1.Research progress on DNA identification methods of narcotic plants
Jingzhi RAN ; Yankun WANG ; Peng XU ; Mengxiang SU ; Kaiming YAN ; Jin YAN
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2026;57(2):181-188
Narcotic plants are strictly regulated worldwide due to their ability to extract drug alkaloids and drug precursor components. Besides the three traditional core species, cannabis, opium poppy, and coca, the misuse of psychoactive plants with addictive properties has become increasingly prevalent globally in recent years, and the establishment of accurate identification methods for such plants has become an urgent need in the field of narcotics control. Within existing identification frameworks, the conventional morphological and chemical analysis methods, despite their long-term application, have demonstrated considerable limitations. In contrast, DNA-based molecular identification techniques have achieved significant advancement in recent years due to their high specificity and stability. This review comprehensively examines current DNA-based identification approaches for narcotic plants through three key dimensions: DNA molecular marker technology, DNA barcoding technology, and emerging molecular biological techniques, and elaborates on the principles, technical characteristics, application scenarios, and research progress of each technology, providing some reference for the scientific selection of DNA identification strategies for narcotic plants in different specific scenarios.
2.Key points of the International consensus guidelines on the implementation and monitoring of vosoritide therapy in individuals with Achondroplasia.
Hangyu PING ; Ran DING ; Cheng HUANG ; Yue PENG ; Zikang ZHONG ; Weiguo WANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2026;43(1):5-12
Achondroplasia (ACH) is a common inherited skeletal dysplasia (inherited dwarfism) that compromises quality of life across the lifespan. In 2021, vosoritide became the first approved precision therapy for ACH and is now available in more than 40 countries. Compared with prior symptomatic measures, vosoritide has demonstrated favorable efficacy and a reassuring safety profile. Nevertheless, existing international ACH guidelines largely emphasize complication management and symptomatic care, and there is no unified consensus on pharmacologic therapy. To address this gap, an international expert group developed the International Consensus Guidelines for the Implementation and Monitoring of Vosoritide Therapy in Patients with Achondroplasia providing systematic recommendations that span the continuum of care - from initial patient contact and pre-treatment assessment to medication counseling, injection training, and long-term outcome monitoring. These recommendations complement and refine current management and nursing protocols for individuals with ACH and offer practical guidance for clinicians across diverse regions. This article highlights key elements of the guideline to provide evidence-based support and clinical direction for healthcare professionals in China treating children with ACH using vosoritide.
Humans
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Achondroplasia/drug therapy*
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Consensus
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Practice Guidelines as Topic
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Child
3.Differentiation and Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease from the Perspective of "Guarding the Channel Passages" Based on Circadian Rhythm
Jingjing ZHAO ; Yuanyuan CHEN ; Lanlan LI ; Xiaoqing ZHANG ; Ran ZHAO ; Shujuan XU ; Han PENG ; Lingmei LI ; Hao GUO ; Jianhua FU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(18):1977-1981
Coronary heart disease (CHD) has a distinct circadian rhythmicity in its onset, which is closely related to the waxing and waning of qi and blood in the channel passages of the human body. Grounded in the circadian rhythm theory of "correspondence between heaven and humankind", this paper explores the pathogenic evolution rules of qi-blood disharmony, channel obstruction, interacting as cause and effect with circadian rhythm disorders in CHD. Clinically, CHD can be observed to attack in the early morning, at night, in the afternoon, and at fixed or unfixed circadian intervals. The pathogenesis rhythms at different time nodes can correspondingly reflect the susceptibility tendencies and pathological stress responses of the human body to core pathogeneses such as yang deficiency with cold congelation, yin deficiency with yang floating, qi and yin deficiency, and liver constraint with qi stagnation under specific temporal states. Treatment should be adapted to the season and time, regulating yin and yang in accordance with biological rhythms. It is recommended to regulate qi during the daytime by promoting ascending and dispersing to unblock the channel passages, and select the appropriate timing for administration to harness natural timing. At the Mao (卯) hour, yang ascends while yin descends, and taking medication at this time conforms to the ascending of yang qi. At the Wu (午) hour, the heart meridian is active, and taking medication at this time warms the channel passages and assists heart yang, which can be treated with modified Buzhong Yiqi Decoction (补中益气汤) or Shengyang Yiwei Decoction (升阳益胃汤). At night, blood should be harmonized, when the channel passages are unblocked through nourishing, restraining, and searching, with Lianmei Decoction (连梅汤) combined with Dahuang Zhechong Pill (大黄䗪虫丸). Following the temporal rhythm, the focus is put on the transitional time of day and night and the four seasons to treat disease before it arises, resonating and corresponding with the natural rhythm.
