1.Clinical Characteristics, Risk Factors, Diagnostic Methods and Therapeutic Response of Cutaneous Sporotrichosis Infection In An Endemic Region
Shen Wei Lee ; Dy-win Low ; Ken Chen Loh ; Adawiyah Jamil
Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences 2026;24(No. 1):44-51
Cutaneous sporotrichosis is a fungal infection caused by traumatic inoculation of Sporothrix. We aimed to study
the clinical characteristics of human sporotrichosis, risk factors for infection, the yield of diagnostic methods and
therapeutic response to standard clinical therapy. A cohort study of was performed. A total of 29 patients with
clinical features suggestive of sporotrichosis were recruited within a one-year period from all public hospitals in
Kedah, Malaysia. Majority were females (86%) who were housewives (69%). The most common comorbidities
were diabetes mellitus (38%), hypertension (31%) and dyslipidaemia (21%), none was a significant risk factor for
severity of infection. Mean duration of disease was 2±2 months. More than 2/3 of the patients (79%) had pet cats,
14(48%) recalled minor cat-inflicted trauma. Lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis (62%) was more common than
fixed cutaneous type, affecting the upper limbs in 94%. Ulcerations and nodules were the main lesion morphology.
Histopathology showed granulomatous inflammation in 72%, culture grew Sprorothrix in 55% and polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) detected Sporothrix schenkii sensu stricto in 65%. Itraconazole was effective with 93% of
patients achieving complete resolution with 4 months of therapy. Sporotrichosis in Malaysia remains endemic.
Feline contact is the most important risk factor for infection. Diagnosis is best confirmed with tissue PCR while
culture and histopathology are also useful. Sporothrix schenkii sensu stricto was the only species identified and
itraconazole is an effective first line therapeutic agent.
2.Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Pingxuan Capsules
Yuer HU ; Yanming XIE ; Yaming LIN ; Yuanqi ZHAO ; Yihuai ZOU ; Mingquan LI ; Xiaoming SHEN ; Wei PENG ; Changkuan FU ; Yuanyuan LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(1):201-210
As a patented characteristic medicine of Yi ethnic minority, Pingxuan capsules have the effects of nourishing the liver and kidney, pacifying the liver, and subduing Yang. With the main indications of dizziness, headache, palpitations, tinnitus, insomnia, dreaminess, waist and knee soreness caused by liver-kidney deficiency and liver Yang upward disturbance, Pingxuan capsules are widely used in the treatment of posterior circulation ischemic vertigo, vestibular migraine, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. However, the current knowledge is limited regarding the efficacy, syndrome differentiation, and safety of this medicine. On the basis of summarizing the experience of clinicians and the existing evidence, this study invites clinical experts of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, pharmaceutical experts, and methodological experts from relevant fields across China to conduct evidence-based evaluation of Pingxuan capsules. The evaluation follows the Specifications for the Development of Clinical Expert Consensus on Chinese Patent Medicines issued by the Standardization Office of the China Association of Chinese Medicine, and reaches 5 recommendations and 16 consensus suggestions. The consensus clarifies the clinical applications, efficacy, dose, course of treatment, combination of medicines, precautions, and contraindications of Pingxuan capsules in the treatment of vertigo and explains the safety of clinical application. This consensus is applicable to clinicians (traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine, and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine) and pharmacists in tertiary hospitals, secondary hospitals, and community-level medical and health institutions across China, providing a reference for the rational use of Pingxuan capsules in the treatment of vertigo. It is hoped that the promotion of this consensus can facilitate the rational use of drugs in clinical practice, reduce the risk of drug use, and give full play to the advantages of Pingxuan capsules in the treatment of vertigo diseases. This consensus has been reviewed and published by the China Association of Chinese Medicine, with the number GS/CACM330-2023.
