ObjectiveTo provide a reference for the rational clinical use of cold Chinese medicines by sorting and analyzing their properties， flavors， meridian tropism， primary therapeutic indications， methods of administration， dosages， and precautions as recorded in the 2020 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China （Chinese Pharmacopoeia）. MethodsCold Chinese medicines for internal and external use included in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia were entered one by one， and their efficacy， properties， flavors， meridian tropism， methods of administration， dosages， and usage precautions were statistically classified and summarized to guide clinical medication use. ResultsA total of 259 cold Chinese medicines for internal use were included and categorized into 18 efficacy groups， mainly comprising heat-clearing drugs， water-excreting and dampness-draining drugs， and phlegm-resolving， cough- and asthma-relieving drugs. Their predominant flavors were bitter， sweet， and pungent， and they primarily entered the liver， lung， and stomach meridians. The main methods of administration included decocting first， grinding into powder for oral use， or preparing into pills or powders， with most dosages ranging from 9 to 15 g. A total of 83 cold Chinese medicines for external use were included， involving 16 efficacy categories. Their main flavors were bitter， sweet， and pungent， primarily entering the liver， lung， and large intestine meridians. The main external application methods were grinding into powder for topical use or preparing decoctions for fumigation and washing， with most dosages ranging from 9 to 15 g. Whether for internal or external use， cold Chinese medicines should be used with caution or contraindicated in pregnant women. ConclusionThe cold Chinese medicines included in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia are mainly suitable for patients with carbuncles， swellings， and coughs. However， in clinical practice， it is necessary to strictly follow the principles of syndrome differentiation and treatment， pay attention to administration methods and dosages， and use cold medicines rationally and effectively to improve clinical efficacy.

BACKGROUND: Spicy food consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with mortality from multiple diseases. However, the effect of spicy food intake on the incidence of vascular diseases in the Chinese population remains unclear. This study was conducted to explore this association. METHODS: This study was performed using the large-scale China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) prospective cohort of 486,335 participants. The primary outcomes were vascular disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), major coronary events (MCEs), cerebrovascular disease, stroke, and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between spicy food consumption and incident vascular diseases. Subgroup analysis was also performed to evaluate the heterogeneity of the association between spicy food consumption and the risk of vascular disease stratified by several basic characteristics. In addition, the joint effects of spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of vascular disease were also evaluated, and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the reliability of the association results. RESULTS: During a median follow-up time of 12.1 years, a total of 136,125 patients with vascular disease, 46,689 patients with IHD, 10,097 patients with MCEs, 80,114 patients with cerebrovascular disease, 56,726 patients with stroke, and 40,098 patients with non-stroke cerebrovascular disease were identified. Participants who consumed spicy food 1-2 days/week (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = [0.93, 0.97], P <0.001), 3-5 days/week (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.99], P = 0.003), and 6-7 days/week (HR = 0.97, 95% CI = [0.95, 0.99], P = 0.002) had a significantly lower risk of vascular disease than those who consumed spicy food less than once a week ( Ptrend <0.001), especially in those who were younger and living in rural areas. Notably, the disease-based subgroup analysis indicated that the inverse associations remained in IHD ( Ptrend = 0.011) and MCEs ( Ptrend = 0.002) risk. Intriguingly, there was an interaction effect between spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of IHD ( Pinteraction = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support an inverse association between spicy food consumption and vascular disease in the Chinese population, which may provide additional dietary guidance for the prevention of vascular diseases.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Vascular Diseases/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology* ; East Asian People

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

In order to clarify the effects of drought stress training on the quality and drought resistance of Codonopsis pilosula, this study used PEG to simulate drought stress and employed potting with water control for the drought stress training of C. pilosula plants. The polysaccharide content, secondary metabolites, antioxidant system, and photosynthetic pigment system of C. pilosula after drought stress training were analyzed. The results showed that the content of fructans in the root of C. pilosula increased after two rounds of drought stress treatment, and it was significantly higher than that of the control group. The accumulation of fructans in the root of C. pilosula showed an upward trend during the rehydration treatment. The content of lobetyolin and tangshenoside Ⅰ increased after drought stress treatment compared with that of the control group. The rehydration treatment caused first increasing and then decreasing in the content of lobetyolin, while it had no significant effect on the tangshenoside Ⅰcontent. The content of photosynthetic pigments decreased after drought stress treatment, and it gradually increased during the first round of rehydration and the second round of rehydration. Moreover, the increase was faster in the second round of rehydration than in the first round of rehydration. The content of the peroxidation product malondialdehyde(MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD), peroxidase(POD), and catalase(CAT) increased after drought stress treatment compared with those of the control group, and they showed a tendency of decreasing during rehydration. Moreover, the decrease was faster in the second round of rehydration than in the first round of rehydration. When the plants of C. pilosula after drought stress training were again subjected to severe drought stress, the wilting rate decreased significantly, and the biomass increases significantly. This study showed that the drought stress training could promote the accumulation of polysaccharides and secondary metabolites in the root of C. pilosula. When encountering drought stress again, C. pilosula plants could quickly regulate the antioxidant system and delay the decomposition of chlorophyll to respond to drought stress. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the ecological cultivation of C. pilosula in arid and semi-arid areas.
Codonopsis/growth & development* ; Droughts ; Polysaccharides/metabolism* ; Stress, Physiological ; Water/metabolism* ; Antioxidants/metabolism* ; Photosynthesis ; Drought Resistance