4.Preventive Effect and Safety Evaluation of Xiaozhen Formula (消疹方) on Skin Toxicity Induced by Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors in the Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer:A Multicenter,Randomized,Double-Blind,Placebo-Controlled Trial
Ling LUO ; Xintian WANG ; Cheng CHENG ; Zitong HAN ; Chunru WANG ; Guoli WEI ; Jianyue LI ; Li WANG ; Jirong WANG ; Peng SHU ; Liang LI ; Fenglin LIU ; Ran SONG ; Jing BAI ; Haiyan XING
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(18):1987-1994
ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Xiaozhen Formula (消疹方) in preventing skin toxicity induced by epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs) in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MethodsA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical study was conducted. A total of 120 patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC from seven centers were enrolled and randomly assigned to a treatment group (60 cases) or a control group (60 cases). On the basis of EGFRI-targeted therapy, patients in the treatment group received Xiaozhen Formula granules, whereas those in the control group received Xiaozhen Formula placebo granules, both at 10 g twice daily for 4 consecutive weeks. The primary outcomes were the grading of skin toxicity evaluated using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE) version 5.0 and the incidence of rash. Secondary outcomes included the time to onset and time to resolution of the highest-grade rash, the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) scores, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores, and disease control rate, together with safety assessments. ResultsBased on the full analysis set (FAS), the incidence of skin toxicity in the treatment group was 18.33% (11/60), significantly lower than 45.00% (27/60) in the control group (P<0.01), with the highest severity of skin toxicity in both groups was grade 2. Among patients who developed rash, the resolution rate in the treatment group was 90.91% (10/11), higher than that 33.33% (9/27) in the control group. The median time to resolution was 15 days (95%CI: 8-17 days) in the treatment group and it was not reached in the control group; the distribution of time to resolution differed significantly between groups (P<0.001). After treatment, the treatment group had higher EORTC QLQ-C30 functional scale and global health status/quality-of-life scores, and lower symptom scale, single-item scores, as well as HADS-A, and HADS-D scores than the control group (P<0.05). In the FAS analysis, the disease control rate (DCR) was 85.0% (51/60) in the treatment group, lower than 100.0% (60/60) in the control group (P=0.003), whereas no significant between-group difference was observed in the per-protocol set (PPS) analysis (P=0.464). The incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups (P>0.05), and no definite safety signals related to the investigational drug were observed. ConclusionXiaozhen Formula can reduce the incidence of EGFRI-induced skin toxicity, and improve the outcome of rash regression, the patients' quality of life and psychological status in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients.
