OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside (TGW) in the treatment of psoriatic dermatitis from a cellular immunological perspective. METHODS: Mouse models of psoriatic dermatitis were established by imiquimod (IMQ). Twelve male BALB/c mice were assigned to IMQ or IMQ₊TGW groups according to a random number table. Histopathological changes in vivo were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Ratios of immune cells and cytokines in mice, as well as PAM212 cell proliferation in vitro were assessed by flow cytometry. Pro-inflammatory cytokine expression was determined using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: TGW significantly ameliorated the severity of IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mouse skin lesions and restrained the activation of CD45⁺ cells, neutrophils and T lymphocytes (all P<0.01). Moreover, TGW significantly attenuated keratinocytes (KCs) proliferation and downregulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-23, tumor necrosis factor α, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Furthermore, it reduced the number of γ δ T17 cells in skin lesion of mice and draining lymph nodes (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS TGW improved psoriasis-like inflammation by inhibiting KCs proliferation, as well as the associated immune cells and cytokine expression. It inhibited IL-17 secretion from γ δ T cells, which improved the immune-inflammatory microenvironment of psoriasis.
Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Tripterygium ; Psoriasis/drug therapy* ; Keratinocytes ; Skin Diseases/metabolism* ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Imiquimod/metabolism* ; Dermatitis/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Skin/metabolism*

The excipient processing is an essential part of traditional Chinese medicine processing, and understanding its scientific connotations is a critical scientific issue that urgently needs resolution. Building upon a foundation where the composition of traditional Chinese medicine substances is fundamentally clear, this paper applies the techniques and methods of chemoinformatics to the study of the excipient processing mechanism. Relevant information on traditional Chinese medicines processed with four kinds of excipients (wine, vinegar, salt and honey) was collected, including properties, taste, meridian tropism, chemical components, etc. Molecular descritors and skeletons corresponding to each chemical component were calculated using chemoinformatics to characterize the properties and structural features of the components. Characteristic components associated with the four excipients (wine, vinegar, salt and honey) were explored through multivariate statistical analysis and Murcko skeleton analysis. Further analysis, taking honey-processed Astragali Radix as an example, the focus was on the impact of the processing excipient honey on the solubility and permeability of its characteristic pharmacologically active components (isoflavones). It was discovered that the excipient honey can increase their solubility and permeability, emphasizing that the impact of processing excipients on the pharmacological classification properties is a key breakthrough in elucidating the mechanism of excipient processing. In summary, this study analyzed the characteristic components associated with the processing excipients "wine, vinegar, salt and honey" based on their composition characteristics, providing data support for the research on the mechanism of excipient processing from a biopharmaceutical perspective.

Biomacromolecule drugs have been increasingly used in clinical practice due to their distinct advantages, including precise targeting, small dose, high safety and activity. However, owing to their high molecular weight, strong hydrophilicity, and poor stability in the gastrointestinal tract, the oral bioavailability of the biomacromolecule drugs remains extremely poor. As a novel and innovative technology for active drug delivery, gastrointestinal microneedles hold immense potential in the oral delivery of biomacromolecule drugs because of their low-invasive nature and high permeation enhancement effects. This review primarily summarizes the actuating force, design strategies, fabrication techniques, and applications of gastrointestinal microneedles for the oral delivery of biomacromolecule drugs. Additionally, the challenges and further perspectives in the development this technology are presented, aiming to promote the subsequent research and clinical translation of gastrointestinal microneedles, and to provide a new efficient and safe strategy for oral delivery of biomacromolecule drugs.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

AIM To investigate the variation rules of main secondary metabolites in Hedysari Radix before and after rubbing strip.METHODS UPLC-MS/MS was adopted in the content determination of formononetin,ononin,calycosin,calycosin-7-glucoside,medicarpin,genistein,luteolin,liquiritigenin,isoliquiritigenin,vanillic acid,ferulic acid,γ-aminobutyric acid,adenosine and betaine,after which cluster analysis,principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were used for chemical pattern recognition to explore differential components.RESULTS After rubbing strip,formononetin,calycosin,liquiritigenin and γ-aminobutynic acid demonstrated increased contents,along with decreased contents of ononin,calycosin-7-glucoside and vanillic acid.The samples with and without rubbing strip were clustered into two types,calycosin-7-glucoside,formononetin,γ-aminobutynic acid,vanillic acid,calycosin-7-glucoside and formononetin were differential components.CONCLUSION This experiment clarifies the differences of chemical constituents in Hedysari Radix before and after rubbing strip,which can provide a reference for the research on rubbing strip mechanism of other medicinal materials.

