OBJECTIVE: Huachansu injection (HCSI), a promising anti-cancer Chinese medicine injection, has been reported to have the potential for reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy and improving the quality of life for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The objective of this study is to explore the synergistic and detoxifying effects of HCSI when used in combination with irinotecan (CPT-11). METHODS: To investigate the effect of HCSI on anti-CRC efficacy and intestinal toxicity of CPT-11, we measured changes in the biological behavior of LoVo cells in vitro, and anti-tumor effects in LoVo cell xenograft nude mice models in vivo. Meanwhile, the effect of HCSI on intestinal toxicity and the uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) expression was investigated in the CPT-11-induced colitis mouse model. Subsequently, we measured the effect of HCSI and its 13 constituent bufadienolides on the expression of UGT1A1 and organic anion transporting polypeptides 1B3 (OATP1B3) in HepG2 cells. RESULTS: The combination index (CI) results showed that the combination of HCSI and CPT-11 exhibited a synergistic effect (CI < 1), which significantly suppressing the LoVo cell migration, enhancing G2/M and S phase arrest, and inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, the damage to intestinal tissues was attenuated by HCSI in CPT-11-induced colitis model, while the increased expression of UGT1A1 in HepG2 cells and in mouse was observed. CONCLUSION The co-therapy with HCSI alleviated the intestinal toxicity induced by CPT-11 and exerted an enhanced anti-CRC effect. The detoxifying mechanism may be related to the increased expression of UGT1A1 and OATP1B3 by HCSI and its bufadienolides components. The findings of this study may serve as a theoretical insights and strategies to improve CRC patient outcomes. Please cite this article as: Jiang B, Meng ZY, Hu YJ, Chen JJ, Zong L, Xu LY, Zhang XQ, Zhang JX, Han YL. Huachansu injection enhances anti-colorectal cancer efficacy of irinotecan and alleviates its induced intestinal toxicity through upregulating UGT1A1-OATP1B3 expression in vitro and in vivo. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):576-590.
Irinotecan/therapeutic use* ; Animals ; Glucuronosyltransferase/genetics* ; Humans ; Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Mice, Nude ; Mice ; Up-Regulation/drug effects* ; Male ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Hep G2 Cells ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Intestines/drug effects* ; Amphibian Venoms

OBJECTIVE: Poxviruses are zoonotic pathogens that infect humans, mammals, vertebrates, and arthropods. However, the specific role of ticks in transmission and evolution of these viruses remains unclear. METHODS: Transcriptomic and metatranscriptomic raw data from 329 sampling pools of seven tick species across five continents were mined to assess the diversity and abundance of poxviruses. Chordopoxviral sequences were assembled and subjected to phylogenetic analysis to trace the origins of the unblasted fragments within these sequences. RESULTS: Fifty-eight poxvirus species, representing two subfamilies and 20 genera, were identified, with 212 poxviral sequences assembled. A substantial proportion of AT-rich fragments were detected in the assembled poxviral genomes. These genomic sequences contained fragments originating from rodents, archaea, and arthropods. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that ticks play a significant role in the transmission and evolution of poxviruses. These viruses demonstrate the capacity to modulate virulence and adaptability through horizontal gene transfer, gene recombination, and gene mutations, thereby promoting co-existence and co-evolution with their hosts. This study advances understanding of the ecological dynamics of poxvirus transmission and evolution and highlights the potential role of ticks as vectors and vessels in these processes.