5.Association between ambient ozone exposure during pregnancy and risk of preterm birth in Guangdong Province
Peng HU ; Shanshan RAN ; Qingmei LIN ; Yin YANG ; Zilong ZHANG ; Xiaoling GUO ; Yonggui GAO ; Jinde ZHAO ; Hualiang LIN
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(4):379-384
Background Air pollution exposure has a significant impact on maternal and child health. However, the research on the association between ambient ozone (O3) exposure during pregnancy and the risk of premature birth in newborns is limited, and the conclusions are inconsistent. Objective To investigate the association of ambient O3 exposure during pregnancy with the risk of preterm birth in Guangdong Province. Methods Data of pregnant women in Guangzhou from 2013 to 2019 and Foshan from 2018 to 2023 were collected, and O3 concentrations during different trimesters were assessed according to maternal residential addresses. Bilinear interpolation was used to evaluate the concentrations of air pollution. A cohort study design was adopted in our study. Restricted cubic spline curves were used to evaluate the exposure-response relationship between O3 exposure and preterm birth risk and explore potential exposure threshold of O3. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association of O3 exposure with preterm birth. Results A total of 702 924 pregnant women were included in this study, of whom 43 051 (6.12%) were preterm. The average O3 exposure concentrations of pregnant women during the first, second, third, and whole trimesters were 95.51, 97.51, 100.60, and 97.87 μg·m−3, respectively. We observed J-shaped associations between O3 exposure and preterm birth risk during the second, third, and whole trimesters of pregnancy using restricted cubic spline curves. This study found that there were threshold concentrations between O3 exposure and preterm birth risk during different gestational periods, and the threshold concentrations in the first, second, third, and whole trimesters were 112.32, 99.83, 111.74, and 112.46 μg·m−3, respectively. During the second, third, and whole trimesters of pregnancy, after adjusting for maternal age, baby sex, pre-pregnancy body mass index, mode of delivery, baby birth weight, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension, the odds ratios (OR) of preterm birth were 1.02 (95%CI: 1.01, 1.04), 1.02 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.03), and 1.17 (95%CI: 1.13, 1.21) for each 10 μg·m−3 increase in O3 concentration above the O3 threshold. No significant association was found between O3 exposure and the risk of preterm birth during the first trimester. Conclusion There is a nonlinear association between the risk of preterm birth and O3 exposure during pregnancy, and higher concentrations of O3 exposure during pregnancy are associated with the risk of preterm birth. Above the O3 threshold concentration during pregnancy, especially during the second, third, and whole trimesters, the risk of preterm birth elevates with the increase of O3 exposure concentrations.
6.An Amphibians-Derived Protein Provides Novel Biotherapeutics for Various Wounds Treatment
Hao-Ran CHEN ; Nan ZHOU ; Yu-Da LIU ; Li-Hua PENG
Biomolecules & Therapeutics 2025;33(2):399-407
Acute burns and chronic wounds frequently fail to heal owing to various reasons. Most drugs currently used for wound therapy in clinical practice have notable drawbacks, making their application a substantial concern. For instance, anti-inflammatory drugs can exert multisystem toxicity, and cellular therapies are costly and difficult to retain. In recent years, natural functional proteins derived from animals and plants have gained increasing attention owing to their unique biological activities, low cost, and broad application prospects in wound therapy. Herein, we isolated a new protein (JH015Y) from amphibians and demonstrated its excellent wound repair and regeneration properties compared with those of epidermal growth factor, both in vitro and in vivo. JH015 protein increased the proliferative ability of human keratinocytes and skin fibroblasts by 47.73 and 41.40%, respectively. In vivo, the medium-dose (0.5 mg/dose) groups of JH015Y protein demonstrated accelerated wound healing from day 4, with wound healing rates 1.26, 1.27, and 1.14 times that of the blank group in acute wounds, burn wounds, and diabetic ulcer, respectively. Histological analysis of Masson-stained sections indicated that the JH015Y protein contributed to collagen deposition on the wound surface, markedly reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, and exhibited low biological toxicity. Accordingly, the JH015Y protein is a promising biotherapeutic agent for accelerated wound repair and regeneration.
