1.Pharmacological Mechanism of Traditonal Chinese Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Review
Xiaoli WEN ; Fangyan CAI ; Biting CHENG ; Xiang ZHANG ; Hongning LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(22):252-263
Breast cancer, as one of the major cancers threatening women's health globally, is characterized by high aggressiveness, high malignancy, and poor prognosis. In 2022, according to the World Health Organization, breast cancer ranked second in the incidence of female cancers globally, accounting for 11.6% of all new cancer cases. Western medical doctors mainly use surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, and molecular targeted therapy to treat breast cancer, which can effectively improve the recurrence rate and death rate of breast cancer patients and prolong the survival period of patients. However, its treatment process is often accompanied by a series of side effects, which bring challenges to patients' quality of life. However, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has demonstrated significant therapeutic effects in inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer cells, reducing toxic side effects produced by chemotherapy, and improving patients' survival rate and quality of life. It is therefore particularly necessary to investigate the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of TCM in breast cancer treatment. The authors combed the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of the etiology and pathogenesis of breast cancer, identification and treatment of breast cancer, TCM compound, TCM single medicine, TCM monomer, and external treatment of TCM to prevent and control breast cancer and found that TCM has a therapeutic effect on breast cancer. It can play a role in increasing the effectiveness, reducing the toxicity, and alleviating the adverse reactions. It can inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle, migration, invasion, immune escape, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), aerobic glycolysis, mitochondrial biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, reduce drug resistance, promote apoptosis, ferroptosis, cell autophagy, and regulate the tumor immune microenvironment by regulating signaling pathways. This paper aims to provide new ideas and methods for experimental research and clinical treatment of breast cancer.
2.Hemifacial microsomia with cardiac and vertebral anomalies: a case report and literature review
ZHANG Zhiqiang ; WANG Lili ; WEN Cai ; LEI Bo ; LI Shiting ; LI Jihua
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2025;33(11):979-985
Objective:
To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnostic approach, and multidisciplinary treatment strategy for a rare case of congenital defect presenting as a complex of hemifacial microsomia with cardiac and spinal deformities, in order to provide a reference for the clinical management of such cases
Methods :
The clinical data of a 9-year-old patient with hemifacial microsomia (HFM) complicated by post-operative Tetralogy of Fallot and scoliosis were retrospectively analyzed. A definitive diagnosis was established through specialized examinations, imaging studies, bone age assessment, and intellectual evaluation. The patient presented with right-sided HFM (with 3 accessory auricles, a transverse facial cleft, a microform median cleft of the upper lip, hypoplasia of the mandible and facial soft tissues, and agenesis of the right parotid gland and coronoid process), increased orbital distance, dental malalignment, congenital absence of one lateral incisor, and rampant caries in both primary and permanent dentition. The patient had undergone open-heart surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot with a patent foramen ovale four years prior and also presented with scoliosis and systemic developmental delay (bone age approximately 7 years). A retrospective analysis of the diagnosis and treatment of this type of case was conducted in conjunction with a literature review.
Results:
A multi-disciplinary treatment (MDT) model was adopted. The patient first received treatment for dental caries, followed by excision of the right accessory auricles, repair of the transverse facial cleft, and correction of the microform upper lip cleft under general anesthesia. A 6-month follow-up showed significant improvement in facial appearance and good recovery of oral function. The literature review indicated that hemifacial microsomia is a congenital disease characterized by the hypoplasia of multiple tissue structures on one side of the face. Its etiology may be related to impaired blood supply to the first and second branchial arches during early pregnancy. It often affects the craniofacial bones, ears, and soft tissues, leading to functional impairments in respiration, feeding, speech, and hearing, as well as psychological issues, severely impacting the quality of life in serious cases. The combination with cardiac and spinal deformities is relatively rare and requires individualized sequential treatment plans based on clinical evaluation and surgical indications. This typically includes cardiac surgical correction, spinal orthopedics, early soft and hard tissue reconstruction (e.g., distraction osteogenesis, facial cleft repair, and accessory auricle excision), orthodontic and dental management during the growth period, and final facial contouring in adulthood.
Conclusion
HFM can be associated with cardiac and spinal deformities, presenting with complex clinical manifestations. Early diagnosis, MDT collaboration, and sequential treatment plans are key to improving patients’ prognosis and quality of life.