Animals ; Poxviridae/physiology* ; Ticks/virology* ; Phylogeny ; Transcriptome ; Evolution, Molecular ; Poxviridae Infections/virology* ; Genome, Viral

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly. This study aimed to evaluate urban-rural disparities in its prevalence and management in elderly Chinese. METHODS: Consecutive participants aged ≥ 65 years attending outpatient clinics were enrolled for AF screening using handheld single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) from April 2017 to December 2022. Each ECG rhythm strip was reviewed from the research team. AF or uninterpretable single-lead ECGs were referred for 12-lead ECG. Primary study outcome comparison was between rural and urban areas for the prevalence of AF. The Student's t-test was used to compare mean values of clinical characteristics between rural and urban participants, while the Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare between-group proportions. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between AF and various patient characteristics. RESULTS: The 29,166 study participants included 13,253 men (45.4%) and had a mean age of 72.2 years. The 7073 rural participants differed significantly (P ≤ 0.02) from the 22,093 urban participants in several major characteristics, such as older age, greater body mass index, and so on. The overall prevalence of AF was 4.6% (n = 1347). AF was more prevalent in 7073 rural participants than 22,093 urban participants (5.6% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.01), before and after adjustment for age, body mass index, blood pressure, pulse rate, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and prior medical history. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified overweight/obesity (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17-1.54) in urban areas and cigarette smoking (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.20-2.17) and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.04-1.93) in rural areas as specific risk factors for prevalent AF. In patients with known AF in urban areas (n = 781) and rural areas (n = 338), 60.6% and 45.9%, respectively, received AF treatment (P < 0.01), and only 22.4% and 17.2%, respectively, received anticoagulation therapy (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In China, there are urban-rural disparities in AF in the elderly, with a higher prevalence and worse management in rural areas than urban areas. Our study findings provide insight for health policymakers to consider urban-rural disparity in the prevention and treatment of AF.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between microRNA-21(miR-21)expression and the risk of very early relapse post-induction chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL).Methods:A total of 110 newly diagnosed children with ALL admitted to Huanggang Central Hospital from March 2020 to September 2022 were included.All patients received induction chemotherapy according to the CCLG-2008 protocol.The patients who achieved complete response(CR)after induction chemotherapy were followed up for 18 months,with very early relapse as the endpoint event.Then the patients were divided into a relapse group and a non-relapse group.Cox regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.ROC curve and decision curve were used to evaluate the predictive value of peripheral blood miR-21 for very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Restricted cubic splines were used to analyze the dose-response relationship between peripheral blood miR-21 and very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Results:A total of 102 children with ALL achieved CR after induction chemotherapy,among whom 24 cases(23.53％)experienced very early relapse,with a median relapse time of 14 months.The proportions of patients with high-risk stratification at initial diagnosis,extramedullary infiltration,and minimal residual disease(MRD)positivity were significantly higher in the relapse group than those in the non-relapse group;The absolute lymphocyte count(ALC)in peripheral blood was significantly lower,while the expression levels of miR-21 and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)were significantly higher in the relapse group compared with the non-relapse group(all P＜0.05).Cox regression analysis showed that very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL was associated with medium risk and high risk at initial diagnosis,extramedullary infiltration,decreased ALC in peripheral blood,MRD positivity,as well as high expression levels of miR-21 and LDH(all P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve(AUC)of peripheral blood miR-21 for predicting very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL was 0.800,with an optimal cutoff value of 4.830.Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed that there was a non-linear dose-response relationship between peripheral blood miR-21 and the risk of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.When the expression level of peripheral blood miR-21 exceeded 4.830,the risk of very early relapse increased with the elevation of miR-21 expression.Decision curve analysis demonstrated that combining peripheral blood miR-21 with other risk factors enhanced the predictive performance for the risk of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Conclusion:Very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL is associated with elevated expression of miR-21 in peripheral blood,and high expression of miR-21 may increase the risk of very early relapse.Detecting miR-21 before induction chemotherapy has predictive significance for very early relapse in children with ALL,and combining it with other risk factors can improve the predictive efficacy.

Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of end-stage renal diseases.In DN patients,key pathological mechanisms include proteinuria,glomerulo-sclerosis,and fibrosis,largely driven by poor glycemic control and oxidative stress caused by prolonged hyperglycemia.This stress damages renal podocytes and triggers inflammatory mesenchymal infiltration of renal tubular cells,exacerbating the progression of proteinuria and fibrosis.Human umbilical cord-de-rived mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs)offer promising potential for treating DN due to their strong anti-oxidative properties.In this study,we developed a DN mouse model and treated the mouse via tail vein injections of hUC-MSCs(1×106 cells/mouse).The results indicated that hUC-MSCs significantly lowered fasting blood glucose levels(22.5±3.0 vs 14.7±1.1,P＜0.01)and improved glucose toler-ance,as shown by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test(IPGTT)results(P＜0.05).Additionally,the renal function improved in hUC-MSCs-treated mice,with marked reductions in oxidative stress markers,including blood urea nitrogen(BUN),urinary creatinine(Ucr),urinary protein(PRO),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA)(P＜0.05).Histological analyses through hematoxy-lin-eosin(H&E),Periodic Acid-Schiff(PAS),and Sirius red staining demonstrated alleviation of glo-merular mesangial hyperplasia,glomerular hypertrophy,and tubular inflammation.Furthermore,hUC-MSCs treatment downregulated the expression of oxidative stress-related proteins,such as NADPH oxi-dase 4(NOX4)and thioredoxin-interacting protein(TXNIP),and reduced reactive oxygen species(ROS)production(P＜0.05).Meanwhile,human renal cortical proximal tubule epithelial cells(HK-2 cells)were selected for validation in vitro experiments using high glucose treatment followed by super-natants of hUC-MSCs(MSC-CM),and Western blotting showed that the expression of both NOX4 and TXNIP was inhibited(P＜0.05)and ROS expression was reduced.In conclusion,hUC-MSC treatment effectively lowered blood glucose levels and improved renal function in DN mice,likely through the sup-pression of NOX4 expression and TXNIP-mediated oxidative stress.

To formulate an expert consensus on the principles of preoperative hair removal and provide scientific guidance for standardized removal of hair before surgical procedures so as to reduce the incidence of surgical site infections.METHODS Led by the Hospital Management Institute of National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China,this consensus was reached with the joint efforts from the expects of relevant fields such as surgeries,interventional therapies,nursing,and infection prevention and control.The consensus facilitates the classification and evaluation of literatures by following the evidence grade formulated by Oxford Evidence-based Medicine Center and focuses on the association of preoperative hair removal with surgical site infection,it reaches the evidence grade of expert consensus and recommendation intensity by integrating with discussions on meetings and clinical experience of the expects from relevant fields.RESULTS A total of 6 items of consensus were reached by summarizing the latest evidence on the aspects including the indications for preoperative hair removal,tools,range,timing and places.CONCLUSION The consensus,to some extent,make supplements to and complete the exiting regulations and standards.It provides guidance for the medical institutions to carry out the preoperative hair removal.

Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of end-stage renal diseases.In DN patients,key pathological mechanisms include proteinuria,glomerulo-sclerosis,and fibrosis,largely driven by poor glycemic control and oxidative stress caused by prolonged hyperglycemia.This stress damages renal podocytes and triggers inflammatory mesenchymal infiltration of renal tubular cells,exacerbating the progression of proteinuria and fibrosis.Human umbilical cord-de-rived mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs)offer promising potential for treating DN due to their strong anti-oxidative properties.In this study,we developed a DN mouse model and treated the mouse via tail vein injections of hUC-MSCs(1×106 cells/mouse).The results indicated that hUC-MSCs significantly lowered fasting blood glucose levels(22.5±3.0 vs 14.7±1.1,P＜0.01)and improved glucose toler-ance,as shown by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test(IPGTT)results(P＜0.05).Additionally,the renal function improved in hUC-MSCs-treated mice,with marked reductions in oxidative stress markers,including blood urea nitrogen(BUN),urinary creatinine(Ucr),urinary protein(PRO),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA)(P＜0.05).Histological analyses through hematoxy-lin-eosin(H&E),Periodic Acid-Schiff(PAS),and Sirius red staining demonstrated alleviation of glo-merular mesangial hyperplasia,glomerular hypertrophy,and tubular inflammation.Furthermore,hUC-MSCs treatment downregulated the expression of oxidative stress-related proteins,such as NADPH oxi-dase 4(NOX4)and thioredoxin-interacting protein(TXNIP),and reduced reactive oxygen species(ROS)production(P＜0.05).Meanwhile,human renal cortical proximal tubule epithelial cells(HK-2 cells)were selected for validation in vitro experiments using high glucose treatment followed by super-natants of hUC-MSCs(MSC-CM),and Western blotting showed that the expression of both NOX4 and TXNIP was inhibited(P＜0.05)and ROS expression was reduced.In conclusion,hUC-MSC treatment effectively lowered blood glucose levels and improved renal function in DN mice,likely through the sup-pression of NOX4 expression and TXNIP-mediated oxidative stress.

