The Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Qinbaohong Zhike Oral Liquid in Treatment of Acute Bronchitis and Acute Attack of Chronic Bronchitis （GS/CACM 337-2023） was released by the China Association of Chinese Medicine on December 13^th， 2023. This expert consensus was developed by experts in methodology， pharmacy， and Chinese medicine in strict accordance with the development requirements of the China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） and based on the latest medical evidence and the clinical medication experience of well-known experts in the fields of respiratory medicine （pulmonary diseases） and pediatrics. This expert consensus defines the application of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid in the treatment of cough and excessive sputum caused by phlegm-heat obstructing lung， acute bronchitis， and acute attack of chronic bronchitis from the aspects of applicable populations， efficacy evaluation， usage， dosage， drug combination， and safety. It is expected to guide the rational drug use in medical and health institutions， give full play to the unique value of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid， and vigorously promote the inheritance and innovation of Chinese patent medicines.

OBJECTIVE To establish a method for determining the contents of clopidogrel （CLP）， clopidogrel carboxylate （CLP-C）， clopidogrel acyl-β-D-glucuronide （CLP-G） and contents of clopidogrel active metabolite （CAM） in rat plasma， and to investigate their in vivo pharmacokinetic characteristics. METHODS The Shisedo CAPCELL ADME column was used with a mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile （both containing 0.1% formic acid） in a gradient elution. The flow rate was 0.4 mL/min， and the column temperature was maintained at 20 ℃. The injection volume was 2 μL. The analysis was performed in positive ion mode using electrospray ionization with multiple reaction monitoring. The ion pairs for quantitative analysis were m/z 322.1→211.9 （for CLP）， m/z 308.1→197.9 （for CLP-C）， m/z 322.1→154.8 （for CLP-G）， m/z 504.1→154.9 [for racemic CAM derivative （CAMD）]. Six rats were administered a single intragastric dose of CLP （10 mg/kg）. Blood samples were collected before medication and at 0.08， 0.33， 0.66， 1， 2， 4， 6， 10， 23 and 35 hours after medication. The established method was used to detect the serum contents of various components in rats. Pharmacokinetic parameters were then calculated using WinNonlin 6.1 software. RESULTS The linear ranges for CLP， CLP-C and CAMD were 0.08-20.00， 205.00-8 000.00， and 0.04-25.00 ng/mL， respectively （r≥0.990）. The relative standard deviations for both intra-day and inter-day precision tests were all less than 15%， and the relative errors for accuracy ranged from －11.68% to 14.40%. The coefficients of variation for the matrix factors were all less than 15%， meeting the requirements for bioanalytical method validation. The results of the pharmacokinetic study revealed that， following a single intagastric administration of CLP in rats， the exposure to the parent CLP in plasma was extremely low. Both the area under the drug concentration-time curve （AUC0-35 h） and the peak concentration of the parent CLP were lower than those of its metabolites. The AUC0-35 h of the active metabolite CAM was approximately 43 times that of CLP， though it had a shorter half-life （2.53 h）. The inactive metabolite CLP-C exhibited the highest exposure level， but it reached its peak concentration the latest and was eliminated slowly. The AUC0-35 h of CLP-G was about four times that of CAM， and its half-life was similar to that of CLP-C. CONCLUSIONS This study successfully established an liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of CLP and its three metabolites， and revealed their pharmacokinetic characteristics in rats. Specifically， the parent drug CLP was rapidly eliminated， while the inactive metabolites CLP-C and CLP-G exhibited long half-lives， and active metabolite CAM displayed a transient exposure pattern.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of Kaixuan Jiedu compatibility and the decomposed prescriptions in the treatment of psoriasis. MethodsThirty Balb/c mice were randomly grouped as follows （n=6）： normal， model， Kaixuan Jiedu （KXJD， 15.21 g·kg^-1）， Kaixuan （KX， 3.08 g·kg^-1）， and Jiedu （JD， 12.13 g·kg^-1）. Except the normal group， the rest groups were modeled for psoriasis-like skin lesions by topical application of imiquimod， and samples were collected after 7 days of continuous intervention. Mice were photographed at the lesion site during modeling and before sampling and the psoriasis area and severity index （PASI） was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological changes in the lesions and measure the epidermal thickness. Mice were photographed and observed for the tortuous dilation of dermal capillaries. