Guided by the theory of "the kidney storing essence, governing the bones, and producing marrow", this study explored the mechanism of icariin(ICA) in regulating the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) through caveolin-1(Cav1) via in vitro and in vivo experiments, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). Primary cells were obtained from 4-week-old female SD rats using the whole bone marrow adherent method. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of surface markers CD29, CD90, CD11b, and CD45. The potential for osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation was assessed. The effect of ICA on cell viability was determined using the CCK-8 assay, and the impact of ICA on the formation of mineralized nodules was verified by alizarin red staining. A stable Cav1-silenced cell line was constructed using lentivirus. The effect of Cav1 silencing on osteogenic differentiation was observed via alizarin red staining. Western blot analysis was conducted to detect the expression of Cav1, Hippo/TAZ, and osteogenic markers such as Runt-related transcription factor 2(RUNX2) and alkaline phosphatase(ALP). The results showed that primary cells were successfully obtained using the whole bone marrow adherent method, positively expressing surface markers of rat BMSCs and possessing the potential for both osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. The CCK-8 assay and alizarin red staining results indicated that 1×10~(-7) mol·L~(-1) was the optimal concentration of ICA for intervention in this experiment(P<0.05). During osteogenic induction, ICA inhibited Cav1 expression(P<0.05) while promoting TAZ expression(P<0.05). Alizarin red staining demonstrated that Cav1 silencing significantly promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. After ICA intervention, TAZ expression was activated, and the expression of osteogenic markers ALP and RUNX2 was increased. In conclusion, Cav1 silencing significantly promotes the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and ICA promotes this differentiation by inhibiting Cav1 and regulating the Hippo/TAZ signaling pathway.
Animals ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Caveolin 1/genetics* ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Female ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Flavonoids/administration & dosage* ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Cells, Cultured ; Humans

Quality control is a key link in the modernization process of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). Studies have shown that the effects of active components in TCM depend on not only their chemical composition but also their suitable physical forms and states. The physical phase structures, such as micelles, vesicles, gels, and nanoparticles, can improve the solubility, delivery efficiency, and targeting precision of active components. These structures significantly enhance the pharmacological activity while reducing the toxicity and side effects, demonstrating functional activity surpassing that of active components and highlighting the key effects of "structures" on "functions" of active components. Taking the physical phase structure as a breakthrough point, this paper outlines the common types of TCM physical phase structures. Furthermore, this paper explores how to realize the quality upgrading of TCM through the precise regulation of physical phase structures based on the current applications and potential of TCM physical phase structures in processing to increase the efficacy and reduce the toxicity, compounding and decocting processes, drug delivery systems, and quality control, aiming to provide novel insights for the future quality control of TCM.
Quality Control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans ; Drug Delivery Systems

OBJECTIVE: Meta-analysis of the clinical efficacy of plate and external fixator fixation in the treatment of AO-C type distal radius fractures. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Medical Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and SinoMed databases were searched for all literature on randomized controlled clinical trials of AO-C distal radius fractures. The search time limits were from each database. The database will be established until June 30, 2023. The included studies were extracted according to the Cochrane Handbook (Version 6.3, 2022) for information extraction and literature quality evaluation. RevMan 5.4 was used to evaluate the risk of Publication bias, test heterogeneity and Perform Meta-analysis. The outcome indicators were:imaging anatomy indicators (volar inclination angle, ulnar deviation angle, radial height), wrist joint mobility (flexion, extension, rotation, ulnar deviation), complication rate, and comparison of surgical treatments (operative blood loss, operation time, hospitalization time, fracture healing time) and wrist joint function scores and related scales. RESULTS: (1) A total of 28 studies were included, with a total of 2 192 patients, including 1 096 cases in the plate internal fixation group and 1 096 cases in the external fixation group.(2) Meta analysis results showed:the surgical treatment situation of the external fixation group:surgical blood loss MD=-37.93, 95%CI(-48.54, -27.31), P<0.000 01;operation time MD=-31.58, 95%CI(-48.96, -14.20), P<0.000 4;hospitalization time MD=-4.58, 95%CI(-5.44, -3.71), P<0.000 01;the fracture healing time MD=-0.88, 95%CI(-1.35, -0.41), P<0.000 2, which were significantly better than that of the plate internal fixation group(P<0.05).(3) The two groups:palmar inclination angle MD=-0.17, 95%CI(-0.95, 0.61), P=0.68;ulnar declination MD=0.22, 95%CI(-0.73, 1.17), P=0.65, radial height MD=-0.24, 95%CI(-1.15, 0.67), P=0.60;flexion and extension MD=-5.63, 95%CI(-11.85, 0.58), P=0.08;rotation MD=-5.80, 95%CI(-12.77, 1.17), P=0.10, radioulnar deviation MD=-2.86, 95%CI(-10.87, 5.15), P=0.48;complication rate RR=0.96, 95%CI(0.63, 1.46), P=0.83;Gartland-Werley clinical wrist score MD=0.13, 95%CI(-0.80, 1.06), P=0.78;excellent and good rate of Gartland-Werley wrist clinical score RR=0.93, 95%CI(0.87, 1.01), P=0.08;excellent and good rate of Cooney wrist score RR=0.99, 95%CI(0.62, 1.59), P=0.98;wrist DASH score MD=-4.67, 95%CI(-14.96, 5.62), P=0.37;the differences were not significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Compared with internal fixation with plate, external fixation can significantly reduce the amount of surgical bleeding, shorten the operation time, hospitalization time and fracture healing time, and its imaging anatomical indicators, wrist mobility, and complications can be significantly reduced in treating AO-C distal radius fractures. Rates and wrist function scores were equivalent.
Humans ; External Fixators ; Bone Plates ; Radius Fractures/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation/methods* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Wrist Fractures

