1.Microscopic Mechanism of Ulcerative Colitis and New Ideas on Medicine Management Based on Theory of Mutual Interference Between Lucidity and Turbidity
Yuying XU ; Changpu ZHAO ; Lei LUO ; Renwu CHEN ; Zishun LI ; Meiling LI ; Rongzhi LI ; Yu ZHANG ; Guangjie SHU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(1):288-299
The chapter Zhouyu in Guoyu says "Qi of the heaven and the earth moves without losing its order." With lucidity ascending and turbidity descending, Qi moves in a normal state, and Yin and Yang consolidate the foundation of the body. The mutual interference between lucidity and turbidity leads to the disorder of Qi movement, thus causing diseases. It is a pathological state of disorder between ascending and descending, as well as between entering and exiting, gradually evolving into a state of turbidity affecting lucidity and transforming into pathogen, which can be used to interpret and analyze the core of disease pathogenesis. The theory of lucidity and turbidity is connected with the harmony of nutrient and defensive aspects, Qi circulation, and sweat pore associating with Qi movement, and it has common implications with immune responses and nutrient metabolism system, intestinal mucosal barrier function, and mitochondrial energy synthesis. Modern studies have shown that intestinal flora imbalance, bile acid receptor inactivation, macrophage polarization imbalance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, ferroptosis and other related microscopic pathological mechanisms are involved in the development and progression of ulcerative colitis. By delving into the common meaning of the classic theory of mutual interference between lucidity and turbidity in traditional Chinese medicine and modern medical pathological mechanisms, this paper summarizes the correspondence between the micropathological mechanism and the theory of mutual interference between lucidity and turbidity in the regulation and mamagement of ulcerative colitis. The combined use of sweet and warm medicinal materials consolidates the middle Qi and activates Qi circulation, thus ascending lucidity and descending turbidity. The combined use of pungent medicinal materials for dispersing and bitter medicinal materials for descending simultaneously raises warm and clear Qi. Wind-extinguishing medicinal materials facilitate the ascending of Qi and the opening of sweat pores. Accordingly, turbidity descends and lucidity ascends. The prescriptions incorporating these medication principles are in agreement with the therapeutic approach of following the normal flow of lucidity and turbidity. This paper clarifies the scientific connotation and micropathologic mechanism of ulcerative colitis from the perspective of mutual interference between lucidity and turbidity, providing new theories and prescriptions for the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of ulcerative colitis.
2.Clinical observation of everolimus combined with letrozole and conventional chemotherapy for metastatic/recurrent endometrial carcinoma
Dongyan BAI ; Yu WU ; Shu ZHANG ; Yanrong WAN
China Pharmacy 2026;37(1):61-65
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of everolimus combined with letrozole and conventional chemotherapy for metastatic or recurrent endometrial carcinoma (EC). METHODS The clinical and follow-up data of 156 patients with metastatic or recurrent EC admitted to Nanyang Central Hospital from January 2020 to January 2024 were analyzed retrospectively. They were divided into a control group (77 cases) and an observation group (79 cases) according to different therapeutic regimens. The control group received paclitaxel+carboplatin/cisplatin regimen, and concurrently took Letrozole tablets at a dose of 2.5 mg orally once daily; the observation group took Everolimus tablets 10 mg orally, once a day, in addition to the treatment regimen given to the control group. Each treatment cycle lasted 21 days, and both groups of patients underwent continuous treatment for 6 to 8 cycles. The short-term efficacy indicators (objective response rate and disease control rate), the levels of serum tumor markers [carbohydrate antigen 125, human epididymis protein 4, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-9] and medium- to long-term efficacy indicators [progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)] were compared between the two groups. Additionally, the occurrence of toxic and side effects in both groups of patients was recorded. RESULTS The objective response rate (53.16%), disease control rate (89.87%), median PFS (6.47 months) and median OS (10.79 months) of the observation group were significantly higher or longer than those (22.08%, 68.83%, 4.63 months, 8.84 months) of the control group (P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, the levels of serum tumor markers in both groups decreased significantly after 6 cycles of treatment; the above indexes of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). The proportion of patients with stomatitis in the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05), and there was no statistically significant difference in the proportions of patients experiencing other toxic and side effects, such as leukopenia, between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The everolimus combined with letrozole and conventional chemotherapy can effectively improve the short-term efficacy and prolong the survival period in patients with metastatic or recurrent EC, but attention should be paid to the occurrence of toxic and side effects, especially stomatitis.