7.An Amphibians-Derived Protein Provides Novel Biotherapeutics for Various Wounds Treatment
Hao-Ran CHEN ; Nan ZHOU ; Yu-Da LIU ; Li-Hua PENG
Biomolecules & Therapeutics 2025;33(2):399-407
Acute burns and chronic wounds frequently fail to heal owing to various reasons. Most drugs currently used for wound therapy in clinical practice have notable drawbacks, making their application a substantial concern. For instance, anti-inflammatory drugs can exert multisystem toxicity, and cellular therapies are costly and difficult to retain. In recent years, natural functional proteins derived from animals and plants have gained increasing attention owing to their unique biological activities, low cost, and broad application prospects in wound therapy. Herein, we isolated a new protein (JH015Y) from amphibians and demonstrated its excellent wound repair and regeneration properties compared with those of epidermal growth factor, both in vitro and in vivo. JH015 protein increased the proliferative ability of human keratinocytes and skin fibroblasts by 47.73 and 41.40%, respectively. In vivo, the medium-dose (0.5 mg/dose) groups of JH015Y protein demonstrated accelerated wound healing from day 4, with wound healing rates 1.26, 1.27, and 1.14 times that of the blank group in acute wounds, burn wounds, and diabetic ulcer, respectively. Histological analysis of Masson-stained sections indicated that the JH015Y protein contributed to collagen deposition on the wound surface, markedly reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, and exhibited low biological toxicity. Accordingly, the JH015Y protein is a promising biotherapeutic agent for accelerated wound repair and regeneration.
8.Oxidative Stress-related Signaling Pathways and Antioxidant Therapy in Alzheimer’s Disease
Li TANG ; Yun-Long SHEN ; De-Jian PENG ; Tian-Lu RAN ; Zi-Heng PAN ; Xin-Yi ZENG ; Hui LIU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(10):2486-2498
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline, functional impairment, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. It represents the most prevalent form of dementia among the elderly population. Accumulating evidence indicates that oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of AD. Notably, elevated levels of oxidative stress have been observed in the brains of AD patients, where excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause extensive damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA, ultimately compromising neuronal structure and function. Amyloid β‑protein (Aβ) has been shown to induce mitochondrial dysfunction and calcium overload, thereby promoting the generation of ROS. This, in turn, exacerbates Aβ aggregation and enhances tau phosphorylation, leading to the formation of two pathological features of AD: extracellular Aβ plaque deposition and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). These events ultimately culminate in neuronal death, forming a vicious cycle. The interplay between oxidative stress and these pathological processes constitutes a core link in the pathogenesis of AD. The signaling pathways mediating oxidative stress in AD include Nrf2, RCAN1, PP2A, CREB, Notch1, NF‑κB, ApoE, and ferroptosis. Nrf2 signaling pathway serves as a key regulator of cellular redox homeostasis, exerts important antioxidant capacity and protective effects in AD. RCAN1 signaling pathway, as a calcineurin inhibitor, and modulates AD progression through multiple mechanisms. PP2A signaling pathway is involved in regulating tau phosphorylation and neuroinflammation processes. CREB signaling pathway contributes to neuroplasticity and memory formation; activation of CREB improves cognitive function and reduce oxidative stress. Notch1 signaling pathway regulates neuronal development and memory, participates in modulation of Aβ production, and interacts with Nrf2 toco-regulate antioxidant activity. NF‑κB signaling pathway governs immune and inflammatory responses; sustained activation of this pathway forms “inflammatory memory”, thereby exacerbating AD pathology. ApoE signaling pathway is associated with lipid metabolism; among its isoforms, ApoE-ε4 significantly increases the risk of AD, leading to elevated oxidative stress, abnormal lipid metabolism, and neuroinflammation. The ferroptosis signaling pathway is driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, and the subsequent release of lipid peroxidation products and ROS exacerbate oxidative stress and neuronal damage. These interconnected pathways form a complex regulatory network that regulates the progression of AD through oxidative stress and related pathological cascades. In terms of therapeutic strategies targeting oxidative stress, among the drugs currently used in clinical practice for AD treatment, memantine and donepezil demonstrate significant therapeutic efficacy and can improve the level of oxidative stress in AD patients. Some compounds with antioxidant effects (such asα-lipoic acid and melatonin) have shown certain potential in AD treatment research and can be used as dietary supplements to ameliorate AD symptoms. In addition, non-drug interventions such as calorie restriction and exercise have been proven to exerted neuroprotective effects and have a positive effect on the treatment of AD. By comprehensively utilizing the therapeutic characteristics of different signaling pathways, it is expected that more comprehensive multi-target combination therapy regimens and combined nanomolecular delivery systems will be developed in the future to bypass the blood-brain barrier, providing more effective therapeutic strategies for AD.
