Cardiac fibrosis(CF) is a cardiac pathological process characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix(ECM). When the heart is damaged by adverse stimuli, cardiac fibroblasts are activated and secrete a large amount of ECM, leading to changes in cardiac fibrosis, myocardial stiffness, and cardiac function declines and accelerating the development of heart failure. There is a close relationship between heart yin deficiency and cardiac fibrosis, which have similar pathogenic mechanisms. Heart Yin deficiency, characterized by insufficient Yin fluids, causes the heart to lose its nourishing function, which acts as the initiating factor for myocardial dystrophy. The deficiency of body fluids leads to stagnation of blood flow, resulting in blood stasis and water retention. Blood stasis and water retention accumulate in the heart, which aligns with the pathological manifestation of excessive deposition of ECM, as a tangible pathogenic factor. This is an inevitable stage of the disease process. The lingering of blood stasis combined with water retention eventually leads to the generation of heat and toxins, triggering inflammatory responses similar to heat toxins, which continuously stimulate the heart and cause the ultimate outcome of CF. Considering the syndrome of heart Yin deficiency, traditional Chinese medicine capable of nourishing Yin, activating blood, and promoting urination can reduce myocardial cell apoptosis, inhibit fibroblast activation, and lower the inflammation level, showing significant advantages in combating CF.
Humans ; Fibrosis/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Yin Deficiency/metabolism* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

The chemical constituents were systematically separated from the roots of Berberis polyantha by various chromatographic methods, including silica gel column chromatography, HP20 column chromatography, polyamide column chromatography, reversed-phase C_(18) column chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic techniques(1D NMR, 2D NMR, UV, MS, and CD). Four phenylpropanoids were isolated from the methanol extract of the roots of B. polyantha, and they were identified as(2R)-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(1), methyl 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoate(2),(+)-syringaresinol(3), and syringaresinol-4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(4). Compound 1 was a new compound, and other compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. The anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds was evaluated based on the release of nitric oxide(NO) in the culture of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. At a concentration of 10 μmol·L~(-1), all the four compounds inhibited the LPS-induced release of NO in RAW264.7 cells, demonstrating potential anti-inflammatory properties.
Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Animals ; Mice ; Berberis/chemistry* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism* ; Molecular Structure ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification*

The tumor microenvironment is a crucial factor in tumor occurrence and progression. The hypoxic microenvironment is widely present in tumor tissue and is a key endogenous factor accelerating tumor deterioration. The "blood stasis toxin" theory, as an emerging perspective in tumor research, is regarded as the unique "soil" in tumor progression from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) due to its dynamic evolution mechanism, which closely resembles the formation of the hypoxic microenvironment. Scientifically integrating TCM theories with the biological characteristics of tumors and exploring precise syndrome differentiation and treatment strategies are key to achieving comprehensive tumor prevention and control. This article focused on the hypoxic microenvironment of the tumor, elucidating its formation mechanisms and evolutionary processes and carefully analyzing the internal relationship between the "blood stasis toxin" theory and the hypoxic microenvironment. Additionally, it explored the interaction among blood stasis, toxic pathogens, and hypoxic environment and proposed micro-level prevention and treatment strategies targeting the hypoxic microenvironment based on the "blood stasis toxin" theory, aiming to provide TCM-based theoretical support and therapeutic approaches for precise regulation of the hypoxic microenvironment.
Humans ; Tumor Microenvironment/drug effects* ; Neoplasms/therapy* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Disease Progression ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), a treasure of the Chinese nation, contains abundant chemical components and demonstrates unique pharmacological activities, showing important values in clinical applications. With profound connotations and broad application prospects, TCM urgently needs us to further explore and conduct systematic research. Puerarin is a small-molecule natural isoflavonoid carbon glycoside extracted from plants of Pueraria. It is also the main active ingredient of Puerariae Lobata Radix, a Chinese herbal medicine with both medicinal and edible values. Puerarin has a variety of pharmacological effects such as blood pressure-lowering, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-ischemia-reperfusion injury, antithrombotic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, liver-protecting, nerve cell-protecting, and intestinal microbiota-regulating effects. It is also an active ingredient that has been widely studied. This article comprehensively reviews the research progress in the pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms of puerarin over the years, aiming to provide references and theoretical support for the in-depth research and development as well as clinical application of puerarin.
Isoflavones/chemistry* ; Humans ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Pueraria/chemistry*