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule （CD31）， proliferating cell nuclear antigen （Ki67）， and cytokeratin 10 （CK10） in the epidermal tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. Immunofluorescence assay was employed to determine the expression of Claudin-1 and Occludin. Real-time PCR was employed to determine the mRNA levels of interleukin-17A （IL-17A） and interleukin-23 （IL-23）. The spleen and thymus were photographed and weighed， and the spleen and thymus indices were calculated. The safety of the treatment was assessed by automatic biochemistry testing of the serum， liver， and kidney functions and by HE staining of the liver， kidney and spleen. ResultsCompared with that of the normal group， the skin of the model group showed erythema， infiltration， and typical psoriasis-like changes， tortuous dilation of dermal capillaries， hyperkeratosis in epidermal cells， acanthosis， massive lymphocytic infiltration in the dermis， impaired barrier function， increased expression of VEGF， CD31， Ki67， and CK10 （P<0.01）， reduced expression of Claudin-1 and Occludin （P<0.01） in the epidermis， and up-regulated mRNA levels of IL-17A and IL-23 （P<0.01）. In addition， the mice in the model group showed spleen enlargement， thymus atrophy， increased spleen index， and decreased thymus index （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， KXJD and JD reduced psoriasis-like skin lesions， inhibited the tortuous dilation of dermal capillaries， reduced the expression of VEGF， CD31， Ki67， and CK10 （P<0.01）， increased the expression of claudin-1 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory factors （P<0.01）. Moreover， the KXJD group outperformed the JD group. The JD group showed no significant difference from the model group regarding the spleen index， thymus index， and Occludin expression. The psoriasis indicators in the KX group were not significantly different from those in the model group. ConclusionKXJD and JD can reduce the symptoms of local skin lesions of psoriasis， which is manifested as different inhibition degrees of the proliferation and differentiation of keratin-forming cells， tortuous dilation of dermal capillaries， and inflammatory reactions， as well as the protection of the skin barrier. Moreover， KXJD outperformed JD. KX alone did not significantly reduce psoriasis lesions in mice. KXJD and the decomposed prescriptions are safe and effective， causing no obvious liver and kidney injuries.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of Kaixuan Jiedu compatibility and the decomposed prescriptions in the treatment of psoriasis. MethodsThirty Balb/c mice were randomly grouped as follows （n=6）： normal， model， Kaixuan Jiedu （KXJD， 15.21 g·kg^-1）， Kaixuan （KX， 3.08 g·kg^-1）， and Jiedu （JD， 12.13 g·kg^-1）. Except the normal group， the rest groups were modeled for psoriasis-like skin lesions by topical application of imiquimod， and samples were collected after 7 days of continuous intervention. Mice were photographed at the lesion site during modeling and before sampling and the psoriasis area and severity index （PASI） was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological changes in the lesions and measure the epidermal thickness. Mice were photographed and observed for the tortuous dilation of dermal capillaries. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule （CD31）， proliferating cell nuclear antigen （Ki67）， and cytokeratin 10 （CK10） in the epidermal tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. Immunofluorescence assay was employed to determine the expression of Claudin-1 and Occludin. Real-time PCR was employed to determine the mRNA levels of interleukin-17A （IL-17A） and interleukin-23 （IL-23）. The spleen and thymus were photographed and weighed， and the spleen and thymus indices were calculated. The safety of the treatment was assessed by automatic biochemistry testing of the serum， liver， and kidney functions and by HE staining of the liver， kidney and spleen. ResultsCompared with that of the normal group， the skin of the model group showed erythema， infiltration， and typical psoriasis-like changes， tortuous dilation of dermal capillaries， hyperkeratosis in epidermal cells， acanthosis， massive lymphocytic infiltration in the dermis， impaired barrier function， increased expression of VEGF， CD31， Ki67， and CK10 （P<0.01）， reduced expression of Claudin-1 and Occludin （P<0.01） in the epidermis， and up-regulated mRNA levels of IL-17A and IL-23 （P<0.01）. In addition， the mice in the model group showed spleen enlargement， thymus atrophy， increased spleen index， and decreased thymus index （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， KXJD and JD reduced psoriasis-like skin lesions， inhibited the tortuous dilation of dermal capillaries， reduced the expression of VEGF， CD31， Ki67， and CK10 （P<0.01）， increased the expression of claudin-1 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory factors （P<0.01）. Moreover， the KXJD group outperformed the JD group. The JD group showed no significant difference from the model group regarding the spleen index， thymus index， and Occludin expression. The psoriasis indicators in the KX group were not significantly different from those in the model group. ConclusionKXJD and JD can reduce the symptoms of local skin lesions of psoriasis， which is manifested as different inhibition degrees of the proliferation and differentiation of keratin-forming cells， tortuous dilation of dermal capillaries， and inflammatory reactions， as well as the protection of the skin barrier. Moreover， KXJD outperformed JD. KX alone did not significantly reduce psoriasis lesions in mice. KXJD and the decomposed prescriptions are safe and effective， causing no obvious liver and kidney injuries.