3.Material Basis and Its Distribution in vivo of Qili Qiangxin Capsules Analyzed by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS
Jianwei ZHANG ; Jiekai HUA ; Rongsheng LI ; Qin WANG ; Xinnan CHANG ; Wei LIU ; Jie SHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(5):185-193
ObjectiveBased on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS), the chemical constituents of Qili Qiangxin capsules was identified, and their distribution in vivo was analyzed. MethodsUPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS was used to detect the sample solution of Qili Qiangxin capsules, as well as the serum, brain, heart, lung, spleen, liver and kidney tissues of mice after oral administration. Using the Thermo Xcalibur 2.2 software, the compound information database was constructed, and the molecular formulas of compounds corresponding to the quasi-molecular ions were fitted. Based on the information of retention time, accurate relative molecular mass and fragments, the compounds and their distribution in vivo were analyzed by comparing with the data of reference substances and literature. ResultsA total of 233 compounds, including 70 terpenoids, 60 flavonoids, 23 organic acids, 17 alkaloids, 20 steroids, 7 coumarins and 36 others, were identified or predicted from Qili Qiangxin capsules, 73 of which were identified matching with standard substances. Tissue distribution results showed that 71, 17, 38, 33, 32, 58 and 43 migrating components were detected in blood, brain, heart, lung, spleen, liver and kidney, respectively. Thirty-seven components were absorbed into the blood and heart, including quinic acid, benzoylaconitine benzoylmesaconine and so on. Fourteen components were absorbed into the blood and six tissues, including calycosin, methylnissolin, formononetin, alisol B, alisol A and so on. ConclusionThis study comprehensively analyzes the chemical components of Qili Qiangxin capsules and their distribution in vivo. Among them, astragaloside Ⅳ, salvianolic acid B, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rb3, ginsenoside Rd, ginsenoside Rg3, calycosin-7-glucoside, and sinapine may be the important components for the treatment of heart failure, which can provide useful reference for its quality control and research on pharmacodynamic material basis.
4.Overview of the amendments and revisions to the General Technical Requirements adopted by the Volume Ⅳ of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition
ZHANG Jun ; NING Baoming ; WEI Shifeng ; SHEN Haoyu ; SHANG Yue ; ZHU Ran ; XU Xinyi ; CHEN Lei ; LIU Tingting ; MA Shuangcheng
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(1):034-044
To introduce the general thinking, guidelines, work objectives and elaboration process of the general technical requirements adopted by volume Ⅳ of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition, and to summarize and figure out the main characteristics on dosage forms, physico-chemical testing, microbial and biological testing, reference standards and guidelines The newly revised general chapters of pharmacopoeia give full play to the normative and guiding role of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard, track the frontier dynamics of international drug regulatory science and the elaboration of monographs, expand the application of state-of-the-art technologies, and steadily promote the harmonization and unification with the ICH guidelines; further enhance the overall capacity of TCM quality control, actively implement the 3 R principles on animal experiments, and practice the concept of environmental-friendly; replace and/or reduce the use of toxic and hazardous reagents, strengthen the requirements of drug safety control This paper aims to provide a full-view perspective for the comprehensive, correct understanding and accurate implementation of general technical requirements included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition.
5.Interpretation and thoughts on the formulation and revision of the standards for exogenous harmful residues in traditional Chinese medicinal materials in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition
WANG Ying ; SHEN Mingrui ; LIU Yuanxi ; ZUO Tiantian ; WANG Dandan ; HE Yi ; CHENG Xianlong ; JIN Hongyu ; LIU Yongli ; WEI Feng ; MA Shuangcheng
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(1):083-092
As people’s attention to health continues to increase, the market demand for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is growing steadily. The quality and safety of Chinese medicinal materials have attracted unprecedented social attention. In particular, the issue of exogenous harmful residue pollution in TCM has become a hot topic of concern for both regulatory authorities and society. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition further refines the detection methods and limit standards for exogenous harmful residues in TCM. This not only reflects China’s high-level emphasis on the quality and safety of TCM but also demonstrates the continuous progress made by China in the field of TCM safety supervision. Basis on this study, by systematically reviewing the development history of the detection standards for exogenous harmful residues in TCM and analyzing the revisions and updates of these detection standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition, deeply explores the key points of the changes in the monitoring standards for exogenous harmful residues in TCM in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition. Moreover, it interprets the future development directions of the detection of exogenous residues in TCM, aiming to provide a reference for the formulation of TCM safety supervision policies.
