1.Mechanisms of Tripterygium wilfordii and Its Active Ingredients in Treatment of Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Review
Peidong ZHAO ; Yanyan GUO ; Xiangge REN ; Jiawei ZHANG ; Wensheng ZHAI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(7):352-362
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD), a common complication of diabetes mellitus, is a leading global cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Current therapeutic strategies primarily focus on symptomatic management but exhibit limited efficacy in halting disease progression to ESRD, and some drugs carry non-negligible toxic side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history in treating DKD, with single TCM and TCM compounds demonstrating unique advantages in multi-target, multi-pathway, and multi-effect therapeutic interventions. Tripterygium wilfordii (TW), known for its effects in promoting blood circulation, dredging collaterals, dispelling wind, removing dampness, reducing swelling, and alleviating pain, contains bioactive components such as Tripterygium glycosides (TWG), triptolide (TPL), tripdiolide (TPD), and celastrol (CEL). The active ingredients possess various functions, including regulating immune-inflammatory balance, ameliorating renal fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis, combating oxidative stress, protecting podocytes, and improving glucose and lipid metabolism, all of which play a significant role in the treatment of DKD. This review summarized the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of T. wilfordii and its active ingredients on DKD, aiming to provide insights for clinical management and novel drug development of DKD.
2.Research progress on the mechanisms of pharmacological effects and detoxification of Tripterygium wilfordii and its active ingredients in nephrotic syndrome
Zhifen ZHAO ; Xiangge REN ; Jiawei ZHANG ; Jianye REN ; Wensheng ZHAI
China Pharmacy 2026;37(14):1931-1936
Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a glomerular disease characterized by massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia. Tripterygium wilfordii exhibits remarkable efficacy in the prevention and treatment of renal diseases; however, its hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and other factors limit its clinical application. This article systematically reviews the mechanisms of pharmacological effects and detoxification of T. wilfordii and its active ingredients in the treatment of NS. The results show that the main active components of T. wilfordii include tripterygium glycosides, triptolide, and triptriolide, etc. T. wilfordii and its active ingredients exert significant renal protective effects by protecting glomerular podocytes, repairing the glomerular filtration barrier, regulating abnormal immune and inflammatory responses, inhibiting oxidative stress injury, and blocking renal fibrosis, thereby effectively reducing proteinuria, improving renal function, and lowering the recurrence rate of NS. Traditional Chinese medicine compatibility (e.g. T. wilfordii combined with Lysimachia christinae , Cuscuta chinensis ethanol extract, and Paeonia lactiflora , respectively) can regulate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant levels and optimize drug metabolic pathways. Combined with modern preparation technologies (e.g., triptolide self-microemulsion drug delivery system), these strategies can effectively antagonize the hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and other factors of T. wilfordii .
3.Analysis on Clinical Trial Registration Status of TCM for the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy
Jiawei ZHANG ; Zhifen ZHAO ; Xiangge REN ; Peidong ZHAO ; Shoudao LI ; Tengfei SONG ; Wensheng ZHAI
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(10):73-79
Objective To analyze the current status of clinical trial registration in the TCM treatment of diabetic nephropathy(DN);To provide references for the registration and implementation of relevant clinical trials.Methods Clinical trials about TCM treatment for DN registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(ChiCTR)and the U.S.Clinical Trial Registry(ClinicalTrials.gov)from their inception to August 18,2024 were retrieved.The following information was analyzed:registration year,geographical distribution,funding sources,TCM syndrome patterns of participants,number of research centers,sample size,study type,study design,randomization method,blinding method,intervention measures,outcome indicators and safety indicators.Results A total of 88 clinical trials were included,comprising 79 interventional studies and 9 observational studies.The number of registrations has increased annually.The domestic registered trials were distributed across 17 provincial-level administrative regions in China,with Beijing and Shanghai having the highest number of registrations.The primary sources of funding were local and national government funds.The most common TCM syndrome pattern among participants was qi-yin deficiency with blood stasis.Most trials were single-center studies,with the majority having a sample size between 31 and 60.The predominant study type was interventional,mostly randomized controlled trials(RCTs),with simple randomization being the most frequently used method.31 trials reported blinding methods,with double-blinding being the most common.The intervention measures were mostly oral Chinese patent medicines or TCM compounds,and the outcome indicators were mainly efficacy indicators,with less safety indicators.Conclusion The number of registered clinical trials on TCM treatment for DN has increased annually;however,the overall number remains limited.There is uneven regional distribution and incomplete registration information for various factors such as randomization methods,blinding methods,number of research centers,intervention measures,and outcome indicators.