Perforin 2(MPEG 1)is a member of the MACPF(membrane attack complex/PRF membrane attack complex/perforin)superfamily,which is mainly secreted by cytotoxic T lymphocytes,natural killer cells and mac-rophages Through the formation of active pores on the target cell membrane,perforin 2 participates in altering the permeability-pressure of the target cell,or collaborates with granzymes to induce the apoptosis of target cells.Re-cently,with the development of molecular biology,MPEG 1 has been increasingly studied,and the unique gene se-quence and cell types of perforin 2 have specific functions and adaptive evolution in different immune cells,which may determine its performance and therapeutic potential in different disease states.

AIM To explore the clinical effects of Jiawei Yanghe Decoction combined with Budesonide and Formoterol Fumarate Powder for Inhalation on patients with mild to moderate bronchial asthma in chronic and persistent period.METHODS One hundred and eighteen patients were randomly assigned into control group(59 cases)for 4-week administration of Budesonide and Formoterol Fumarate Powder for Inhalation,and observation group(59 cases)for 4-week administration of both Jiawei Yanghe Decoction and Budesonide and Formoterol Fumarate Powder for Inhalation.The changes in clinical effects,ACT score,bronchial asthma control rate,pulmonary function indices(FEV1,PEF,FEV1％,PEF％),inflammatory indices(EOS,EOS％,FeNO),TCM syndrome score and incidence of adverse reactions were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P＜0.05).After the treatment,the two groups displayed increased bronchial asthma control rate,ACT score,PEF(P＜0.05),and decreased TCM syndrome score(P＜0.05),especially for the observation group(P＜0.05);the observation group exhibited increased FEV1,FEV1％,PEF％(P＜0.05),among which FEV1,PEF％were higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05);the observation group showed decreased inflammatory indices(P＜0.05),among which FeNO was lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).No significant difference in incidence of adverse reactions was found between the two groups(P＞0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with mild to moderate bronchial asthma in chronic and persistent period,Jiawei Yanghe Decoction combined with Budesonide and Formoterol Fumarate Powder for Inhalation can safely and effectively alleviate clinical symptoms,improve pulmonary functions,airway inflammatory reactions,and enhance bronchial asthma control rate.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)preconditioning at Tianshu(ST25)and Neiguan(PC6)on cardiac function and UCP1/BMP3b signaling pathway in brown adipose tissue(BAT)in mice with acute myocardial infarc-tion(AMI),so as to explore the potential mechanism of EA at different acupoints in improving myocardial infarction.METHODS Healthy adult mice and BAT excision mice were selected as the research objects,and they were divided into sham operation group,model group,PC6 group,and ST25 group.After one week of adaptive feeding,the mice in the intervention group were pretreated with bilateral EA at PC6 or ST25 for 20 minutes,respectively,and the AMI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery.In the BAT resection group,BAT resection of the scapular region was performed before EA,and the rest of the intervention remained the same as before.Echocardiography was used to detect the changes in cardiac function.TTC staining was used to observe the myocardial infarct size.ELISA was used to detect the serum levels of cTnT and BMP3b in each group.The qPCR was used to detect the relative expression of β3-AR,UCP1 and BMP3b mRNA in mouse BAT.The protein expression of BMP3b in BAT and p-Smad1/5 in the heart were detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the sham operation group,the left ven-tricular EF and FS of the model group mice were decreased(P<0.001),the white infarct area was increased(P<0.001),the cTnT level in serum was increased(P<0.001),the mRNA expression levels of β3-AR,UCP1,and BMP3b in BAT were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the protein expression of BMP3b was increased(P<0.01).The BMP3b content in serum was increased(P<0.001),and the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart was increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the left ventricular EF and FS of mice in the ST25 and PC6 group were increased(P<0.001),the area of white infarction was reduced(P<0.001),and the cTnT level in serum was decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).The mRNA contents of β3-AR,UCP1,and BMP3b in BAT of the ST25 group were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001),the protein expression of BMP3b was increased(P<0.01),and the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart was increased(P<0.01),while there was no significant change in the PC6 group.After BAT resection,compared with the model group,the left ventricular EF and FS of the mice in the PC6 group were increased(P<0.001),the area of white infarction was reduced(P<0.001),and the cTnT in serum was decreased(P<0.001),while there was no significant change in the ST25 group;there was no significant change in the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart and the BMP3b content in the serum of the PC6 and ST25 groups.CONCLUSION EA pretreatment at either ST25 or PC6 acupoints can produce myocardial protective effects.The protective effect of ST25 may be through influencing the UCP1/BMP3b signaling path-way in BAT,while PC6 does not depend on this pathway.