6.Effects and mechanisms of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot combined with empagliflozin in attenuating diabetic tubulopathy through multiple targets based on mitochondrial homeostasis and ZBP1-mediated PANoptosis.
Si-Yu CHA ; Meng WANG ; Yi-Gang WAN ; Si-Ping DING ; Yu WANG ; Shi-Yu SHEN ; Wei WU ; Ying-Lu LIU ; Qi-Jun FANG ; Yue TU ; Hai-Tao TANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(13):3738-3753
This study aimed to explore the mechanisms and molecular targets of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot(TFA) plus empagliflozin(EM) in attenuating diabetic tubulopathy(DT) by targeting mitochondrial homeostasis and pyroptosis-apoptosis-necroptosis(PANoptosis). In the in vivo study, the authors established the DT rat models through a combination of uninephrectomy, administration of streptozotocin via intraperitoneal injections, and exposure to a high-fat diet. Following modeling successfully, the DT rat models received either TFA, EM, TFA+EM, or saline(as a vehicle) by gavage for eight weeks, respectively. In the in vitro study, the authors subjected the NRK52E cells with or without knock-down Z-DNA binding protein 1(ZBP1) to a high-glucose(HG) environment and various treatments including TFA, EM, and TFA+EM. In the in vivo and in vitro studies, The authors investigated the relative characteristics of renal tubular injury and renal tubular epithelial cells damage induced by reactive oxygen species(ROS), analyzed the relative characteristics of renal tubular PANoptosis and ZBP1-mediatted PANoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells, and compared the relative characteristics of the protein expression levels of marked molecules of mitochondrial fission in the kidneys and mitochondrial homeostasis in renal tubular epithelial cells, respectively. Furthermore, in the network pharmacology study, the authors predicted and screened targets of TFA and EM using HERB and SwissTargetPrediction databases; The screened chemical constituents and targets of TFA and EM were constructed the relative network using Cytoscape 3.7.2 network graphics software; The relative targets of DT were integrated using OMIM and GeneCards databases; The intersecting targets of TFA, EM, and DT were enriched and analyzed signaling pathways by Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) software using DAVID database. In vivo study results showed that TFA+EM could improve renal tubular injury, the protein expression levels and characteristics of key signaling molecules in PANoptosis pathway in the kidneys, and the protein expression levels of marked molecules of mitochondrial fission in the kidneys. And that, the ameliorative effects in vivo of TFA+EM were both superior to TFA or EM. Network pharmacology study results showed that TFA+EM treated DT by regulating the PANoptosis signaling pathway. In vitro study results showed that TFA+EM could improve ROS-induced cell injury, ZBP1-mediatted PANoptosis, and mitochondrial homeostasis in renal tubular epithelial cells under a state of HG, including the protein expression levels of marked molecules of mitochondrial fission, mitochondrial ultrastructure, and membrane potential level. And that, the ameliorative effects in vitro of TFA+EM were both superior to TFA or EM. More importantly, using the NRK52E cells with knock-down ZBP1, the authors found that, indeed, ZBP1 was mediated PANoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells as an upstream factor. In addition, TFA+EM could regulate the protein expression levels of marked signaling molecules of PANoptosis by targeting ZBP1. In summary, this study clarified that TFA+EM, different from TFA or EM, could attenuate DT with multiple targets by ameliorating mitochondrial homeostasis and inhibiting ZBP1-mediated PANoptosis. These findings provide the clear pharmacological evidence for the clinical treatment of DT with a novel strategy of TFA+EM, which is named "coordinated traditional Chinese and western medicine".