4.Expression levels of serum miR-186-5p and miR-942-5p in patients with glioma and their clinical significance
Wensheng LI ; Chunfei ZHAO ; Jieqin YAO ; Chengjie XU ; Jianqi XIAO ; Haiping JIANG ; Chunyu ZHANG ; Xiaoao LONG
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(1):81-85
Objective To investigate the expression levels of serum miR-186-5p and miR-942-5p in patients with glioma and their clinical significance.Methods A total of 98 patients with glioma who were treated in this hospital from October 2019 to December 2021 were selected as the monitored group,and 101 healthy indi-viduals who underwent physical examinations a the same time were selected as the control group.Quantitative fluorescent PCR(qPCR)method was applied to detect the expression levels of miR-186-5p and miR-942-5p in serum,and multivariate COX regression was applied to analyze the prognostic factors of glioma patients.Re-ceiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and area under curve(AUC)were used to analyze the diagnostic value of serum miR-186-5p and miR-942-5p in glioma.Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the re-lationship between serum miR-186-5p and miR-942-5p expression and prognosis of patients.Results The ex-pression level of serum miR-186-5p in monitored group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05),and the expression level of miR-942-5p was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).The AUC of ser-um miR-186-5p and miR-942-5p in the diagnosis of glioma alone and in combination were 0.735,0.809 and 0.895,respectively.There were significant differences in the proportion of low miR-186-5p expression and high miR-942-5p expression in serum of patients with different preoperative Karnofsky performance status(KPS)scores,World Health Organization(WHO)grades and local infiltration(P<0.05).The 2-year surviv-al rate of patients with high expression of miR-186-5p was higher than that of patients with low expression of miR-186-5p(x2=6.455,P=0.011).The 2-year survival rate of patients with high miR-942-5p expression was lower than that of patients with low miR-942-5p expression(x2=9.858,P=0.002).miR-186-5p was a protective factor for mortality in glioma patients(P<0.05),while miR-942-5p was a risk factor(P<0.05).Conclusion Serum miR-186-5p expression level decreases and miR-942-5p expression level increases in glioma patients,both of which have certain diagnostic value for the occurrence of glioma.
5.Analysis on Clinical Trial Registration Status of TCM for the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy
Jiawei ZHANG ; Zhifen ZHAO ; Xiangge REN ; Peidong ZHAO ; Shoudao LI ; Tengfei SONG ; Wensheng ZHAI
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(10):73-79
Objective To analyze the current status of clinical trial registration in the TCM treatment of diabetic nephropathy(DN);To provide references for the registration and implementation of relevant clinical trials.Methods Clinical trials about TCM treatment for DN registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(ChiCTR)and the U.S.Clinical Trial Registry(ClinicalTrials.gov)from their inception to August 18,2024 were retrieved.The following information was analyzed:registration year,geographical distribution,funding sources,TCM syndrome patterns of participants,number of research centers,sample size,study type,study design,randomization method,blinding method,intervention measures,outcome indicators and safety indicators.Results A total of 88 clinical trials were included,comprising 79 interventional studies and 9 observational studies.The number of registrations has increased annually.The domestic registered trials were distributed across 17 provincial-level administrative regions in China,with Beijing and Shanghai having the highest number of registrations.The primary sources of funding were local and national government funds.The most common TCM syndrome pattern among participants was qi-yin deficiency with blood stasis.Most trials were single-center studies,with the majority having a sample size between 31 and 60.The predominant study type was interventional,mostly randomized controlled trials(RCTs),with simple randomization being the most frequently used method.31 trials reported blinding methods,with double-blinding being the most common.The intervention measures were mostly oral Chinese patent medicines or TCM compounds,and the outcome indicators were mainly efficacy indicators,with less safety indicators.Conclusion The number of registered clinical trials on TCM treatment for DN has increased annually;however,the overall number remains limited.There is uneven regional distribution and incomplete registration information for various factors such as randomization methods,blinding methods,number of research centers,intervention measures,and outcome indicators.