Objective:To investigate the effects of baicalin on ferroptosis of mouse fibroblasts (Fbs) under high glucose treatment and its mechanism, and to provide a basis for the treatment of diabetic wounds.Methods:The study was an experimental study. Mouse Fbs were collected and divided into control group with conventional culture, high glucose group treated with glucose at final molarity of 30.0 mmol/L, and low baicalin group and high baicalin group pretreated with baicalin at final molarties of 5 and 10 μmol/L respectively and then treated as that in high glucose group. After 48 h of culture, the cell survival rate was detected by the cell counting kit-8, the reactive oxygen species level in cells was detected by the fluorescent probe method, the levels of malondialdehyde, glutathione, and ferrous ion in cells were detected by colorimetry, and the protein expression levels of solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) in cells and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in cytoplasm and nucleus were detected by Western blotting. Another batch of mouse Fbs were collected and divided into control group, high glucose group, high baicalin group, and high baicalin+ML385 group. The cells in the first three groups were treated as before, the cells in the last group were pretreated with baicalin and ML385 of Nrf2 inhibitor at final molarties of 10 μmol/L and then treated as that in high glucose group. After 48 h of culture, the protein expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4 in cells and the protein expression level of Nrf2 in cytoplasm and nucleus were detected as before. Except that the sample number in detecting SLC7A11 and GPX4 was 4, the sample number in detecting other indexes was 3.Results:After 48 h of culture, the cell survival rates in control group, high glucose group, low baicalin group, and high baicalin group were (100.0±10.7)%, (70.0±5.0)%, (80.9±3.2)%, and (91.4±1.9)%, respectively. Compared with those in control group, the cell survival rate, the glutathione level, and SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein expression levels in cells, and nuclear Nrf2 protein expression level were significantly decreased in high glucose group ( P<0.05), and the levels of reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and ferrous ion in cells, and cytoplasmic Nrf2 protein expression level were significantly increased in high glucose group ( P<0.05). Compared with those in high glucose group, the cell survival rate, glutathione level, SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein expression levels in cells, and nuclear Nrf2 protein expression level in low baicalin group and high baicalin group were significantly increased ( P<0.05), the reactive oxygen species and ferrous ion levels in cells, and cytoplasmic Nrf2 protein expression level in low baicalin group and high baicalin group were significantly decreased ( P<0.05), and the malondialdehyde level in cells in high baicalin group was significantly decreased ( P<0.05). Compared with those in low baicalin group, the cell survival rate, glutathione level, SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein expression levels in cells, and nuclear Nrf2 protein expression level in high baicalin group were significantly increased ( P<0.05), and the reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and ferrous ion levels in cells, and cytoplasmic Nrf2 protein expression level in high baicalin group were significantly decreased ( P<0.05). After 48 h of culture, compared with those in control group, the nuclear Nrf2 protein expression level and SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein expression levels in cells were significantly decreased ( P<0.05), and the cytoplasmic Nrf2 protein expression level was significantly increased in high glucose group ( P<0.05); compared with those in high glucose group, the cytoplasmic Nrf2 protein expression level was significantly decreased ( P<0.05), and the nuclear Nrf2 protein expression level and SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein expression levels in cells were significantly increased in high baicalin group ( P<0.05); compared with those in high baicalin group, the cytoplasmic Nrf2 protein expression level was significantly increased ( P<0.05), and the nuclear Nrf2 protein expression level and SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein expression levels in cells were significantly decreased in high baicalin+ML385 group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Baicalin can inhibit the occurrence of ferroptosis in cells by activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway and up-regulating the expressions of proteins related to SLC7A11/GPX4 axis in Fbs in high glucose treatment, thus increasing the cell survival rate.