3.Differences in deltamethrin resistance and kdr gene mutation in Culex tritaeniorhynchus population in and outside the Yellow Sea wetland
Xiao-er ZHANG ; Zhi-ming WU ; Ye TIAN ; Qian CUI ; Yu-qian JI ; Huan WANG ; Shu-juan YANG ; Yi-chao ZHAO ; Yu WANG ; Hua-yu YIN ; Yu DING ; Guo-jin YAN ; Min-sen ZHAO ; Shou-gang ZHANG ; Bing-dong SONG ; Hong-na CHEN ; Jian GAO ; Wei-fang YANG ; Yu-fu ZHANG ; Hui LIU ; Hong-liang CHU
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2026;33(2):101-107
Objective To gain insights into the biological characteristics of different populations of Culex tritaeniorhynchus within and around the Yellow Sea wetland from the perspective of the occurrence of resistance, we investigated the levels of resistance to deltamethrin and kdr gene mutation in the wetland and its peripheral areas. Methods Specimens were collected from Cx. tritaeniorhynchus populations at two monitoring sites in the Rare Bird National Nature Reserve and Tiaozi Ni Wetland Scenic Area, and also from two populations in Yancheng City and the Liuhe District of Nanjing, and the resistance of these mosquitoes to deltamethrin was determined using the CDC biotest bottle method. For each concentration of deltamethrin assessed, a random subset of exposed specimens was selected for amplification of the kdr gene fragment, followed by Sanger sequencing to identify and analyze resistance-associated mutations. Results The LC50 levels of deltamethrin among mosquitoes from the four populations in Luhe, Yancheng, the Rare Bird National Nature Reserve and the Tiaozi Ni Wetland Scenic Area were 2.048 5, 7.798 2, 3.473 3, and 17.695 5 mg/mL, respectively, with corresponding concentrations of deltamethrin ranging from 0.005 to 5.000,0.050 to 50.000,0.050 to 25.000 and 0.050 to 50.000 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the ranges of the KT50 values were 11.76-107.43, 67.05-216.30,29.77-107.43 and 28.40-329.51 min; the 1-h knockdown rates were 34.58%-99.15%, 9.52%-43.80%, 55.09%-73.01%, and 10.09%-68.07%; and the 24-h mortality rates were 12.15%-67.52%,9.52%-79.56%,13.17%-82.21%, and 11.01%-78.99%, respectively. With respect to kdr gene mutation, we assayed a total of 63,70,59, and 57 mosquitoes for the four populations, for which we detected L1014F mutation frequencies of 14.29%, 35.00%, 20.34%, and 31.58%, respectively, with a majority of these mutations being heterozygous for resistance. In addition, five adult mosquitoes were identified has having synonymous mutations at site 1011[i. e. , AAT(asparagine)mutation to AAC(asparagine)]. Conclusions Our findings revealed the clear resistance of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus to deltamethrin in the Yancheng region of the Yellow Sea wetland, and the resistance phenotype and kdr frequency of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus in the wetland environment were comparable to those of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus in the wetland environment, thereby indicating that the resistance of different populations of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was homogeneous under the pressure of different insecticide selection within and around the wetland. However, the underlying mechanisms need to be further studied.
4.Three cases of acquired ocular toxoplasmosis
Rui-rui LI ; Shu ZHOU ; Hua LIU ; Bo ZHOU ; Yu-zhang HU
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2026;33(1):66-68
In this study, there were three toxoplasmosis patients, two of whom developed symptoms in both eyes. One patient had a slight deviation of the lesion from the central fovea, which had a minor impact on vision. The diagnosis of this disease requires not only a close pet contact history and typical clinical manifestations, but also serology and the gold standard Goldmann-Witmer coefficient(GWC). However, the GWC of some patients cannot be detected at the initial stage, such as the first patient′s GWC, which did not meet the standard. All three patients underwent metagenomic testing to assist with diagnosis.
5.The effect of rutaecarpine on improving fatty liver and osteoporosis in MAFLD mice
Yu-hao ZHANG ; Yi-ning LI ; Xin-hai JIANG ; Wei-zhi WANG ; Shun-wang LI ; Ren SHENG ; Li-juan LEI ; Yu-yan ZHANG ; Jing-rui WANG ; Xin-wei WEI ; Yan-ni XU ; Yan LIN ; Lin TANG ; Shu-yi SI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):141-149
Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D303)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.