Objective To explore the correlation of MET status in patients with advanced prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma with the clinical pathological parameters and prognosis. Methods The specimen from 135 patients with advanced prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma was included. The expression of c-MET protein was detected via immunohistochemistry, and MET gene amplification was assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The relationships of c-MET expression and gene amplification with clinicopathological features and prognosis were analyzed. Results The positive expression rate of c-MET was 52.60% (71/135). Compared with the c-MET expression in adjacent tissues, that in tumor tissues showed lower heterogeneous expression. Among the cases, 1.71% (2/117) exhibited MET gene polyploidy, but no gene amplification was detected. Positive c-MET expression was significantly correlated with high Gleason scores and grade groups (P=0.0073). However, no significant relationship was found between c-MET expression and progression-free survival or post-treatment t-PSA levels. Conclusion c-MET protein is expressed at a relatively low level in advanced prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma, suggesting that c-MET may not be a viable target for ADC drug development in prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma.

ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation between iron metabolism parameters and various syndrome types of unstable angina pectoris （UAP）. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2021 to October 2023， encompassing 213 patients diagnosed with UAP at Xiyuan Hospital of Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Additionally， 30 healthy individuals were selected as control cases. Single-factor analysis was used to investigate the differences in clinical data among different Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） syndrome types of UAP and their correlation with iron metabolism indices. The study conducted a comparative analysis of the aforementioned clinical data among patients with and without heat-toxic and blood-stasis syndrome. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between TCM syndrome types and related factors. The receiver operator characteristic （ROC） curve was employed to assess the predictive value of iron metabolism indices， along with their sensitivity and specificity. ResultsCompared to those in the control group， serum iron （SI） and serum ferritin （SF） levels were significantly increased in the UAP group （P<0.01）， while transferrin （TRF） and total iron binding capacity （TIBC） levels were decreased （P<0.01）. However， there was no significant difference in unsaturated iron binding capacity （UIBC）. Multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis identified apolipoprotein A1 （ApoA1）， homocysteine （HCY）， high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and SF as independent influencing factors for the UAP patients （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， statistically significant differences were observed in SI， SF， TRF， and TIBC among 213 patients with different TCM types （P<0.01）. Patients with heat-toxic and blood-stasis syndrome had higher SI and SF values than those without the syndrome （P<0.01）， while their TIBC and TRF values were lower （P<0.01）. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that SI and LDL-C levels were closely associated with the differentiation of heat-toxic and blood-stasis syndrome. ConclusionUAP patients often experience iron metabolism disorders， and the heat-toxic and blood-stasis syndrome are significantly correlated with iron metabolism parameters. The SI and LDL-C levels have high specificity and sensitivity in diagnosing heat-toxic and blood-stasis syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of the direct stimulation of acupuncture at extraocular muscle attachment point on acquired extraocular muscle palsy. METHODS: Thirteen patients with acquired extraocular muscle palsy were treated with acupuncture directly at extraocular muscle (paralytic muscle) attachment point. Firstly, the intraocular conjunctival sac drops of topical anesthetic (procaine hydrochloride eye drops) were administered, 0.2 mL each time, once every 10 minutes, for a total of 3 times. Acupuncture was delivered immediately after the third drop. The sterile acupuncture needle for single use, 0.25 mm×25 mm, was inserted at the anatomical location of the corneal limbal attachment of paralytic extraocular muscle, with an angle of 10° to 15° formed between the needle tip and extraocular muscle, and a depth of 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm. Pivoted by the needle tip, the eyeball was moved passively towards the direction of normal action of orbital muscle, 30 to 50 times until the patient felt soreness of the eyeball; afterwards, the needle was removed. After acupuncture, levofloxacin eye drops were administered once (0.2 mL) at the affected eye. The treatment was given twice a week, and completed when diplopia disappeared. Before and after treatment, the diplopia and the synoptophore circumference were observed respectively. RESULTS: After 7 to 24 (15.46±5.56) times of direct stimulation with acupuncture at extraocular muscle attachment point, the symptoms of diplopia disappeared in 13 patients, the eye position restored to orthophoria, and the circumference of synoptophore was reduced to be (4.04±0.82)° from (19.38±3.98)° detected before treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture directly at extraocular muscle attachment can attenuate diplopia and improve ocular muscle function in patients with acquired extraocular muscle palsy.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Oculomotor Muscles/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Acupuncture Points ; Ophthalmoplegia/physiopathology*

