This study explored the drying kinetics of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma(SM), established the suitable models simulating the drying kinetics, and then analyzed the dynamic changes of active components during the drying processes with different methods, aiming to provide a basis for the establishment of suitable drying methods and the quality control of SM. The drying kinetics were studied based on the drying curve, drying rate, moisture effective diffusion coefficient, and drying activation energy, and the appropriate drying kinetics model of SM was established. The drying performance of different methods, such as hot air drying, infrared drying, and microwave drying of SM was evaluated, and the changes in the content of 10 salvianolic acids and 6 tanshinones during drying were analyzed by UPLC-TQ-MS. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution(TOPSIS) was employed to evaluate the quality of SM dried with different methods. The results showed that the drying rate and moisture effective diffusion coefficient of SM increased with the rise in drying temperature, and the maximum drying rates of different methods were in the order of microwave drying > infrared drying > hot air drying, slice > whole root. The drying rate decreased with the rise in temperature and the extension of drying time. The activation energy of hot air drying was higher than that of infrared drying in SM. The most suitable model for simulating the drying process of SM was the Page model. The TOPSIS results suggested infrared drying at 50 ℃ was the optimal drying method for SM. During the drying process, the content of salvianolic acids increased in different degrees with the loss of moisture, among which salvianolic acid B showed the largest increase of 44 times compared with that in the fresh medicinal material. Tanshinones also existed in the fresh herb of SM, and the content of tanshinone Ⅱ_A increased by 3 times after drying. The results provided a basis for the establishment of suitable drying methods and the quality control of SM.
Salvia miltiorrhiza/chemistry* ; Desiccation/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Rhizome/chemistry* ; Kinetics ; Quality Control ; Abietanes

OBJECTIVES: To explore potential keywords, research clusters, collaborative pattern, and research trends in the field of medical technology management (MTM) through bibliometric analysis, providing insights for researchers, policy makers, and hospital administrators. METHODS: A retrieval formula was applied to the title, abstract, and keywords in the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection, along with system-recommended terms, to identify articles on MTM. A total of 181 articles published between 1974 and 2022 were retained for quantitative analysis. The global trend of research output; total citations, average citations, and H-index; and bibliographic coupling, co-authorship, and keyword co-occurrence were analyzed using VOSviewer. RESULTS: The number of articles on MTM has been steadily increasing year by year. The focus of research has shifted from addressing basic medical needs to prioritizing emergency response and medical information security. The United States, Italy, and the United Kingdom emerged as the main contributors, with the United States leading in both volume of publications (60 articles) and academic impact (H-index = 21). Authors from the United Kingdom and the United States led the way in cross-border cooperation. The top five institutions, ranked by total link strength among cross-institutional authors, were primarily located in Canada and Spain. CONCLUSIONS The field of MTM has experienced stable growth over the past three decades (1993-2022). The shift of research focus has prompted a heightened emphasis on protecting patient privacy and ensuring the security of medical data. Future research should emphasize interdisciplinary and professional collaboration, as well as international cooperation and open sharing of knowledge.
Bibliometrics ; Humans ; Biomedical Technology

OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies seen in clinic and requires novel treatment options. Morin is a natural flavonoid extracted from the flower stalk of a highly valuable medicinal plant Prunella vulgaris L., which exhibits an anti-cancer effect in multiple types of tumors. However, the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of morin in treating GC remains elusive. The study aims to explore the therapeutic effect and underlying molecular mechanisms of morin in GC. METHODS: For in vitro experiments, the proliferation inhibition of morin was measured by cell counting kit-8 assay and colony formation assay in human GC cell line MKN45, human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line AGS, and human gastric epithelial cell line GES-1; for apoptosis analysis, microscopic photography, Western blotting, ubiquitination analysis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, flow cytometry, and RNA interference technology were employed. For in vivo studies, immunohistochemistry, biomedical analysis, and Western blotting were used to assess the efficacy and safety of morin in a xenograft mouse model of GC. RESULTS: Morin significantly inhibited the proliferation of GC cells MKN45 and AGS in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but did not inhibit human gastric epithelial cells GES-1. Only the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK was able to significantly reverse the inhibition of proliferation by morin in both GC cells, suggesting that apoptosis was the main type of cell death during the treatment. Morin induced intrinsic apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in GC cells, which mainly relied on B cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) associated agonist of cell death (BAD) but not phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-induced protein 1. The upregulation of BAD by morin was due to blocking the ubiquitination degradation of BAD, rather than the transcription regulation and the phosphorylation of BAD. Furthermore, the combination of morin and BCL-2 inhibitor navitoclax (also known as ABT-737) produced a synergistic inhibitory effect in GC cells through amplifying apoptotic signals. In addition, morin treatment significantly suppressed the growth of GC in vivo by upregulating BAD and the subsequent activation of its downstream apoptosis pathway. CONCLUSION Morin suppressed GC by inducing apoptosis, which was mainly due to blocking the ubiquitination-based degradation of the pro-apoptotic protein BAD. The combination of morin and the BCL-2 inhibitor ABT-737 synergistically amplified apoptotic signals in GC cells, which may overcome the drug resistance of the BCL-2 inhibitor. These findings indicated that morin was a potent and promising agent for GC treatment. Please cite this article as: Wang Y, Sun XY, Ma FQ, Ren MM, Zhao RH, Qin MM, Zhu XH, Xu Y, Cao ND, Chen YY, Dong TG, Pan YF, Zhao AG. Morin inhibits ubiquitination degradation of BCL-2 associated agonist of cell death and synergizes with BCL-2 inhibitor in gastric cancer cells. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 320-332.
Humans ; Flavonoids/therapeutic use* ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Animals ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Ubiquitination/drug effects* ; Mice ; Drug Synergism ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; Flavones

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy(SCIT)using dust mites in children with allergic asthma.Methods In a prospective randomized controlled study,98 children with dust mite-induced allergic asthma were randomly divided into a control group(n=49)and an SCIT group(n=49).The control group received inhaled corticosteroid treatment,while the SCIT group additionally received a standardized three-year SCIT regimen.The two groups were compared based on peripheral blood eosinophil percentage,visual analogue score(VAS),total medication score,Asthma Control Test/Childhood Asthma Control Test scores,fractional exhaled nitric oxide(FeNO),and lung function before treatment,and at 6 months,1 year,2 years,and 3 years after treatment.Adverse reactions were recorded post-injection to evaluate the safety of SCIT.Results Compared with pre-treatment levels,the SCIT group showed a significant reduction in the percentage of peripheral blood eosinophils,VAS,total medication score,and FeNO,while lung function significantly improved,and asthma control levels were better 3 years after treatment(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the SCIT group showed more significant improvement in all evaluated indicators 3 years after treatment(P<0.05).A total of 2 744 injections were administered,resulting in 157 cases(5.72%)of local adverse reactions and 4 cases(0.15%)of systemic adverse reactions,with no severe systemic adverse events.Conclusions SCIT is an effective and safe treatment for allergic asthma in children.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

Aim To investigate the effect of ellagic acid (EA) on cognitive function in APP/PS 1 double- transgenic mice, and to explore the regulatory mechanism of ellagic acid on the level of oxidative stress in the hippocampus of double-transgenic mice based on the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3 (PI3K/AKT/GSK-3 β) signaling pathway. Methods Thirty-two SPF-grade 6-month-old APP/PS 1 double transgenic mice were randomly divided into four groups, namely, APP/PS 1 group, APP/PS1 + EA group, APP/PS1 + LY294002 group, APP/PS 1 + EA + LY294002 group, with eight mice in each group, and eight SPF-grade C57BL/6J wild type mice ( Wild type) were selected as the blank control group. The APP/PS 1 + EA group was given 50 mg · kg