To formulate an expert consensus on the principles of preoperative hair removal and provide scientific guidance for standardized removal of hair before surgical procedures so as to reduce the incidence of surgical site infections.METHODS Led by the Hospital Management Institute of National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China,this consensus was reached with the joint efforts from the expects of relevant fields such as surgeries,interventional therapies,nursing,and infection prevention and control.The consensus facilitates the classification and evaluation of literatures by following the evidence grade formulated by Oxford Evidence-based Medicine Center and focuses on the association of preoperative hair removal with surgical site infection,it reaches the evidence grade of expert consensus and recommendation intensity by integrating with discussions on meetings and clinical experience of the expects from relevant fields.RESULTS A total of 6 items of consensus were reached by summarizing the latest evidence on the aspects including the indications for preoperative hair removal,tools,range,timing and places.CONCLUSION The consensus,to some extent,make supplements to and complete the exiting regulations and standards.It provides guidance for the medical institutions to carry out the preoperative hair removal.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between microRNA-21(miR-21)expression and the risk of very early relapse post-induction chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL).Methods:A total of 110 newly diagnosed children with ALL admitted to Huanggang Central Hospital from March 2020 to September 2022 were included.All patients received induction chemotherapy according to the CCLG-2008 protocol.The patients who achieved complete response(CR)after induction chemotherapy were followed up for 18 months,with very early relapse as the endpoint event.Then the patients were divided into a relapse group and a non-relapse group.Cox regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.ROC curve and decision curve were used to evaluate the predictive value of peripheral blood miR-21 for very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Restricted cubic splines were used to analyze the dose-response relationship between peripheral blood miR-21 and very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Results:A total of 102 children with ALL achieved CR after induction chemotherapy,among whom 24 cases(23.53％)experienced very early relapse,with a median relapse time of 14 months.The proportions of patients with high-risk stratification at initial diagnosis,extramedullary infiltration,and minimal residual disease(MRD)positivity were significantly higher in the relapse group than those in the non-relapse group;The absolute lymphocyte count(ALC)in peripheral blood was significantly lower,while the expression levels of miR-21 and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)were significantly higher in the relapse group compared with the non-relapse group(all P＜0.05).Cox regression analysis showed that very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL was associated with medium risk and high risk at initial diagnosis,extramedullary infiltration,decreased ALC in peripheral blood,MRD positivity,as well as high expression levels of miR-21 and LDH(all P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve(AUC)of peripheral blood miR-21 for predicting very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL was 0.800,with an optimal cutoff value of 4.830.Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed that there was a non-linear dose-response relationship between peripheral blood miR-21 and the risk of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.When the expression level of peripheral blood miR-21 exceeded 4.830,the risk of very early relapse increased with the elevation of miR-21 expression.Decision curve analysis demonstrated that combining peripheral blood miR-21 with other risk factors enhanced the predictive performance for the risk of very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL.Conclusion:Very early relapse after induction chemotherapy in children with ALL is associated with elevated expression of miR-21 in peripheral blood,and high expression of miR-21 may increase the risk of very early relapse.Detecting miR-21 before induction chemotherapy has predictive significance for very early relapse in children with ALL,and combining it with other risk factors can improve the predictive efficacy.