3.Application and effectiveness evaluation of resident clinical pharmacist-led medication therapy management model in geriatric cardiology departments
Jingwen GUO ; Wen TIAN ; Bochang ZHANG ; Lishuang CHANG ; Shuang CAI
China Pharmacy 2025;36(21):2718-2722
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effectiveness of resident clinical pharmacist-led medication therapy management (MTM) model in geriatric cardiology departments, and provide reference for optimizing resident pharmaceutical services. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted, incorporating data from inpatients admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Geriatric Medical Center of our hospital during March to August 2023 (conventional group, n= 903) and the same period in 2024 (MTM group, n=963). The conventional group received only standard pharmaceutical services (including prospective prescription review and retrospective order evaluation), while the MTM group received additional resident clinical pharmacist-led interventions-such as medication reconciliation, personalized therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), standardized intravenous infusion management, and a four-stage closed-loop monitoring process-based on conventional care. The effectiveness of the MTM model was evaluated by comparing the primary outcome measures (e.g., intravenous infusion rate, TDM target attainment rate) and secondary outcome measures [e.g., incidence of drug-drug interactions (DDIs), incidence of grade 3 or higher acute kidney injury, average length of hospital stay, cholesterol, and medication cost per capita] between the two groups. RESULTS Compared with the conventional group, in terms of primary outcome indexes: both the overall intravenous infusion rate and the use rate of acid-suppressive injection were significantly lowered in the MTM group (P<0.05); serum concentration target attainment rates for digoxin and vancomycin were increased significantly (P<0.05). For secondary outcome indexes, the MTM group exhibited significant decreases in the work incidence of grade 3 or higher acute kidney injury, the incidence of DDIs, the rate of patients leaving the hospital against medical advice, alanine amino-transferase, aspartate transferase and the per capita total medication cost (P<0.05). Additionally, there was a notable increase in the creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate and a significant shortening of the per capita length of hospital stay (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The resident clinical pharmacist-led MTM model can significantly optimize medication therapy processes, enhance medication safety and cost-effectiveness, thus playing a positive role in promoting rational drug use and improving patient outcomes.
4.Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulates Metabolic Reprogramming to Treat Lung Cancer: A Review
Xiaoli WEN ; Fangyan CAI ; Ling LIU ; Si SHAN ; Xiang ZHANG ; Hongning LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(24):269-279
Lung cancer has the highest morbidity and mortality rate among all cancers. Because of the complex pathogenesis, there are limitations in the common Western medicine treatment methods. Clinical and experimental studies have proved that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can not only effectively treat lung cancer and alleviate the clinical symptoms of cancer patients but also reduce the adverse reactions and complications caused by surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy to improve the quality of life of the patients. The biological behaviors of lung cancer cells, such as proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, are closely related to their metabolic reprogramming. Metabolic reprogramming in lung cancer involves a series of metabolic changes such as increased glucose uptake and consumption, enhanced glycolysis, increased amino acid uptake and catabolism, and enhanced lipid and protein synthesis. Studies have reported that TCM active components, extracts, and compound prescriptions can effectively inhibit the biological behaviors of lung cancer by regulating metabolic reprogramming. Therefore, this paper reviews the pharmacological mechanisms of TCM active components, extracts, and compound prescriptions in regulating metabolic reprogramming of lung cancer, with the aim of providing a new way of thinking for the treatment of lung cancer by TCM regulation of metabolic reprogramming of lung cancer cells. The available studies suggest that TCM mainly inhibits the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)/c-Myc, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and hypoxia-inducible factor-α (HIF-1α) pathways. Furthermore, the expression of monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK1), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1), pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), hexokinase (HK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) are inhibited. In this way, TCM inhibits the glucose uptake by lung cancer cells and glycolysis in lung cancer cells to reduce the energy metabolism of tumor cells, ultimately achieving the therapeutic effect on lung cancer.
5.Diagnosis and treatment of colorectal liver metastases: Chinese expert consensus-based multidisciplinary team (2024 edition).
Wen ZHANG ; Xinyu BI ; Yongkun SUN ; Yuan TANG ; Haizhen LU ; Jun JIANG ; Haitao ZHOU ; Yue HAN ; Min YANG ; Xiao CHEN ; Zhen HUANG ; Weihua LI ; Zhiyu LI ; Yufei LU ; Kun WANG ; Xiaobo YANG ; Jianguo ZHOU ; Wenyu ZHANG ; Muxing LI ; Yefan ZHANG ; Jianjun ZHAO ; Aiping ZHOU ; Jianqiang CAI
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(15):1765-1768
6.Effects of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata on striatal neuronal apoptosis in ADHD rats via Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 pathway.