As the backbone force of China's social and economic construction, the health status of workers is closely related to the nation's productivity and social development. Currently, cancers have become one of the major diseases threatening the health of workers. However, there are still many shortcomings in the cancer screening services for the workers. To standardize cancer screening services for workers, ensure the quality of screening services, and improve the overall screening effectiveness, 19 institutions, including Peking Union Medical College Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, have jointly formulated the Group Standard "Specification for service of cancer screening for workers (T/CHAA 023-2023)". This standard follows the principles of "legality, scientific rigor, advancement, and feasibility" and combines the frontier scientific advances in cancer screening. It clarifies the relevant requirements for service principles, service design, service delivery, service management, service evaluation, and improving worker cancer screening. Implementing this group standard will help connect the common screening needs of workers, employers, and cancer screening service providers, standardize the screening process, improve screening quality, and ultimately increase the early diagnosis rate and survival rate of cancer patients. Consequently, this group standard will help safeguard workers' health rights and interests, ensure the labor force resources, promote the comprehensive coordinated and sustainable development of society, and contribute to realizing the "Healthy China 2030" strategic policy.

Background::Prenatal and postnatal factors may have joint effects on cardiovascular health, and we aimed to assess the joint association of birth weight and ideal cardiovascular health metrics (ICVHMs) prospectively in adulthood with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD).Methods::In the UK Biobank, 227,833 participants with data on ICVHM components and birth weight and without CVD at baseline were included. The ICVHMs included smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet information, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and hemoglobin A1c. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in men and women.Results::Over a median follow-up period of 13.0 years (2,831,236 person-years), we documented 17,477 patients with incident CVD. Compared with participants with birth weights of 2.5-4.0 kg, the HRs (95% CIs) of CVD among those with low birth weights was 1.08 (1.00-1.16) in men and 1.23 (1.16-1.31) in women. The association between having a birth weight <2.5 kg and CVD risk in men was more prominent for those aged <50 years than for those of older age ( P for interaction = 0.026). Lower birth weight and non-ideal cardiovascular health metrics were jointly related to an increased risk of CVD. Participants with birth weights <2.5 kg and ICVHMs score 0-1 had the highest risk of incident CVD (HR [95% CI]: 3.93 [3.01-5.13] in men; 4.24 [3.33-5.40] in women). The joint effect (HR [95% CI]: 1.36 [1.17-1.58]) could be decomposed into 24.7% (95% CI: 15.0%-34.4%) for a lower birth weight, 64.7% (95% CI: 56.7%-72.6%) for a lower ICVHM score, and 10.6% (95% CI: 2.7%-18.6%) for their additive interaction in women. Conclusions::Birth weight and ICVHMs were jointly related to CVD risk. Attaining a normal birth weight and ideal ICVHMs may reduce the risk of CVD, and a simultaneous improvement of both prenatal and postnatal factors could further prevent additional cases in women.