Objective:To screen the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)under high phosphate-induced calcification in the vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)by mRNA high-throughput sequencing technology,and to analyze the key genes and signaling pathways involved in the VSMCs calcification.Methods:The human VSMCs were divided into control group and model group.The cells in model group was exposed to the high-phosphate medium,while the cells in control group were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10%fetal bovine serum under the same conditions.The VSMCs in two groups,stably transfected,were cultured for 12 d.The morphology of the cells in two groups were observed and photographed under inverted microscope.The DEGs were selected by Hisat2 software,and Gene Ontology(GO)functional and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed by Stringtie software from three aspects,such as biological processes(BP),molecular functions(MF),and cellular components(CC).The calcification of the cells in two groups was observed by Von Kossa staining method.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method was used to analyze the expression levels of alkaline phosphatase(ALP),bone morphogenetic protein 2(BMP2),alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),tumor protein 53(Tp53),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),ferritin light chain 1(Ftl1),and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D1(GPLD1)mRNA in the cells in two groups.Results:Compared with control group,there were 2 524 DEGs in the cells in model group,and there were 1 368 upregulated DEGs and 1 156 downregulated DEGs.Clustering of DEGs between the cells in two groups was distinct.The GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis results showed that the upregulated DEGs were primarily involved in regulating the microtubule cytoskeleton,cell polarity,protein localization,and cell cycle regulation among BPs;in constructing cell membrane,microtubule organization,chromosomes,and kinetochore among CCs;and functioning in phosphatidylinositol phosphate,Rho GTPase protein binding,transmembrane transport,and protein kinase regulatory activity among MFs.Downregulated DEGs were mainly involved in cytoplasmic translation,protein membrane localization,mRNA metabolism,and protein endoplasmic reticulum localization among BPs;in forming ribosome subunits,cell membrane,and autophagy among CCs;and functioning in single-stranded DNA,ribonucleoprotein complex,growth factor binding,regulating protein kinase activity,and catalytic activity among MFs.Seven signaling pathways were significantly enriched in upregulated genes,most notably in the biosynthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol(GPI)anchors;whereas 18 signaling pathways were significantly enriched in the downregulated genes,most notably in ferroptosis.The RT-qPCR results showed that compared with control group,the expression levels of GPX4,Ftl1,and Tp53 mRNA in the cells in model group were significantly decreased(P<0.01),while the expression level of GPLD1 mRNA was significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with control group,the expression level of α-SMA mRNA in the cells in model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the expression levels of ALP and BMP2 mRNA were significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:The VSMCs underwent calcification and normal cells exhibit the DEGs.The key signaling pathways in the calcification induced by high phosphate in the VSMCs include ferroptosis and GPI anchor biosynthesis,mediated primarily through GPX4,Ftl1,Tp53,and GPLD1.

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). The imbalanced gut microbiota causes damage to the body and disrupts bile acids metabolism, increases susceptibility to CRC, and affects the signaling of farnesol X receptor (FXR), thereby promoting CRC progression. Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in the treatment of CRC due to its synergistic regulatory effects of multiple components, targets, and pathways. It can regulate gut microbiota, intervene in bile acids metabolism, and activate its receptor FXR to inhibit the occurrence and development of CRC. Based on this, this article discusses the main role of the gut microbiota-bile acids-FXR axis in the development of CRC, and reviews the anti CRC effects and mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine intervention on gut microbiota-bile acids-FXR axis, in order to provide new ideas and methods for the prevention and treatment of CRC.

Objective:To analyze the efficacy and influencing factors of cyclosporine(CsA)alone in the treatment of children with acquired aplastic anemia(AA).Methods:The clinical data of children diagnosed with AA and treated with CsA alone from January 1,2016 to December 31,2020 in the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were collected,and the efficacy and influencing factors of CsA treatment were evaluated.Results:Among the 119 patients,there were 62 male and 57 female,with a median age of 7 years and 1 month.There were 45 cases of very severe AA(VSAA),47 cases of severe AA(SAA),and 27 cases of non-severe AA(NSAA).At 6 months after treatment,the efficacy of VSAA was lower than that of SAA and NSAA,and there was a statistical difference(P＜0.01).6 cases died early,16 cases relapsed,2 cases progressed to AML and ALL.The results of univariate analysis showed that the high proportion of lymphocyte in the bone marrow at 6 months was an adverse factor for the efficacy of CsA,while high PLT count was a protective factor(P=0.008,P=0.002).The ROC curve showed that the cut-off values of PLT count and the proportion of bone marrow lymphocyte at 6 months were 16.5 × 109/L,68.5％,respectively.Multivariate analysis showed that the high proportion of lymphocyte in bone marrow at 6 months was an independent adverse factor for IST(P=0.020,OR=0.062),and high PLT count was a protective factor(P=0.044,OR=1.038).At 3 months of treatment,CsA response and NSAA were the risk factor for recurrence(P=0.001,0.031).Conclusion:The efficacy of NSAA was higher than that of SAA and VSAA after 6 months of treatment with CsA alone.A high PLT count at the initial diagnosis was a good factor for the effectiveness of CsA,and a high proportion of bone marrow lymphocyte was an unfavorable factor.CsA response at 3 months and NSAA were risk factors for recurrence.