With the establishment of bio-psycho-social medical model,both social and psychological factors play an important role in the occurrence,development and treatment of diseases.Hypertension is a common chronic multiple disease in China,and patients are often complicated with depression and other e-motional disorders.The interaction between hypertension and depression significantly increases the risk of poor prognosis.Current studies have shown a bidirectional promoting relationship between hypertension and depression,and they have some com-mon pathogenesis.However,the specific mechanism of their co-morbidity has not been fully elucidated.Renin-angiotensin sys-tem(RAS)plays an important role in the regulation of hyperten-sion and depression and other emotions.It is composed of two antagonistic pathways.The balance is maintained by angioten-sin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2).Therefore,this article reviews the relationship and mechanism of RAS in hypertension,depres-sion and comorbid states,in order to provide new treatment ide-as for hypertension and depression.

Objective To explore the correlation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome elements with language function and activities of daily living(ADL)in patients suffering post-stroke aphasia(PSA).Methods Ninety-eight PSA patients hospitalized at the College of Rehabilitation Medicine,Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2023 to April 2024 were selected.The language function,TCM syndrome elements,and their correlations were analyzed.Results(1)Among PSA patients,males outnumbered females.PSA patients exhibited different performances on various aphasia-related scales,with language impairments mainly concentrated in naming and spontaneous speech.(2)The distribution of TCM syndrome elements varied in PSA patients with different age groups.In the age group＜50 years old,qi obstruction(100.00%),phlegm syndrome(100.00%),and dampness syndrome(100.00%)were predominant.In the age group of 50-59 years old,phlegm syndrome(100.00%)and yang hyperactivity syndrome(96.30%)were predominant.In the age group of 60-69 years old,phlegm syndrome(100.00%)and yang hyperactivity syndrome(96.15%)were also predominant.In the age group of 70-79 years old,qi deficiency syndrome(100.00%)was predominant.In the age group of 80-89 years old,syndromes such as qi insecurity,qi obstruction,qi deficiency,phlegm,yang hyperactivity,blood stasis,wind stirring,and blood cold were concentrated(all 100.00%).However,there were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of TCM syndrome elements among various age groups(P＞0.05).(3)The distribution of deficiency and excess syndrome elements varied in PSA patients with different genders.Among deficiency syndrome elements,yang hyperactivity,qi deficiency,and yin deficiency were predominant in males,while yang hyperactivity,qi deficiency,and blood deficiency were predominant in females.Among excess syndrome elements,phlegm syndrome,qi obstruction,and dampness syndrome were predominant in males,while phlegm syndrome,qi obstruction,and qi stagnation syndrome were predominant in females.However,there were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of deficiency and excess syndrome elements between genders(P＞0.05).(4)After controlling the factors of age group and gender,partial correlation analysis of syndrome elements and language function showed that among the disease-location syndrome elements,spontaneous naming(r=-0.588,P=0.027)and sematic cued naming(r=-0.558,P=0.038)in the Boston Naming Test(BNT)were negatively correlated with the large intestine;among the disease-nature syndrome elements,BNT sematic cued naming(r=0.821,P＜0.001)was positively correlated with qi sinking,while BNT spontaneous naming was negatively correlated with blood heat(r=-0.544,P=0.044)and was positively correlated with fluid depletion(r=0.860,P=0.028);BNT recognitive naming was positively correlated with external wind(r=0.966,P=0.034);errors in BNT sematic cued naming were negatively correlated with qi sinking(r=-0.540,P=0.005);the Modified Barthel Index(MBI)was positively correlated with essence deficiency(r=0.572,P=0.021).Conclusion The TCM syndrome elements of phlegm,qi block,yang hyperactivity,and qi deficiency are commonly seen in PSA patients.There is a certain correlation of language function and ADL with TCM syndrome elements in PSA patients.