Jing WANG ; Kang-Lin ZHU ; Xin-Qiang NI ; Wen-Hua CAI ; Yu-Ting YANG ; Jia-Qi ZHANG ; Chong ZHOU ; Mei-Jun SHI
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(3):750-757
This study investigated the effects of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata on striatal neuronal apoptosis in rats with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) based on the B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax)/caspase-3 signaling pathway. Twenty-four 3-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR) were randomly divided into a model group, a methylphenidate group(2 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), and a Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata group(2.4 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)). Age-matched male Wistar Kyoto(WKY) rats were used as the normal control group, with 8 rats in each group. The rats were administered by gavage for 28 days. Body weight and food intake were recorded for each group. The open field test and elevated plus maze test were used to assess hyperactivity and impulsive behaviors. Nissl staining was used to detect changes in striatal neurons and Nissl bodies. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL) fluorescence staining was used to detect striatal cell apoptosis. Western blot was employed to detect the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 proteins in the striatum. The results showed that compared with the model group, Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata significantly reduced the total movement distance, average movement speed, and central area residence time in the open field test, and significantly reduced the ratio of open arm entries, open arm stay time, and head dipping in the elevated plus maze test. Furthermore, it increased the number of Nissl bodies in striatal neurons, significantly downregulated the apoptosis index, significantly increased Bcl-2 protein expression and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, and reduced Bax and caspase-3 protein expression. In conclusion, Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata can reduce hyperactivity and impulsive behaviors in ADHD rats. Its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 signaling pathway in the striatum, enhancing the anti-apoptotic capacity of striatal neurons.
Animals
;
Male
;
Apoptosis/drug effects*
;
Rats
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Caspase 3/genetics*
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics*
;
bcl-2-Associated X Protein/genetics*
;
Rehmannia/chemistry*
;
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/physiopathology*
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
;
Neurons/cytology*
;
Rats, Inbred SHR
;
Rats, Inbred WKY
;
Humans
;
Corpus Striatum/cytology*
;
Plant Extracts
7.Oxocrebanine inhibits proliferation of hepatoma HepG2 cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy.
Zheng-Wen WANG ; Cai-Yan PAN ; Chang-Long WEI ; Hui LIAO ; Xiao-Po ZHANG ; Cai-Yun ZHANG ; Lei YU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(6):1618-1625
The study investigated the specific mechanism by which oxocrebanine, the anti-hepatic cancer active ingredient in Stephania hainanensis, inhibits the proliferation of hepatic cancer cells. Firstly, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay, 5-bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) labeling, and colony formation assay were employed to investigate whether oxocrebanine inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 and Hep3B2.1-7 cells. Propidium iodide(PI) staining was used to observe the oxocrebanine-induced apoptosis of HepG2 and Hep3B2.1-7 cells. Western blot was employed to verify whether apoptotic effector proteins, such as cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease 3(c-caspase-3), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1(PARP1), B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), Bcl-2 homologous killer(Bak), and myeloid cell leukemia-1(Mcl-1) were involved in apoptosis. Secondly, HepG2 cells were simultaneously treated with oxocrebanine and the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine(3-MA), and the changes in the autophagy marker LC3 and autophagy-related proteins [eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1(4EBP1), phosphorylated 4EBP1(p-4EBP1), 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase(P70S6K), and phosphorylated P70S6K(p-P70S6K)] were determined. The results of MTT assay, BrdU labeling, and colony formation assay showed that oxocrebanine inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 and Hep3B2.1-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The results of flow cytometry suggested that the apoptosis rate of HepG2 and Hep3B2.1-7 cells increased after treatment with oxocrebanine. Western blot results showed that the protein levels of c-caspase-3, Bax, and Bak were up-regulated and those of PARP1, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1 were down-regulated in the HepG2 cells treated with oxocrebanine. The results indicated that oxocrebanine induced apoptosis, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of hepatic cancer cells. The inhibition of HepG2 cell proliferation by oxocrebanine may be related to the induction of protective autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Oxocrebanine still promoted the conversion of LC3-Ⅰ to LC3-Ⅱ, reduced the phosphorylation levels of 4EBP1 and P70S6K, which can be reversed by the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA. It is prompted that oxocrebanine can inhibit the proliferation of hepatic cancer cells by inducing autophagy. In conclusion, oxocrebanine inhibits the proliferation of hepatic cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy.
Humans
;
Apoptosis/drug effects*
;
Autophagy/drug effects*
;
Cell Proliferation/drug effects*
;
Hep G2 Cells
;
Liver Neoplasms/genetics*
;
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics*
;
Caspase 3/genetics*
8.Exploring in vivo existence forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in rats.