6.Patient experience of robot-assisted percutaneous kyphoplasty with bone cement injection into injured vertebrae under local anesthesia
Jiahong LI ; Shu LIN ; Liuyi TANG ; Jiang HU ; Yang YU ; Wei ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(22):4647-4652
BACKGROUND:Percutaneous kyphoplasty assisted by C-arm under local anesthesia requires continuous adjustment of the puncture direction under multiple C-arm fluoroscopy.The establishment time of the working channel is longer,and the intraoperative pain stimulation of patients is larger.With the help of the robot,the puncture can be successfully performed at one time,which can significantly improve the experience of patients and reduce the risk of bone cement leakage.OBJECTIVE:To compare the patient experience and other outcomes of percutaneous kyphoplasty using robot-assisted and conventional C-arm fluoroscopy under local anesthesia.METHODS:A total of 241 patients with single-stage osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture were selected from Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences·Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital(Affiliated Hospital,University of Electronic Science and Technology of China).132 patients underwent robot-assisted percutaneous kyphoplasty under local anesthesia(robot-assisted group).109 cases of conventional C-arm assisted percutaneous kyphoplasty under local anesthesia(conventional fluoroscopy group).Patients'intraoperative experience evaluation,bone cement injection amount,operation time,working channel establishment time,hospitalization cost and complications were recorded.Puncture deviation and bone cement leakage were evaluated by imaging on the first day after surgery.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The intraoperative experience of 59 patients in the robot-assisted group was rated as"very good",43 as"good",16 as"average",10 as"poor",and 4 as"very poor,"while that of 30 patients in the conventional fluoroscopy group was rated as"very good",44 cases were"good",21"average",9"poor",and 5"very poor."There was a significant difference between the two groups in intraoperative experience evaluation(Z=-2.546,P=0.011).Intraoperative pain visual analog scale score was lower in the robot-assisted group than that in the conventional fluoroscopy group(t=-9.513,P=0.000).Totally 84 patients in the robot-assisted group and 47 patients in the conventional fluoroscopy group were willing to undergo percutaneous kyphoplasty again when necessary,and there was a significant difference between the two groups(Z=-2.730,P=0.006).(2)The operation time and hospitalization cost of the robot-assisted group were more than those of the conventional fluoroscopy group(t=2.860,P=0.003;t=36.522,P=0.000).The working channel establishment time of robot-assisted group was shorter than that of conventional fluoroscopy group(t=-27.066,P=0.000).The puncture deviation of robot-assisted group was better than that of conventional fluoroscopy group(Z=-3.656,P=0.000).The cement leakage of robot-assisted group was lower than that of conventional fluoroscopy group(χ2=7.284,P=0.007).(3)It is concluded that under local anesthesia,patients with robot-assisted percutaneous kyphoplasty have good surgical experience,with advantages of accurate puncture,short time to establish working channel,and low leakage rate of bone cement.
7.Application of plant virus nanoparticles in cancer immunotherapy
Xingfu SHU ; Yu ZHAO ; Bowen ZHANG ; Yao CHEN ; Zhongren MA ; Haixia ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2025;41(5):1252-1256,1262
Plant virus nanoparticles(PVNPs)have inherent immune stimulation ability,which has been widely studied as an immune adjuvant to stimulate the anti-tumor immune response.PVNPs not only have the potential to be used as vaccine adjuvants for cancer immunotherapy,but also as delivery systems for single immunotherapy or combination therapies.Among them,PVNPs have achieved great success in preclinical research of cancer immunotherapy.The new immunotherapy strategy is to use PVNPs as in situ vaccination(ISV),which can effectively inhibit tumor growth and produce a widening systemic anti-tumor immune response after in-tratumoral administration;in addition,PVNPs in combination with other tumor treatment modalities may also improve the local and systemic anti-tumor immune response.In this review,the application and prospects of plant virus nanoparticles in cancer immunotherapy are reviewed,in order to provide new ideas for cancer immunotherapy.