9.Practice of humanities and professional ethics integrating into the construction of the course"Molecular Biology Experiments of the Gene"
Jun FU ; Zhuqin ZHANG ; Wei HAN ; Ran ZHANG ; Jingli GU ; Yuanyuan XU ; Xiaozhong PENG
Basic & Clinical Medicine 2025;45(12):1680-1683
Objective Exploring the effectiveness of humanities and professional ethics with experimental technology teaching in the course of"Molecular Biology Experiments of the Gene".Methods Totally 101 students attending the course in the academic year 2024-2025 from Peking Union Medical College were selected as the re-search subjects.Based on students'test scores,classroom performance,quality of experimental reports,and feed-back from surveys,the effectiveness of construction with humanities and professional ethics in the course were evaluated.Results The students'test scores have improved,especially the proportion of outstanding students has increased.The accuracy rate of students answering the humanities and professional ethics test questions has reached 98.86%.The success rate of experiments and the quality of experimental reports have significantly improved compared to the previous students.Students'evaluation of the course has significantly improved.Conclu-sions Integrating the humanities and professional ethics in the course construction has achieved significant results,including test score,classroom performance,and post class evaluation.
10.Mechanism of aprepitant in reversing chemoresistance in colorectal cancer mice through endoplasmic reticulum stress
Shaolan CHEN ; Jun LUO ; Shusheng PENG ; Jing RAN ; Xianhui YOU
Journal of Clinical Medicine in Practice 2025;29(2):69-74
Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of aprepitant(Apr)reversing 5-Fluorouracil(5-FU)resistance in colorectal cancer(CRC)mouse model through endoplasmic re-ticulum stress(ERS).Methods Thirty mice were selected as experimental animals.Five mice were randomly assigned to control group,and the remaining 25 mice underwent subcutaneous injection in the back to establish the HCT-116/5-FU CRC mouse model.These mice were then divided into the CRC group,5-FU group,Apr group,Apr+5-FU group and Apr+ERS inhibitor Tauroursodeoxychol-ic acid(TUDCA)group,with five mice in each group.Changes in body weight and tumorigenesis in mice were recorded,and their organ indicators were calculated.Western blotting(WB)was used to detect the protein expression levels of protein kinase R-like ER kinase(PERK),eukaryotic initiation factor 2 subunit α(eIF2α),activating transcription factor 4(ATF4)and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP)in each group.Results At 5,10,15 and 20 d after medication,there were no statistically significant differences in body weight among CRC,5-FU,Apr,Apr+5-FU and Apr+TUDCA groups,neither in time points nor in interactions(P>0.05).Two days after the last administration,there was no significant difference in the indexes of thymus,lung,liver,spleen,heart,kidney and other organs among all groups(P>0.05).Compared with CRC group,the protein expression levels of PERK,P-EIF2α/eIF2α,ATF4 and CHOP in Apr group and Apr+5-FU group were significantly increased,the number of tumors was significantly decreased,the tumor mass was significantly de-creased,and the tumor volume was significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the improvement of Apr+5-FU group was better than that of other groups(P<0.05).Conclusion Apr can enhance chemotherapy sensitivity and reverse chemotherapy resistance in CRC mice,which may be mediated by downstream molecules of ERS pathway.

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