Meng-Ge FENG ; Lin-Han XIANG ; Jing ZHANG ; Wen-Hui ZHAO ; Yang LI ; Li-Li LI ; Guang-Xue LIU ; Shao-Qing CAI ; Feng XU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(9):2539-2562
The study aims to elucidate the existence forms(original constituents and metabolites) of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in rats and reveal its metabolic pathways. After Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma was administered orally once a day for seven consecutive days to rats, all urine and feces samples were collected for seven days, while the blood samples were obtained 6 h after the last administration. Using the ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) technique, this study identified 6, 73, and 156 existence forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in the rat plasma, urine, and feces samples, respectively. Among them, 101 compounds were identified as new existence forms, and 13 original constituents were identified by comparing with reference compounds. The metabolic reactions of constituents from Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma were mainly deglycosylation, dehydration, hydroxylation, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, acetylation, and amino acid conjugation. Furthermore, the possible in vivo metabolic pathways of protopanaxatriol(PPT) in rats were proposed. Through comprehensive analysis of the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) data, isomeric compounds were discriminated, and the planar chemical structures of 32 metabolites were clearly identified. According to the literature, 48 original constituents possess antitumor and cardiovascular protective bioactivities. Additionally, 32 metabolites were predicted to have similar bioactivities by SuperPred. This research lays the foundation for further exploring the in vivo effective forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.
Animals
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Rats
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics*
;
Rhizome/metabolism*
;
Male
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
;
Panax notoginseng/chemistry*
;
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
;
Feces/chemistry*
9.Family socioeconomic status and children's reading fluency: the chain mediating role of family reading environment and children's living and learning styles.
Wen-Xin HU ; Lei ZHANG ; Cai WANG ; Zi-Yue WANG ; Jia-Min XU ; Jing-Yu WANG ; Jia ZHOU ; Wen-Min WANG ; Meng-Meng YAO ; Xia CHI
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2025;27(4):451-457
OBJECTIVES:
To study the impact of family socioeconomic status on children's reading fluency and the chain mediation effect of family reading environment and children's living and learning styles in this relationship.
METHODS:
A total of 473 children from grades 2 to 6 in two primary schools in Nanjing were selected through stratified random sampling. The children's reading fluency was assessed, and a questionnaire was used to collect information on family socioeconomic status, family reading environment, and children's living and learning styles. The mediation model was established using the Process macro in SPSS, and the Bootstrap method was employed to test the significance of the mediation effects.
RESULTS:
Family socioeconomic status, family reading environment, and children's living and learning styles were significantly positively correlated with reading fluency (P<0.001). The family reading environment and children's living and learning styles mediated the relationship between family socioeconomic status and children's reading fluency. Specifically, the independent mediation effect of family reading environment accounted for 11.02% of the total effect, while the independent mediation effect of children's living and learning styles accounted for 10.79%. The chain mediation effect of family reading environment and children's living and learning styles accounted for 7.41% of the total effect.
CONCLUSIONS
Family socioeconomic status can affect children's reading fluency through three pathways: family reading environment, children's living and learning styles, and the chain mediation effect of family reading environment and children's living and learning styles.
Humans
;
Child
;
Male
;
Female
;
Reading
;
Learning
;
Social Class
;
Family
10.Clinical and genetic characteristics of congenital adrenal hyperplasia: a retrospective analysis.
Cai-Jun WANG ; Ya-Wei ZHANG ; Da-Peng LIU ; Juan JIN ; Zhao-Hui LI ; Jing GUO ; Yao-Dong ZHANG ; Hai-Hua YANG ; Wen-Qing KANG
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2025;27(11):1367-1372
OBJECTIVES:
To study the clinical and genetic characteristics of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).
METHODS:
Clinical data, laboratory findings, and genetic test results of 63 children diagnosed with CAH at Henan Children's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2024 were retrospectively reviewed.
RESULTS:
Of the 63 patients, the mean age at the first visit was (21 ± 14) days; 29 (46%) were of male sex and 34 (54%) were of female sex. The predominant clinical manifestations were poor weight gain or weight loss (92%, 58/63), poor feeding (84%, 53/63), skin hyperpigmentation (83%, 52/63), and female external genital anomalies (100%, 34/34). Laboratory abnormalities included hyponatremia (87%, 55/63), hyperkalemia (68%, 43/63), metabolic acidosis (68%, 43/63), and markedly elevated 17-hydroxyprogesterone (92%, 58/63), testosterone (89%, 56/63), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (81%, 51/63). Among 49 patients who underwent genetic testing, CYP21A2 variants were identified in 90% (44/49), with c.293-13A/C>G (33%, 30/91) and large deletions/gene conversions (29%, 26/91) being the most frequent; STAR (8%, 4/49) and HSD3B2 (2%, 1/49) variants were also detected. Following hormone replacement therapy, electrolyte disturbances were corrected in 57 cases, with significant reductions in 17-hydroxyprogesterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and testosterone levels (P<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
CAH presenting in neonates or young infants is characterized by electrolyte imbalance, external genital anomalies, and abnormal hormone levels. Genetic testing enables definitive subtype classification; in CYP21A2-related CAH, c.293-13A/C>G is a hotspot variant. These findings underscore the clinical value of genetic testing for early diagnosis and genetic counseling in CAH. Citation:Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 2025, 27(11): 1367-1372.
Humans
;
Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital/diagnosis*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Infant
;
Infant, Newborn


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