With the rapid development of social economy and the continuous improvement of human living standard, the incidence, fatality and recurrence rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are increasing year by year, which seriously affects people's life and health. Conventional therapeutic drugs have limited improvement on the disability rate, so the search for new therapeutic drugs and action targets has become one of the hotspots of current research. In recent years, the therapeutic role of the natural compound rosmarinic acid (RA) in CVD has attracted much attention, which is capable of preventing CVD by modulating multiple signalling pathways and exerting physiological activities such as antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet aggregation, as well as anti-coagulation and endothelial function protection. In this paper, the role of RA in the prevention of CVD is systematically sorted out, and its mechanism of action is summarised and analysed, with a view to providing a scientific basis and important support for the in-depth exploration of the prevention value of RA in CVD and its further development as a prevention drug.

Moringa oleifera, widely utilized in Ayurvedic medicine, is recognized for its leaves, seeds, and velamen possessing traditional effects such as vātahara(wind alleviation), sirovirecaka(brain clearing), and hridya(mental nourishment). This study aims to identify the medicinal part of ■ in the Sārasvata ghee formulation as described in the Bower Manuscript, while investigating the ameliorative effects of different medicinal parts of M. oleifera on learning and memory deficits in mice and elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms. A total of 144 male ICR mice were randomly assigned to the following groups: control, model(scopolamine hydrobromide, Sco, 2 mg·kg~(-1)), donepezil(donepezil hydrochloride, Don, 3 mg·kg~(-1)), M. oleifera leaf low-, medium-, and high-dose groups(0.5, 1, 2 g·kg~(-1)), M. oleifera seeds low-, medium-, and high-dose groups(0.25, 0.5, 1 g·kg~(-1)), and M. oleifera velamen low-, medium-, and high-dose groups(0.31, 0.62, 1.24 g·kg~(-1)). Learning and memory abilities were assessed using the passive avoidance test and Morris water maze. Nissl and HE staining were employed to examine histopathological changes in the hippocampus. Transcriptomics and targeted metabolomics were used to screen differential genes and metabolites, with MetaboAnalyst 6.0 and O2PLS methods applied to identify key disease-related targets and pathways. RESULTS:: demonstrated that M. oleifera leaf(1 g·kg~(-1)) significantly ameliorated Sco-induced learning and memory deficits, outperforming M. oleifera seeds(0.25 g·kg~(-1)) and M. oleifera velamen(1.24 g·kg~(-1)). This was evidenced by improved behavioral performance, reversal of neuronal damage, and reduced acetylcholinesterase(AChE) activity. Multi-omics analysis revealed that M. oleifera leaf upregulated Tuba1c gene expression through the synaptic vesicle cycle, enhancing glutamate(Glu), dopamine(DA), and acetylcholine(ACh) release via Tuba1c-Glu associations for neuroprotection. M. oleifera seeds targeted the dopaminergic synapse pathway, promoting memory consolidation through Drd2-ACh associations. M. oleifera velamen was associated with the cocaine addiction pathway, modulating dopamine metabolism via Adora2a-DOPAC, with limited relevance to learning and memory. In conclusion, M. oleifera leaf exhibits superior efficacy and mechanistic advantages over M. oleifera seeds and velamen, suggesting that the ■ in the Sārasvata ghee formulation is likely M. oleifera leaf, providing scientific evidence for its identification in ancient texts.
Animals ; Moringa oleifera/chemistry* ; Male ; Mice ; Seeds/chemistry* ; Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Memory Disorders/psychology* ; Transcriptome/drug effects* ; Memory/drug effects* ; Learning/drug effects* ; Metabolomics ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Maze Learning/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To explore the influence factors and predictors of treatment response after adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH)in infantile epileptic spasms syndrome(IESS).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 80 cases of IESS infants(50 males and 30 females)who were diagnosed and treated with ACTH in Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital from January 2016 to December 2020.Patients were divided into effective group(n=39)and ineffective group(n=41)based on their response of ACTH treatment after 28 days,and their clinical data including the patients'basic information,etiology,treatment programmer,per-and post-treatment Kramer scores of electroencephalogram(EEG)hypsarrhythmia severity and so on,were collected to compare and analyze between the two groups.A modified Poisson regression model was constructed to discover predictors of outcome,and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were used to assess the prognosis evaluation of the positive predictive value.Results The ages at seizure onset ranged from one month and seven days to one year and nine months.Seizure types included simple epileptic spasms in 66 cases and combined with other types(focal and secondarily generalized seizures)in 14 cases.Thirty-two cases had been given anti-seizure medications(ASMs)before ACTH treatment.The median Kramer scores per-treatment and at 14 days post-treatment were 10.0(8.3,12.0)and 6.0(4.0,7.0),respectively.After ACTH treatment,39(48.8%)cases were effective.Compared with the effective group,the ineffective group had significantly higher proportion of abnormal perinatal conditions,unknown aetiology with normal development,ASMs given before ACTH treatment,the dosages of ACTH greater than 2 U/(kg·d),combinations of two or more ASMs,poor control,and still seizure attack after ACTH