Fermented traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has a long history of medicinal use, such as Sojae Semen Praeparatum, Arisaema Cum Bile, Pinelliae Rhizoma Fermentata, red yeast rice, and Jianqu. Fermentation technology was recorded in the earliest TCM work, Shen Nong's Classic of the Materia Medica. Microorganisms are essential components of the fermentation process. However, the contamination of fermented TCM by toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins due to unstandardized fermentation processes seriously affects the quality of TCM and poses a threat to the life and health of consumers. In this paper, the characteristics, microbial composition, and mycotoxin profile of fermented TCM are systematically summarized to provide a theoretical basis for its quality and safety control.
Fermentation ; Mycotoxins/analysis* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Fungi/classification* ; Bacteria/genetics* ; Drug Contamination ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Physical attributes of Chinese herbal extracts are determined by their chemical components, and the physical and chemical attributes jointly affect the preparation process performance and the final product quality. Therefore, in order to improve the quality control of Chinese herbal extracts, we should comprehensively study the batch-to-batch consistency of physical and chemical attributes as well as the correlations between them. This paper first explored the physical attributes affecting the preparation process performance of the compound Danshen extract and developed a method for characterizing the texture attributes. With such main chemical components as water, phenolic acids, saponins, and saccharides and texture, rheology, and other physical attributes taken into consideration, the batch-to-batch quality fluctuation of products from different production lines and time was analyzed by principal components analysis(PCA). Finally, the correlation and partial least squares(PLS) analysis was conducted, and the regression equation was established. The fitting result of the PLS model for dynamic viscosity was satisfying(R~2Y=0.857, Q~2=0.793), suggesting that the chemical components could be adjusted by the component transfer rate in the extraction process, the impurity removal rate in the alcohol precipitation process, and the water retention rate of the concentration process to meet the control of the extract dynamic viscosity. This study clarified the correlations between physical and chemical attributes of the compound Danshen extract and established a method for controlling its physical attributes based on process regulation, which would provide reference for improving the quality control of Chinese herbal extracts.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Salvia miltiorrhiza/chemistry* ; Water

Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Autoantibodies ; China ; Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Scleroderma, Systemic

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients with diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, and to analyze the risk factors for AMD. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional epidemiologic study was conducted involving 14,440 individuals. We assessed the prevalence of dry and wet AMD in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects and analyzed the risk factors for AMD. Results: The prevalence of wet AMD in diabetic and non-diabetic patients was 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively, and the prevalence of dry AMD was 17% and 16.4%, respectively. The prevalence of wet AMD in healthy, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, and hypertensive/hyperlipidemic populations was 0.5%, 0.3%, 0.2%, and 0.7%, respectively. The prevalence of dry AMD in healthy, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, and hypertensive/hyperlipidemic populations was 16.6%, 16.2%, 15.2%, and 17.2%, respectively. Age, sex, body mass index, and use of hypoglycemic drugs or lowering blood pressure drugs were corrected in the risk factor analysis of AMD. Diabetes, diabetes/hypertension, diabetes/hyperlipidemia, and diabetes/hypertension/hyperlipidemia were analyzed. None of the factors analyzed in the current study increased the risk for the onset of AMD. Conclusion There was no significant difference in the prevalence of wet and dry AMD among diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of wet and dry AMD among subjects with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Diabetes co-existing with hypertension and hyperlipidemia were not shown to be risk factors for the onset of dry AMD.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias/epidemiology* ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Macular Degeneration/etiology* ; Risk Factors

Aim To observe the inhibitory effect of neferine(Nef)on the migration and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)H1299 cells by blocking ROCK pathway.Methods H1299 cells were taken for in vitro culture, and treated with different concentrations of Nef.H1299 cell viability was measured by CCK-8 method to determine the dose of the experimental group.The migration and invasion abilities of H1299 cells were detected by cell scratch test and Transwell chamber test.The expression of matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 secreted from lung cancer cells was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The protein level of ROCK1 in H1299 cells was tested by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blot; the binding mode and affinity between Nef and ROCK1 were stimulated by AutoDock semi flexible docking method.Results The doses of Nef in the experimental group were determined as 4, 6 and 10 μmol·L-1.These three concentrations of Nef could inhibit the migration and invasion of H1299 lung cancer cells to a certain degree in a dose-dependent manner.At the same time, Nef reduced the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and ROCK1 proteins related to the migration and invasion of the cancer cells.In addition, the affinity of Nef to ROCK1 was significantly higher than that of fasudil, an inhibitor of ROCK, and the binding force was stronger to A-chain of ROCK1.Conclusions As a potential natural anticancer compound, Nef can inhibit the migration and invasion of NSCLC by reducing the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and ROCK1 proteins related to the migration and invasion of the cancer cells.