To investigate the mechanism of Qitu Erzhi Decoction(QTEZ) in ameliorating chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and the focus of its decomposed formulae on the effects of hematopoietic cells of the three lineages, respectively. Ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used to identify the components of QTEZ intestinal absorption liquid and obtain the target sites, which were intersected with chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression targets collected from several databases, including OMIM, and an interaction network was established based on network pharmacology for Gene Ontology(GO) functional analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway analysis. Hematopoietic stem cells of mice were taken after intraperitoneal injection of 5-fluorouracil for myelosuppression modeling and randomly divided into the model group, Qitu Erzhi group, Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix group, Ligustri Lucidi Fructus-Ecliptae Herba group, Psoraleae Fructus-Cuscutae Semen group, and positive drug group, which were given the corresponding traditional Chinese medicine intestinal absorption liquid and the positive drug granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, respectively. The normal hematopoietic stem cells were taken as the control group and were given the intervention of normal saline. The proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells of three lineages was observed by flow cytometry, and the cell cycle and colony formation assay were observed. Western blot was used to verify the effect of QTEZ on the pathway proteins including phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K), phosphorylated PI3K(p-PI3K), protein kinase B(AKT), and phosphorylated AKT(p-AKT). RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the effects of QTEZ on cell cycle-related targets such as CDK inhibitor 1(P21), cyclin D1(CCND1), and cyclin-dependent kinase 4(CDK4). The results showed that a total of 158 components were identified by QTEZ, and 375 component and disease intersecting targets were obtained, 21 core components and 40 core targets were obtained after constructing the network, and GO and KEGG enrichment showed signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT. QTEZ and its decomposed formulae could promote the 5-fluorouracil-blocked cell cycle to resume operation, and all of them had different degrees of restoration effects on the set of colonies, among which QTEZ had the best restoration effect, and the Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix group had a focused effect on colony forming unit-erythrocyte. Western blot results indicated that there was no significant difference in the expression levels of pathway proteins among the groups. RT-qPCR and Western blot results showed that QTEZ could down-regulate P21 and up-regulate the protein and mRNA expression of CDK4 and CCND1. In conclusion, QTEZ and its decomposed formulas can exert a protective effect on hematopoietic stem cells with 5-fluorouracil-induced myelosuppression by promoting the normal operation of the cell cycle and colony formation, and the mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of the cell cycle-related targets of P21 and the up-regulation of CDK4 and CCND1. In addition, Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix can have a targeted protective effect on erythrocytes.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Network Pharmacology ; Mice ; Fluorouracil/adverse effects* ; Male ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/cytology* ; Humans ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

By employing the analytic hierarchy process(AHP), the CRITIC method(a weight determination method based on indicator correlations), and the AHP-CRITIC hybrid weighting method, the weight coefficients of evaluation indicators were determined, followed by a comprehensive score comparison. The grey correlation analysis was then performed to analyze the results calculated using the hybrid weighting method. Subsequently, a backpropagation-artificial neural network(BP-ANN) model was constructed to predict the extraction process parameters and optimize the extraction process for Shenxiong Huanglian Jiedu Granules(SHJG). In the extraction process, an L_9(3~4) orthogonal experiment was designed to optimize three factors at three levels, including extraction frequency, water addition amount, and extraction time. The evaluation indicators included geniposide, berberine, ginsenoside Rg_1 + Re, ginsenoside Rb_1, ferulic acid, and extract yield. Finally, the optimal extraction results obtained by the orthogonal experiment, grey correlation analysis, and BP-ANN method were compared, and validation experiments were conducted. The results showed that the optimal extraction process involved two rounds of aqueous extraction, each lasting one hour; the first extraction used ten times the amount of added water, while the second extraction used eight times the amount. In the validation experiments, the average content of each indicator component was higher than the average content obtained in the orthogonal experiment, with a higher comprehensive score. The optimized extraction process parameters were reliable and stable, making them suitable for subsequent preparation process research.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Neural Networks, Computer

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of Qingda Granule (QDG) in ameliorating hypertension-induced cardiac damage and investigate the underlying mechanisms involved. METHODS: Twenty spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were used to develope a hypertension-induced cardiac damage model. Another 10 Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as normotension group. Rats were administrated intragastrically QDG [0.9 g/(kg•d)] or an equivalent volume of pure water for 8 weeks. Blood pressure, histopathological changes, cardiac function, levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory response markers were measured. Furthermore, to gain insights into the potential mechanisms underlying the protective effects of QDG against hypertension-induced cardiac injury, a network pharmacology study was conducted. Predicted results were validated by Western blot, radioimmunoassay immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS: The administration of QDG resulted in a significant decrease in blood pressure levels in SHRs (P<0.01). Histological examinations, including hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining revealed that QDG effectively attenuated hypertension-induced cardiac damage. Furthermore, echocardiography demonstrated that QDG improved hypertension-associated cardiac dysfunction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and colorimetric method indicated that QDG significantly reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory response levels in both myocardial tissue and serum (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Both network pharmacology and experimental investigations confirmed that QDG exerted its beneficial effects in decreasing hypertension-induced cardiac damage by regulating the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)/angiotensin II (Ang II)/Ang II receptor type 1 axis and ACE/Ang II/Ang II receptor type 2 axis.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hypertension/pathology* ; Renin-Angiotensin System/drug effects* ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Male ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Rats ; Inflammation/pathology*