With the establishment of bio-psycho-social medical model,both social and psychological factors play an important role in the occurrence,development and treatment of diseases.Hypertension is a common chronic multiple disease in China,and patients are often complicated with depression and other e-motional disorders.The interaction between hypertension and depression significantly increases the risk of poor prognosis.Current studies have shown a bidirectional promoting relationship between hypertension and depression,and they have some com-mon pathogenesis.However,the specific mechanism of their co-morbidity has not been fully elucidated.Renin-angiotensin sys-tem(RAS)plays an important role in the regulation of hyperten-sion and depression and other emotions.It is composed of two antagonistic pathways.The balance is maintained by angioten-sin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2).Therefore,this article reviews the relationship and mechanism of RAS in hypertension,depres-sion and comorbid states,in order to provide new treatment ide-as for hypertension and depression.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the combination of chemotherapy with staged Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) therapy could enhance health-related quality of life (QoL) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and prolong the time before deterioration of lung cancer symptoms, in comparison to chemotherapy alone. METHODS: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted from December 14, 2017 to August 28, 2020. A total of 180 patients with stage I B-IIIA NSCLC from 5 hospitals in Shanghai were randomly divided into chemotherapy combined with CHM (chemo+CHM) group (120 cases) or chemotherapy combined with placebo (chemo+placebo) group (60 cases) using stratified blocking randomization. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life-Core 30 Scale (QLQ-C30) was used to evaluate the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed in the safety analysis. RESULTS: Out of the total 180 patients, 173 patients (116 in the chemo+CHM group and 57 in the chemo+placebo group) were included in the PRO analyses. The initial mean QLQ-C30 Global Health Status (GHS)/QoL scores at baseline were 57.16 ± 1.64 and 57.67 ± 2.25 for the two respective groups (P>0.05). Compared with baseline, the chemo+CHM group had an improvement in EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL score at week 18 [least squares mean (LSM) change 17.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14.29 to 21.38]. Conversely, the chemo+placebo group had a decrease in the score (LSM change -13.67, 95% CI -22.70 to -4.63). A significant between-group difference in the LSM GHS/QoL score was observed, amounting to 31.63 points (95% CI 25.61 to 37.64, P<0.001). The similar trends were observed in physical functioning, fatigue and appetite loss. At week 18, patients in the chemo+CHM group had a higher proportion of improvement or stabilization in GHS/QoL functional and symptom scores compared to chemo+placebo group (P<0.001). The median time to deterioration was longer in the chemo+CHM group for GHS/QoL score [hazard ratio (HR)=0.33, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.48, P<0.0010], physical functioning (HR=0.43, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.75, P=0.0005), fatigue (HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.72, P<0.0001) and appetite loss (HR=0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.00, P=0.0215). The incidence of AEs was lower in the chemo+CHM group than in the chemo+placebo group (9.83% vs. 15.79%, P=0.52). CONCLUSION The staged CHM therapy could help improve the PROs of postoperative patients with early-stage NSCLC during adjuvant chemotherapy, which is worthy of further clinical research. (Registry No. NCT03372694).
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/surgery* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Patient Reported Outcome Measures ; Quality of Life ; Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies

【Objective】 To investigate the expression of optineurin (OPTN) in multiple myeloma (MM) and explore the mechanism and clinical value of OPTN gene in the occurrence and development of MM. 【Methods】 In this study, three gene expression omnibus (GEO) data sets were used to analyze the expression level of OPTN in MM. Clinical bone marrow samples of MM patients were collected. qRT-PCR was used to further verify the expression of OPTN in MM patients. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to analyze the value of OPTN in the prognosis and diagnosis of MM. At the same time, MM transcriptome data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. According to the median boundary of OPTN mRNA expression level, the MM patients were divided into OPTN high- and low-expression groups. In order to investigate the possible molecular mechanisms of OPTN in MM, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was made after the differentially expressed genes were filtered using the limma package of the R language. 【Results】 The expression level of OPTN was significantly lower in MM tissues than in normal tissues (P<0.05). OPTN expression level was significantly correlated with International Staging System (ISS) in MM patients (P<0.05). ROC results showed that the expression level of OPTN could distinguish between normal and MM patients. Survival analysis showed that the overall survival (OS) of patients with low OPTN expression was significantly lower than that of patients with high OPTN expression (P<0.05). GO, KEGG and GSEA enrichment analyses indicated that OPTN might affect apoptosis and autophagy, and regulate cellular immune response by regulating Nod-like receptors, NF-κB, TNF and RAS/MAPK pathways. 【Conclusion】 Low expression of OPTN in MM is associated with poor prognosis of patients, and thus may be an important potential biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of MM.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease. At present, levodopa and other drugs are mainly used for dopamine supplementation therapy. However, the absorption of levodopa in the gastrointestinal tract is unstable and its half-life is short, and long-term use of levodopa will lead to the end-of-dose deterioration, dyskinesia, the "ON-OFF" phenomenon and other symptoms. Therefore, new preparations need to be developed to improve drug efficacy, reduce side effects or improve compliance of patients. Based on the above clinical needs, this review briefly introduced the preparation modification strategies for the treatment of PD through case analysis, in order to provide references for the research and development of related preparations.