8.Ursodeoxycholic acid inhibits the uptake of cystine through SLC7A11 and impairs de novo synthesis of glutathione
Fu'an XIE ; Yujia NIU ; Xiaobing CHEN ; Xu KONG ; Guangting YAN ; Aobo ZHUANG ; Xi LI ; Lanlan LIAN ; Dongmei QIN ; Quan ZHANG ; Ruyi ZHANG ; Kunrong YANG ; Xiaogang XIA ; Kun CHEN ; Mengmeng XIAO ; Chunkang YANG ; Ting WU ; Ye SHEN ; Chundong YU ; Chenghua LUO ; Shu-Hai LIN ; Wengang LI
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(1):189-207
Ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA)is a naturally occurring,low-toxicity,and hydrophilic bile acid(BA)in the human body that is converted by intestinal flora using primary BA.Solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11)functions to uptake extracellular cystine in exchange for glutamate,and is highly expressed in a variety of human cancers.Retroperitoneal liposarcoma(RLPS)refers to liposarcoma originating from the retroperitoneal area.Lipidomics analysis revealed that UDCA was one of the most significantly down-regulated metabolites in sera of RIPS patients compared with healthy subjects.The augmentation of UDCA concentration(≥25 μg/mL)demonstrated a suppressive effect on the proliferation of liposarcoma cells.[15N2]-cystine and[13Cs]-glutamine isotope tracing revealed that UDCA impairs cystine uptake and glutathione(GSH)synthesis.Mechanistically,UDCA binds to the cystine transporter SLC7A11 to inhibit cystine uptake and impair GSH de novo synthesis,leading to reactive oxygen species(ROS)accumulation and mitochondrial oxidative damage.Furthermore,UDCA can promote the anti-cancer effects of ferroptosis inducers(Erastin,RSL3),the murine double minute 2(MDM2)inhibitors(Nutlin 3a,RG7112),cyclin dependent kinase 4(CDK4)inhibitor(Abemaciclib),and glutaminase inhibitor(CB839).Together,UDCA functions as a cystine exchange factor that binds to SLC7A11 for antitumor activity,and SLC7A11 is not only a new transporter for BA but also a clinically applicable target for UDCA.More importantly,in combination with other antitumor chemotherapy or physiotherapy treatments,UDCA may provide effective and promising treatment strategies for RLPS or other types of tumors in a ROS-dependent manner.
9.Screen of FDA-approved drug library identifies vitamin K as anti-ferroptotic drug for osteoarthritis therapy through Gas6
Yifeng SHI ; Sunlong LI ; Shuhao ZHANG ; Caiyu YU ; Jiansen MIAO ; Shu YANG ; Yan CHEN ; Yuxuan ZHU ; Xiaoxiao HUANG ; Chencheng ZHOU ; Hongwei OUYANG ; Xiaolei ZHANG ; Xiangyang WANG
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(5):1033-1047
Ferroptosis of chondrocytes is a significant contributor to osteoarthritis(OA),for which there is still a lack of safe and effective therapeutic drugs targeting ferroptosis.Here,we screen for anti-ferroptotic drugs in Food and Drug Administration(FDA)-approved drug library via a high-throughput manner in chondrocytes.We identified a group of FDA-approved anti-ferroptotic drugs,among which vitamin K showed the most powerful protective effect.Further study demonstrated that vitamin K effectively inhibited ferroptosis and alleviated the extracellular matrix(ECM)degradation in chondrocytes.Intra-articular injection of vitamin K inhibited ferroptosis and alleviated OA phenotype in destabilization of the medial meniscus(DMM)mouse model.Mechanistically,transcriptome sequencing and knockdown experiments revealed that the anti-ferroptotic effects of vitamin K depended on growth arrest-specific 6(Gas6).Furthermore,exogenous expression of Gas6 was found to inhibit ferroptosis through the AXL receptor tyrosine kinase(AXL)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT serine/threonine kinase(AKT)axis.Together,we demonstrate that vitamin K inhibits ferroptosis and alleviates OA progression via enhancing Gas6 expression and its downstream pathway of AXL/PI3K/AKT axis,indicating vitamin K as well as Gas6 to serve as a potential therapeutic target for OA and other ferroptosis-related diseases.
10.Chemical constituents from Inula japonica and their anti-asthmatic activity
Yan ZHANG ; Yan-rong GUO ; Su-ping YU ; Shu-ling WANG ; Xiao-song CHEN ; Yu-xia HAN ; Ming-hao PENG
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(10):3283-3289
AIM To study the chemical constituents from Inula japonica Thunb.and their anti-asthmatic activity.METHODS Separation and purification were performed using silica gel and Sephadex LH-20,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.The effect of compounds on the release rate of β-Hex was evaluated by substrate coloration method.RESULTS Twenty-three compounds were isolated and identified as dehydrodontic acid(1),vitexin(2),alternariol(3),globuxanthone(4),1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxyxanthone(5),hydroxyhydrolapachol(6),isoscopoletin(7),elephanmollen(8),benzoylcholine(9),hoconobiflavone(10),clovandiol(11),hydroxydihydrobovolide(12),5,7-dihydroxycoumarin(13),scopoletin(14),orlichenol glucoside(15),urolignoside(16),9-angeloyloxythymol(17),6,3′,4′-trihydroxyaurone(18),flufuran(19),sweroside(20),guajadial(21),5,7,4′-trimethoxy-4-phenylcoumarin(22),dibutylphthalate(23).After intervention with compounds 9 and 16,the release rates of β-Hex were(56.64±2.37)%and(58.07±2.29)%,respectively.CONCLUSION Compounds 1-23 are isolated from Ⅰ.japonica for the first time.Compounds 9 and 16 have anti-asthmatic activity.


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