treatment of 14 days(P<0.05).Additionally,the Kramer scores after ACTH treatment of 14 days in the ineffective group were also significantly higher(P<0.05).The modified Poisson regression model showed that there were significant statistic differences between the two groups on ASMs given before ACTH treatment(RR=0.546,95%CI 0.357-0.833,P=0.005)and Kramer scores of hypsarrhythmia severity(RR=0.701,95%CI 0.620-0.792,P<0.001),while there were no significant differences between the two groups in term of ages,gender,perinatal conditions,etiologies,seizure types,Kramer scores before treatment,time lag between onset and treatment,duration of ACTH treatment,kinds of ASMs combination.ROC curve analysis showed that only Kramer scores at 14 days after ACTH treatment could predict the treatment response with sensitivity and specificity of 92.7%and 84.6%,respectively,with Youden index of 0.773.The area under the ROC curve was 0.930(95%CI 0.873-0.987,P<0.001)and the cut-point of the score was 6,indicating that the higher the Kramer scores at 14 days after ACTH treatment,the worse the treatment response.The treatment response rate would reduce by about 30.0%if the Kramer score increased by one point.Conclusion ASMs given before ACTH treatment may influence the treatment response.Kramer scores greater than 6 at day 14 after ACTH treatment may be used as a predictor of treatment response after ACTH in IESS patients.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of Huayu Shengxin Mixture(composed of Astragali Radix,Angelicae Sinensis Radix,Codonopsis Radix,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Persicae Semen,Leonuri Herba,Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparatum,and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle)combined with thunder-fire moxibustion on promoting endometrial repair and preventing intrauterine adhesions after induced abortion.Methods Sixty patients diagnosed as early intrauterine pregnancy and voluntarily to take abortion were randomly divided into control group and observation group,with 30 cases in each group.The control group was given estrogen therapy by oral use of Progynova starting from the day of induced abortion,and the observation group was given Huayu Shengxin Mixture combined with thunder-fire moxibustion on acupoints of Zhongji(CV3),Shenque(CV8),Guanyuan(CV4),bilateral Zigong(Ex-CA07),and bilateral Guilai(ST29)on the basis of treatment for the control group.The repair of endometrium,uterine artery blood flow,the continuity induced of uterine junctional zone and the incidence of adverse reactions of the two groups were observed.Results(1)For the repair of endometrium,the vaginal bleeding time and time for the return of menses in the observation group were significantly shortened and the endometrial thickness was significantly thickened as compared with those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)The improvement of uterine artery blood flow indicators of bilateral uterine artery pulsatility index(PI),resistance index(RI)and the mean values of the ratio of peak systolic velocity to end diastolic velocity(S/D)in the observation group was superior to that in the control group,but the differences of the uterine artery blood flow indicators except for S/D of the right uterine artery were all insignificant(P＞0.05).(3)In terms of the continuity of uterine junctional zone,the patients with the interruption of uterine junctional zone in the observation group were less than those in the control group,indicating that the continuity of uterine junctional zone was significantly superior to that in the control group and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)During the treatment,there were no serious adverse reactions occurring in the two groups,with high safety.Conclusion The treatment with the combination of Huayu Shengxin Mixture and thunder-fire moxibustion on the basis of post-abortion estrogen therapy is more effective on promoting the repair of endometrium and preventing intrauterine adhesions.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of joint needling method combined with ultrasound in the treatment of qi stagnation and blood stasis type of patellofemoral pain syndrome(PFPS).Methods Eighty-six patients with qi stagnation and blood stasis type of PFPS were randomly divided into observation group and control group,with 43 cases in each group.The control group was given western medicine conventional treatment combined with functional exercise,and the observation group was given joint needling method combined with ultrasound treatment on the basis of the control group.Both groups were treated for 2 consecutive weeks.After 2 weeks of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes in the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores of knee pain and the Kujala scale scores of the two groups were observed before and after treatment.The changes in active range of motion(AROM)of the affected knee joint were compared before and after treatment between the two groups.Results(1)After treatment,the VAS scores of the two groups of patients were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the level of VAS scores,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the Kujala scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the level of Kujala scores,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the AROM of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the level of AROM,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)The total effective rate was 95.35%(41/43)in the observation group and 81.40%(35/43)in the control group.The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion The joint needling method combined with ultrasound can significantly relieve the pain symptoms of patients with PFPS and promote the recovery of knee joint function,and the clinical efficacy is remarkable.