6.A Study of Nasalance Characteristics of School Children in Tibet under Different Test Materials
Yanjing CAO ; Wensheng ZHAO ; Xiaoyu WANG ; HaKyung KIM ; Lamu QUNI
Journal of Audiology and Speech Pathology 2025;33(1):59-61
Objective To develop Tibetan nasalance test materials,and to determine the normal range of na-salance in Tibetan-speaking children,and to investigate the characteristics of nasalance in Tibetan schoolchildren in different Chinese and Tibetan corpora.Methods Three corpora,including three Chinese test sentences,three Ti-betan test materials,and three Tibetan rhymes,were selected to test the nasalance of 50 children(7~12 years old)in the context of Tibetan as their mother tongue in the Tibetan region during pronunciation.Results Differences in nasalance between Chinese and Tibetan nasal sentences were statistically significant(P<0.01)and lower in Tibetan than in Chinese among Tibetan schoolchildren.The mean nasalance of Tibetan rhymes showed/i/>/u/>/a/.Na-sal sentences of Tibetan corpus,oral sentences,oral-nasal sentences and Tibetan rhyming/i/had statistically signif-icant differences in nasalance between genders(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion When assessing the nasalance of Tibetan schoolchildren with Tibetan,a special dialect of Tibetan,as their mother tongue and main language of com-munication in Tibet,the choice of corpus is one of the important factors influencing the nasalance in addition to age and gender,and the application of the Tibetan corpus provides important reference information for the phonological assessment of Tibetan children with nasal resonance disorders.
7.Effect of Echinacea purpurea extract on digestive ability and intestinal barrier function of Bamei ternary pigs
Zixin CHEN ; Hua WU ; Wensheng WANG ; Jiayi LIU ; Jiewei SHEN ; Long LI ; Guohong ZHAO ; Shulei MA
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(7):1525-1534
The aim of the experiment was to study the effects of Echinacea purpurea extract on the digestive ability,immune function and intestinal barrier of the Bamei ternary pigs.Forty-eight healthy pigs of 50 days old were randomly divided into four groups,each with three replicates and four pigs in each replicate.The control group(CON)was fed a basal diet,and the experimental group was divided into 5 g/kg(T1),10 g/kg(T2)and 15 g/kg(T3)of Echinacea extract in the basal diet.The pre-test period was 5 days and the main test period was 35 days with free feeding and drinking during the test period.The results showed that:There was no significant effect on the apparent digestibility of nutrients and jejunum morphology in the test group compared to the CON group(P>0.05).Amylase and trypsin activities were significantly higher in the experimental group and lipase activities were significantly higher in T2 and T3 groups compared to CON group(P<0.05).GSH,CAT and T-AOC activities were significantly higher in the experimental group compared to CON group(P<0.05).In comparison with CON group,the levels of IL-1 and IL-6 were significantly lower in the experimental group(P<0.05),and the levels of TNF-α were significantly lower in the T2 and T3 groups(P<0.05);and the levels of IL-10 were signifi-cantly higher in the T3 group(P<0.05).The mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR4,MyD88,TRAF6,and NF-κB were significantly lower in the experimental group(P<0.05).The mRNA and protein expression levels of CLDN-1,OCLN and ZO-1 were significantly increased in the test group(P<0.05).The results between the test groups showed that the protein expression levels of CLDN-1 and OCLN were significantly increased in the T3 group compared with the T1 group(P<0.05).In conclusion,the addition of Echinacea extract to the ration can,to a certain ex-tent,improve the digestive ability,balance the immune ability,and improve the intestinal barrier function of the Bamei ternary pigs,thus promoting the intestinal health of pigs.
8.Diagnostic value of three-dimensional ultrasound characteristics and comparison with hysteroscopy in patients with uterine cavity abnormalities
Yadong ZHAO ; Binghui CHENG ; Wensheng WANG ; Li WANG ; Xiufen ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2025;42(6):791-795
Objective To explore the transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound characteristics in women with abnormal uterine cavity and compare the diagnostic value with hysteroscopy.Methods A total of 102 women who underwent transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound and hysteroscopy in the Department of Ultrasound of Lu'an People's Hospital for various reasons were selected as the research subjects.Hysteroscopy was the gold standard.The three-dimensional ultrasound characteristics of patients with different uterine cavity lesions were statistically analyzed.A 2×2 4-grid table was drawn to calculate the diagnostic value of transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound for various types of uterine cavity lesions.Results There were 22 cases of endometrial polyps,9 cases of intrauterine adhesions,and 5 cases of submucosal fibroids.The accuracy rates of diagnosing endometrial polyps,intrauterine adhesions and submucosal fibroids through transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound were 90.91%,88.89%and 80.00%,respectively.The transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound of patients with endometrial polyps mainly showed deformation of the uterine cavity line,high echoic masses,clear differentiation between the edge of the echogenic mass and the endometrium,almost no deformation of the endometrial basal line,and scattered distribution of blood flow on CDFI ultrasound.Intrauterine adhesions mainly manifested as uneven endometrial thickness and low echogenicity by transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound,and fluid accumulation may found in the uterine cavity of some patients.Transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound showed that submucosal fibroids were mainly hypoechoic,elliptical or irregular in shape,with CDFI revealing abundant blood flow signals.Conclusion When women with abnormal uterine cavity are examined with transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound,patients with different types of lesions have different typical ultrasound characteristics,and transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound diagnosis has a high diagnostic accuracy with respect to hysteroscopy as the gold standard,exhibiting its advantages of non-invasive and rapid diagnosis,worthy of clinical promotion.
