVC) of the two groups were improved after treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). However, after treatment, there was no significant difference in pulmonary function between the two groups except for the percentage of carbon monoxide diffusion in the predicted value (DLCO%pre) (DLCO%pre in the fudosteine group was higher than that in the placebo group). (2) After treatment, the total number of induced sputum cells and neutrophil counts in the fudosteine group were lower than those in the placebo group. Compared with the number of cells in each component at baseline, the total number of induced sputum cells and neutrophil count in the fudosteine group were significantly lower (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Fudosteine treatment in patients with stable neutrophil-dominated COPD can improve lung function, reduce the total number of induced sputum cells and the total number of neutrophils, thereby improving airway inflammation.