Animals
;
Rats
;
Mitochondria/metabolism*
;
Benzhydryl Compounds/administration & dosage*
;
Glucosides/administration & dosage*
;
Abelmoschus/chemistry*
;
Male
;
Homeostasis/drug effects*
;
Flavones/administration & dosage*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Diabetic Nephropathies/physiopathology*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics*
;
Humans
;
Apoptosis/drug effects*
7.Quality evaluation of Bidentis Herba derived from different original plants based on HPLC fingerprints, characteristic chromatograms, multi-component content determination combined with chemical pattern recognition.
Guo-Li SHI ; Yun MA ; Feng-Xia SHEN ; Han-Wen DU ; Cong-Min LIU ; Rui-Xia WEI ; Yan-Fang LI ; Jian-Wei FAN ; Yong-Xia GUAN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(15):4284-4292
This study established the HPLC fingerprints, characteristic chromatograms, and a multi-component content determination method for Bidens bipinnata and B. biternata. The chemical pattern recognition analysis was then employed to clarify the characteristic indexes of quality differences between the two original plants of Bidentis Herba, providing a reference for establishing the quality standards of Bidentis Herba. HPLC was launched on an Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C_(18) chromatographic column(4.6 mm×250 mm, 4 μm) by gradient elution with a mobile phase of 0.1% aqueous phosphoric acid-acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.7 mL·min~(-1), detection wavelength of 270 nm, column temperature of 25 ℃, and an injection volume of 5 μL. The similarity between the fingerprints of 18 batches of Bidentis Herba samples and the common pattern(R) ranged from 0.572 to 0.933. A total of 23 chromatographic peaks were calibrated. Through comparison with the reference substances, six components(neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B, rutin, and hyperoside) were identified and subjected to quantitative analysis. The characteristic fingerprints of B. bipinnata and B. biternata were calibrated with 20 and 17 characteristic peaks, respectively. Among them, peaks 8, 9, 22, and 23 were the characteristic peaks of B. bipinnata, and peak 7 was the characteristic peak of B. biternata, which can be used to distinguish the two original plants of Bidentis Herba. The relative standard deviation of the content of the above-mentioned six components ranged from 36% to 123%. The cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) classified the 18 batches of Bidentis Herba samples into two categories. Additionally, through the analysis of variable importance in projection(VIP) under OPLS-DA, three characteristic indexes, rutin, isochlorogenic acid A, and isochlorogenic acid B, were identified. The analytical method established in this study can comprehensively evaluate the consistency of Bidentis Herba samples derived from different original plants, specifically identify the differential components between them, and effectively distinguish the two original plants of Bidentis Herba, providing a basis for the differentiation between different original plants and the quality control of Bidentis Herba.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*
;
Quality Control
;
Bidens/chemistry*
8.Development of oral preparations of poorly soluble drugs based on polymer supersaturated self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery technology.
Xu-Long CHEN ; Jiang-Wen SHEN ; Wei-Wei ZHA ; Jian-Yun YI ; Lin LI ; Zhang-Ting LAI ; Zheng-Gen LIAO ; Ye ZHU ; Yue-Er CHENG ; Cheng LI
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(16):4471-4482
Poor water solubility is the primary obstacle preventing the development of many pharmacologically active compounds into oral preparations. Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems(SNEDDS) have become a widely used strategy to enhance the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs by inducing a supersaturated state, thereby improving their apparent solubility and dissolution rate. However, the supersaturated solutions formed in SNEDDS are thermodynamically unstable systems with solubility levels exceeding the crystalline equilibrium solubility, making them prone to drug precipitation in the gastrointestinal tract and ultimately hindering drug absorption. Therefore, maintaining a stable supersaturated state is crucial for the effective delivery of poorly soluble drugs. Incorporating polymers as precipitation inhibitors(PPIs) into the formulation of supersaturated self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems(S-SNEDDS) can inhibit drug aggregation and crystallization, thus maintaining a stable supersaturated state. This has emerged as a novel preparation strategy and a key focus in SNEDDS research. This review explores the preparation design of SNEDDS and the technical challenges involved, with a particular focus on polymer-based S-SNEDDS for enhancing the solubility and oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. It further elucidates the mechanisms by which polymers participate in transmembrane transport, summarizes the principles by which polymers sustain a supersaturated state, and discusses strategies for enhancing drug absorption. Altogether, this review provides a structured framework for the development of S-SNEDDS preparations with stable quality and reduced development risk, and offers a theoretical reference for the application of S-SNEDDS technology in improving the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs.