A new method was developed for simultaneous detection of total 19 kinds of organophosphate esters(OPEs)and their diester metabolites(di-OPEs)in human serum(1.0 mL)and urine(1.5 mL)with low volume of samples.The target compounds were determined using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)after acetonitrile liquid-liquid extraction combined with purification using an ENVI-18 solid-phase extraction(SPE)column.OPEs and di-OPEs were separated using a Shim-pack GIST C18 column(100 mm×2.1 mm,2 μm)with a Shim-pack GIST-HP(G)C18 guard column.An electrospray ionization source(ESI)was employed in mass spectrometry analysis,with positive/negative ion mode using the multiple reaction monitoring(MRM).All target compounds were separated within 15 min,and exhibited good linear relationships in the concentration range of 2-100 ng/mL,with correlation coefficients(R2)above 0.994.The method detection limits(MDL)in serum ranged from 0.001 to 0.178 ng/mL and the MDL in urine ranged from 0.001 to 0.119 ng/mL.The recoveries of the analytes spiked in serum and urine matrices at two concentration levels were 30.5%-126.8%,with the relative standard deviations(RSDs)ranged from 1%to 23%.In addition,paired serum and urine samples from 11 patients were analyzed.For all samples tested,the internal standards of OPEs exhibited recoveries between 61%and 114%,whereas the internal standards for di-OPEs had recoveries ranging from 43%to 103%.OPEs and di-OPEs exhibited high detection frequencies in 22 serum and urine samples.Triethyl phosphate(TEP),tributyl phosphate(TBP),tris(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate(TEHP),tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate(TBEP),tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate(TCIPP),triphenyl phosphate(TPHP),tri-m-tolyl-phosphate(TMTP)and 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate(EHDPP)were universally detected in all serum samples.TCIPP was identified at the highest concentrations(median 0.548 ng/mL)in serum samples.In urine samples,the detection frequency for 12 kinds of target compounds reached 100%.Notably,TBP emerged as the predominant OPE in urine,demonstrating a median concentration of 0.506 ng/mL.Regarding di-OPEs,bis(2-chloroethyl)phosphate(BCEP)and bis(2-butoxyethyl)hydrogen phosphate(BBOEP)were the most abundant in urine,with median concentrations of 6.404 and 2.136 ng/mL,respectively.The total concentrations of OPEs and di-OPEs in serum and urine were 1.580-3.843 ng/mL and 5.149-17.537 ng/mL,respectively.These results not only confirmed the effectiveness of the method in detection of OPEs and di-OPEs in biological matrices,but also revealed the widespread presence of OPE compounds in human body and pointed to potential exposure risks.

Bacterial resistance and excessive inflammation are common issues that hinder wound healing.Antimicrobial peptides(AMPs)offer a promising and versatile antibacterial option compared to traditional antibiotics,with additional anti-inflammatory properties.However,the applications of AMPs are limited by their antimicrobial effects and stability against bacterial degradation.TFNAs are regarded as a promising drug delivery platform that could enhance the antibacterial properties and stability of nanodrugs.Therefore,in this study,a composite hydrogel(HAMA/t-GL13K)was prepared via the photocross-linking method,in which tFNAs carry GL13K.The hydrogel was injectable,biocompatible,and could be instantly photocured.It exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors and scavenging ROS.Thereby,the hydrogel inhibited bacterial infection,shortened the wound healing time of skin defects in infected skin full-thickness defect wound models and reduced scarring.The constructed HAMA/tFNA-AMPs hydrogels exhibit the potential for clinical use in treating microbial infections and promoting wound healing.

Chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG)is a common intractable gastric disease in clinic,which belongs to the gastric precancerous lesions.Professor LIU Feng-Bin and his team have performed the exploration and practice in the field of CAG for more than 30 years,and they proposed that the evolution of the traditional Chinse medicine(TCM)pathogenesis of inflammation-to-tumor transition(ITT)in CAG was characterized by spleen deficiency being the root cause,qi stagnation,blood stasis and dampness retention being the branch cause,and stasis and toxin being the aggravating factors.Deificiency of the spleen and stomach is the initial factor of CAG,which influences the whole process of the disease.Qi stagnation,blood stasis and dampness retention are the triggering and aggravating factors for the ITT in CAG.The formation of blood stasis and toxin is the key to the progression and transition of CAG.Treatment of ITT in CAG should be based on the results of syndrome differentiation and gastroscopic findings by staging therapy.Before treatment,disease dianosis and syndrome differentiation should be made,and macro and micro syndrome differentiation should be carried out for assistance.Therapy of strengthening the spleen and supporting healthy qi should be implemented throughout the whole process of the disease.The early stage of CAG has the features of gastric mucosa with mild to moderate atrophy and with or without mild intestinal epithelial hyperplasia,the pathogenesis of early CAG is characterized by weakness of the spleen and stomach and is accompanied with the pathological factors of qi stagnation,damp-retention and blood stasis,and the basic treatment should adopt the therapies of strengthening the spleen and clearing heat,regulating qi and activating blood stasis.The advanced stage of CAG has the features of severe atrophic gastric mucosa with or without moderate to severe intestinal epithelial and/or mild to moderate intraepithelial neoplasia,the pathogenesis is characterized by weakness of the spleen and stomach,phlegm blended with blood stasis,and stasis-toxin in the gastric collaterals,and the basic treatment should adopt the therapies of supporting healthy qi and dissipating masses,and unblocking the collaterals and removing toxin,so as to construct an intact line to blocking the ITT in CAG with traditional Chinese medicine.