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea(AAD)in children is a type of diarrhea that occurs after the use of antibiotics in children,and its pathogenesis is closely related to the intestinal flora.The medication of antibiotics can affect the metabolic function of the intestinal flora and the immune function of the body,and then leads to the occurrence of AAD.In the view of Chinese medicine,AAD in children is mainly involved the spleen,and the etiology of the disease is due to the weakness of the spleen and stomach of the body constitution together with the attack of the pestilential pathogen and the accumulation of drug toxin.The pathogenesis of ADD in children is characterized by spleen deficiency with predominant dampness,deficiency of spleen qi,and insufficiency of spleen yang.Spleen deficiency is the root cause of pediatric AAD,and spleen and intestinal flora have commonality,so the treatment of pediatric AAD can be performed from the perspective of the spleen.The treatment of pediatric ADD from the spleen follows the principle of strengthening and activating the spleen,and the regulation of the spleen for achieving the purpose of treating the disease from the root can be achieved by the methods of strengthening spleen and draining dampness,strengthening spleen and replenishing qi,and strengthening spleen and warming yang separately with the fundamental prescriptions of Shenlin Baizhu Powder,Sijunzi Decoction,and Fuzi Lizhong Pills.

Artemisia argyi is a perennial herbaceous herb of the Artemisia family, with leaves for medical use. However, the germplasm of A. argyi is seriously unclear and mixed during production, and it is urgent to protect new varieties of A. argyi. The distinctness, uniformity, and stability(DUS) testing of the new varieties of plants is the basis for the protection of new varieties of plants, and the development of the DUS testing guidelines is the technical basis for DUS testing. To develop the DUS testing guidelines of A. argyi, A. argyi of 100 germplasm was used as the research objects, and their agronomic and medicinal quality characters were observed and measured during six growth stages, and each character was graded and described. A total of 53 test characters were determined, including 19 characters that must be tested; there were four plant characters, two rhizome characters, five stem characters, three branching characters, 29 leaf characters, three floral characters, five medicinal quality characters, and two other characters. It also involved 16 quality characters, 22 quantitative characters, and 15 pseudo-quantitative characters. Seven grouping characters were determined from 53 characters, including "emergence period" "plant-plant type" "branching-primary branching site" "stem-color" "middle leaf-number of leaf splits" "budding period", and "plant-height". By searching for standard characters, 16 standard varieties were ultimately determined. The preparation of this guideline was of great significance for the review and protection of new A. argyi varieties, the protection of breeders' rights, and the promotion of the development of A. argyi industry.
Artemisia/chemistry* ; Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Plants, Medicinal/classification* ; Guidelines as Topic

From 2015 to 2019, the annual average incidence rate of scarlet fever was 7.80/100 000 in Yantai City, which showed an increasing trend since 2017 (χ²_trend=233.59, P<0.001). The peak period of this disease was from April to July and November to January of the next year. The ratio of male to female was 1.49∶1, with a higher prevalence among cases aged 3 to 9 years (2 357/2 552, 92.36%). Children in kindergartens, primary and middle school students, and scattered children were the high risk population, with the incidence rate of 159.86/100 000, 25.57/100 000 and 26.77/100 000, respectively. The global spatial auto-correlation analysis showed that the global Moran's I index of the reported incidence rate of scarlet fever in Yantai from 2015 to 2019 was 0.28, 0.29, 0.44, 0.48, and 0.22, respectively (all P values<0.05), suggesting that the incidence rate of scarlet fever in Yantai from 2015 to 2019 was spatial clustering. The local spatial auto-correlation analysis showed that the "high-high" clustering areas were mainly located in Laizhou City, Zhifu District, Haiyang City, Fushan District and Kaifa District, while the "low-high" clustering areas were mainly located in Haiyang City and Fushan District.
Child ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Scarlet Fever/epidemiology* ; Spatial Analysis ; Cities/epidemiology* ; Seasons ; Risk Factors ; Incidence ; Cluster Analysis ; China/epidemiology*

Headache is a common clinical complication of ischemic stroke. As a precursor of stroke, headache occurs repeatedly in the convalescent period of ischemic stroke, leading to secondary stroke and seriously hindering patients' rehabilitation. Currently, it is believed that the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke-related headache is associated with the abnormal release of vasoactive substances, high platelet aggregation, and stimulation of intracranial pain-sensitive structures. The active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) with the effects of activating blood to resolve stasis and clearing heat to release exterior can protect brain tissue and relieve headache by reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines, alleviating antioxidant stress, inhibiting neuronal apoptosis and so on. This paper introduces the research progress in the potential mechanism and TCM treatment of ischemic stroke-related headache, aiming to provide reference for further research and drug development of this complication.
Humans ; Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy* ; Brain Ischemia/drug therapy* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Stroke/drug therapy* ; Headache/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*