9.Consensus on informed consent for orthodontic treatment
Yang CAO ; Bing FANG ; Zuolin JIN ; Hong HE ; Yuxing BAI ; Lin WANG ; Haiping LU ; Zhihe ZHAO ; Tianmin XU ; Weiran LI ; Min HU ; Jinlin SONG ; Jun WANG ; Fang JIN ; Ding BAI ; Xianglong HAN ; Yuehua LIU ; Bin YAN ; Jie GUO ; Jiejun SHI ; Yongming LI ; Zhihua LI ; Xiuping WU ; Jiangtian HU ; Linyu XU ; Lin LIU ; Yi LIU ; Yanqin LU ; Wensheng MA ; Shuixue MO ; Liling REN ; Shuxia CUI ; Yongjie FAN ; Jianguang XU ; Lulu XU ; Zhijun ZHENG ; Peijun WANG ; Rui ZOU ; Chufeng LIU ; Lunguo XIA ; Li HU ; Weicai WANG ; Liping WU ; Xiaoxing KOU ; Jiali TAN ; Yuanbo LIU ; Bowen MENG ; Yuantao HAO ; Lili CHEN
Chinese Journal of Stomatology 2025;60(12):1327-1336
This consensus was developed by the Orthodontic Society of the Chinese Stomatological Association to provide a systematic, scientific, and practical guideline for informed consent in orthodontic care. Orthodontic treatment is typically lengthy, highly individualized, and involves multiple factors such as growth and development, occlusal function, and facial esthetics. Rapid technological advances and diverse risk profiles make the traditional reliance on orthodontist experience or institutional templates insufficient to ensure patients′ full understanding and autonomous decision-making. To address this, the expert panel conducted extensive reviews of domestic and international guidelines, analyzed representative dispute cases, and performed multicenter patient-clinician surveys. Using a multi-round Delphi method, the group established a standardized informed consent framework covering the initial consultation, treatment, and retention phases. The consensus emphasizes that informed consent is not only a fundamental legal and ethical requirement but also a key step in building trust, improving patient compliance, and enhancing treatment satisfaction. Orthodontists should clearly and comprehensively explain treatment plans, potential risks, uncertainties, and associated costs, while respecting the autonomy of patients or guardians, and maintain continuous communication and dynamic evaluation throughout the treatment process. The release of this consensus provides unified and authoritative guidance for clinical orthodontics, helping to standardize informed consent, enhance its transparency, safeguard patient rights, reduce medical risks, and promote high-quality, sustainable development of orthodontic practice.
10.A thermo-sensitive hydrogel targeting macrophage reprogramming for sustained osteoarthritis pain relief.
Yue LIU ; Kai ZHOU ; Xinlong HE ; Kun SHI ; Danrong HU ; Chenli YANG ; Jinrong PENG ; Yuqi HE ; Guoyan ZHAO ; Yi KANG ; Yujun ZHANG ; Yue'e DAI ; Min ZENG ; Feier XIAN ; Wensheng ZHANG ; Zhiyong QIAN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(11):6034-6051
Osteoarthritis (OA) causes chronic pain that significantly impairs quality of life, with current treatments often proving insufficient and accompanied by adverse effects. Recent research has identified the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and its resident macrophages as crucial mediators of chronic OA pain through neuroinflammation driven by macrophage polarization. We present a novel injectable thermo-sensitive hydrogel system, KAF@PLEL, designed to deliver an anti-inflammatory peptide (KAF) specifically to the DRG. This biodegradable hydrogel enables sustained KAF release, promoting the reprogramming of DRG macrophages from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Through comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies, we evaluated the hydrogel's biocompatibility, effects on macrophage polarization, and therapeutic efficacy in chronic OA pain management. The system demonstrated significant capabilities in preserving macrophage mitochondrial function, suppressing neuroinflammation, alleviating chronic OA pain, reducing cartilage degradation, and improving motor function in OA rat models. The sustained-release properties of KAF@PLEL enabled prolonged therapeutic effects while minimizing systemic exposure and side effects. These findings suggest that KAF@PLEL represents a promising therapeutic approach for improving outcomes in OA patients through targeted, sustained treatment.

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