Objective:To evaluate the cancer detection rate in patients with multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) PI-RADS 1-2 prior to initial biopsy, and analyze the risk factors of prostate cancer.Methods:A total of 196 patients undergoing initial prostate biopsy between July 2011 and June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to ESUR PI-RADS system, the patients’ PI-RADS score was 1 and 2, with the mean age of 66.6±9.0 years, and the median PSA 7.44 ng/ml. Twenty-eight patients were enrolled with PSA<4 ng/ml but with abnormal directeral rectun examination. The rest 168 patients were enrolled with elevated PSA. According to the Epstein prostate risk classification criteria, clinically insignificant prostate cancer was defined as: PSA density ≤0.15 ng/ml 2, Gleason score≤6, less than 3 positive needles, <50% puncture length. If any of the above is not met, the diagnosis should be clinically significant prostate cancer(CsPCa). T test or Mann-Whitney U test were used for comparison between groups. Risk factors for diagnosis of prostate cancer and CsPCa were analyzed by chi square test(or Fisher’s exact probability method) and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results:There were 42(21.4%) patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, 30(15.3%)patients were CsPCa. The negative predictive value of mpMRI was 78.6%(154/196)for prostate cancer overall, and 84.7%(166/196)for CsPCa. Patients with higher age and PSA density were associated with higher possibility of prostate cancer. Higher age, PSA level, PSA density, and lower PSA ratio were associated with higher possibility of CsPCa. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PSA density>0.15 ng/ml 2( OR=2.94, 95% CI 1.45-5.95) was independent risk factor of prostate cancer.Ages over 70 years( OR=2.49, 95% CI 1.22-5.07), PSA ratio<0.2( OR=3.70, 95% CI 1.25-11.23), PSA density>0.15 ng/ml 2( OR=5.77, 95% CI 1.96-16.96) were independent risk factors of CsPCa ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The detection rate of prostate cancer was 21.4% in patients with elevated PSA or abnormal digital prostate examination but with PI-RADS score of 1-2. Higher age and PSA density were associated with higher risk of prostate cancer. The detection rate of CsPCa was 15.3%. Ages over 70 years, PSA ratio<0.2, PSA density>0.15 ng/ml 2 were independent risk factors of CsPCa.

Many drug candidates identified from natural products are poorly water-soluble. The surfactants used to disperse the hydrophobic anticancer drugs in water may cause a serious of acute hypersensitivity reactions. Nanotech?nology provides an alternative strategy for delivery of anticancer drugs. Drugs can be encapsulated or attached to the nanomaterials such as lipids, polymers and solid-core nanoparticles. In the present study, porous inorganic nanoparti?cles have been utilized for delivery of water-insoluble anticancer drugs. The synthesized nanoparticles were functional?ized with different organic polymers. The porous nanoparticles were readily internalized by human glioblastoma U-87 MG cells, and didn't display cytotoxicity. The internalized nanoparticles were mainly localized in endosomes/lysosomes in cells. With the hydrophobic curcumin and carfilzomib as model drugs, intracellular delivery of hydrophobic anticancer drugs by the porous inorganic nanoparticles was studied. The porous nanoparticle-based encapsulation of hydrophobic drug provides the aqueous dispersion of the drugs. In endosomes/lysosomes mimicking buffers with a pH of 4.5-5.5, pH-dependent drug release was observed from drug loaded nanoparticles. The intracellular drug content and cytotoxicity were significantly higher for drug loaded nanoparticles than free drug. These results suggested porous inorganic nanoparticles might be a promising intracellular carrier for hydrophobic anticancer drugs.

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks. Conclusion Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Portal hypertension (PH) was defined as an increase in portal pressure caused by various etiologies. The formation of portosystemic collateral circulation was a compensatory form of PH. Gastrointestinal varices were one of the clinical manifestations of PH, and which clould be broadly divided into esophageal varices (EV), gastric varices (GV) and ectopic varices (EcV). At present, it is found that EcV has difficulty in diagnosis, large amount of bleeding, difficulty in hemostasis and poor prognosis. So far, the study of EcV is very limited. There was no guideline and expert consensus on EcV treatment. This review will focus on the epidemiological features of EcV and the research status of endoscopic treatment.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence of cagA, vacA, and iceA genotypes in the isolated strains of Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) from children with gastroduodenal diseases in Jiangxi, China, as well as the association between cagA, vacA, and iceA genotypes and the type of gastroduodenal diseases.

METHODSThe samples of gastric antral mucosa were collected from 316 children with gastroduodenal diseases in Jiangxi, and a total of 107 strains of H.pylori were isolated. The genomic DNA of these strains was extracted, and PCR was used to determine the ureA, cagA, vacA, and iceA genotypes.

RESULTSOf all the 107 isolated strains of H.pylori, the detection rates of ureA and cagA genes were 100% (107/107) and 94.4% (101/107) respectively. The overall detection rate of vacA gene was 100% (107/107), and the detection rates of vacAs1a, vacAs1c, vacAm1, and vacAm2 genes were 74.8% (80/107), 25.2% (27/107), 29.9% (32/107), and 69.2% (74/107) respectively, with both vacAm1 and vacAm2 genes detected in 0.9% (1/107) of all H.pylori strains. In the chimera of vacA gene, the detection rates of vacAs1a/m1, vacAs1a/m2, vacAs1c/m1, and vacAs1c/m2 genes were 26.2% (28/107), 51.4% (55/107), 3.7% (4/107), and 17.8% (19/107) respectively (P<0.001). The detection rates of iceA1 and iceA2 genes were 79.4% (85/107) and 9.3% (10/107), respectively (P<0.001), and both iceA1 and iceA2 genes were detected in 7.5% (8/107) of all strains. The detection rates of the genotypes of H.pylori showed no significant differences between the peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, and duodenal bulbar inflammation groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe dominant genotypes of H.pylori are cagA, vacAs1a/m2, and iceA1, and there are mixed infections with H.pylori strains of different genotypes in children with gastroduodenal disease from Jiangxi, China. The genotypes of H.pylori are not associated with the type of gastroduodenal disease.

Adolescent ; Antigens, Bacterial ; genetics ; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Gastritis ; microbiology ; Genotype ; Helicobacter pylori ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Peptic Ulcer ; microbiology