Solubility
;
Administration, Oral
;
Polymers/chemistry*
;
Drug Delivery Systems/methods*
;
Humans
;
Emulsions/chemistry*
;
Biological Availability
;
Animals
;
Pharmaceutical Preparations/administration & dosage*
9.Medical text classification model integrating medical entity label semantics.
Li WEI ; Dechun ZHAO ; Lu QIN ; Yanghuazi LIU ; Yuchen SHEN ; Changrong YE
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(2):326-333
Automatic classification of medical questions is of great significance in improving the quality and efficiency of online medical services, and belongs to the task of intent recognition. Joint entity recognition and intent recognition perform better than single task models. Currently, most publicly available medical text intent recognition datasets lack entity annotation, and manual annotation of these entities requires a lot of time and manpower. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a medical text classification model, bidirectional encoder representation based on transformer-recurrent convolutional neural network-entity-label-semantics (BRELS), which integrates medical entity label semantics. This model firstly utilizes an adaptive fusion mechanism to absorb prior knowledge of medical entity labels, achieving local feature enhancement. Then in global feature extraction, a lightweight recurrent convolutional neural network (LRCNN) is used to suppress parameter growth while preserving the original semantics of the text. The ablation and comparison experiments are conducted on three public medical text intent recognition datasets to validate the performance of the model. The results show that F1 score reaches 87.34%, 81.71%, and 77.74% on each dataset, respectively. The results show that the BRELS model can effectively identify and understand medical terminology, thereby effectively identifying users' intentions, which can improve the quality and efficiency of online medical services.
Semantics
;
Neural Networks, Computer
;
Humans
;
Natural Language Processing
10.Multi-Phase Contrast-Enhanced CT Clinical-Radiomics Model for Predicting Prognosis of Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma After Surgery: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.
Shen-Bo ZHANG ; Zheng WANG ; Ge HU ; Si-Hang CHENG ; Zhi-Wei WANG ; Zheng-Yu JIN
Chinese Medical Sciences Journal 2025;40(3):161-170
OBJECTIVES:
To develop and validate a preoperative clinical-radiomics model for predicting overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA) undergoing radical resection.
METHODS:
In this retrospective study, consecutive patients with pathologically-confirmed eCCA who underwent radical resection at our institution from 2015 to 2022 were included. The patients were divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort according to the chronological order of their CT examinations. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-Cox regression was employed to select predictive radiomic features and clinical variables. The selected features and variables were incorporated into a Cox regression model. Model performance for 1-year OS and DFS prediction was assessed using calibration curves, area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and concordance index (C-index).
RESULTS:
This study included 123 patients (mean age 64.0 ± 8.4 years, 85 males/38 females), with 86 in the training cohort and 37 in the validation cohort. The OS-predicting model included four clinical variables and four radiomic features. It achieved a training cohort AUC of 0.858 (C-index = 0.800) and a validation cohort AUC of 0.649 (C-index = 0.605). The DFS-predicting model included four clinical variables and four other radiomic features. It achieved a training cohort AUC of 0.830 (C-index = 0.760) and a validation cohort AUC of 0.717 (C-index = 0.616).
CONCLUSIONS
The preoperative clinical-radiomics models show promise as a tool for predicting 1-year OS and DFS in eCCA patients after radical surgery.
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Middle Aged
;
Cholangiocarcinoma/mortality*
;
Prognosis
;
Bile Duct Neoplasms/mortality*
;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*
;
Aged
;
Radiomics


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