On August 2-4,2023,the"Third Summit Forum on'Building a Community of Shared Future for Doctors and Patients'"was jointly organized by institutions such as the Chinese Medical Ethics,the Hospital Humanities Management and Talent Training Special Committee of the China Population and Culture Promotion Association,Center for Ethical Studies of Renmin University of China,the Newspaper for China's Physicians,the China Health Law Society,the China Anti-Cancer Association,and the China Association For Ethical Studies in Harbin.The conference arranged a sub-forum for the"Seminar on the Construction of Chinese Medical Humanities",with domestic medical humanities scholars attending the conference.After heated discussions at the seminar,the Scholars'Consensus on the Construction and Development of Chinese Medical Humanities was formed.It was proposed that in the new era,it is urgent to build the medical humanities discipline,as well as lead the academic integration and development of medical humanities under the core socialist values.At the same time,for the construction of the medical humanities discipline,it is necessary to optimize the organizational mechanism,prosper and develop the overall framework of the medical humanities discipline,accelerate the construction of a professional teaching team for the medical humanities discipline,promote the establishment of a new carrier medical humanities education and teaching in cultivating morality and nurturing talents,as well as focus on solving problems related to the cultivation of medical humanities graduate students.

Aortic valve stenosis,as a common heart valve disease,progresses rapidly and has a poor clinical prognosis.In the case of combined acute heart failure,the pumping function of the heart is severely impaired,which may lead to a significant decrease in cardiac output,resulting in a state of shock.Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)has become a first-line treatment for elderly patients with aortic valve stenosis since its first successful case in 2002.In China,with the advancement of technology and the strengthening of physician training,the capacity of grassroots hospitals in TAVR treatment is increasing.This case reports a patient with severe aortic valve stenosis accompanied by acute heart failure and shock status who received emergency TAVR treatment at a grassroots hospital.Due to limitations in conditions,TAVR was urgently implemented without extracorporeal circulation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support.The patient's blood pressure immediately rose to 105/65 mmHg after valve dilation during surgery,and the postoperative symptoms were significantly relieved.Follow up color Doppler ultrasound showed that the stenosis was relieved and the heart function was significantly improved.The success of this surgery provides a reference for emergency TAVR treatment in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis and heart failure in grassroots hospitals.

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly advances, its deployment within the medical sector presents substantial ethical challenges. Consequently, it becomes crucial to create a standardized, transparent, and secure framework for processing medical data. This includes setting the ethical boundaries for medical artificial intelligence and safeguarding both patient rights and data integrity. This consensus governs every facet of medical data handling through artificial intelligence, encompassing data gathering, processing, storage, transmission, utilization, and sharing. Its purpose is to ensure the management of medical data adheres to ethical standards and legal requirements, while safeguarding patient privacy and data security. Concurrently, the principles of compliance with the law, patient privacy respect, patient interest protection, and safety and reliability are underscored. Key issues such as informed consent, data usage, intellectual property protection, conflict of interest, and benefit sharing are examined in depth. The enactment of this expert consensus is intended to foster the profound integration and sustainable advancement of artificial intelligence within the medical domain, while simultaneously ensuring that artificial intelligence adheres strictly to the relevant ethical norms and legal frameworks during the processing of medical data.
Artificial Intelligence/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Computer Security/standards* ; Confidentiality/ethics* ; Informed Consent/ethics*

Puerariae Lobatae Radix, as a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) with both medicinal and edible properties, possesses effects such as relieving muscle tension and fever, generating fluids and quenching thirst, and unblocking the meridians and collaterals. Modern fermentation technology, combined with microecology and modern bioengineering, can regulate the fermentation process and efficiently produce fermentation products. In recent years, modern fermentation technology has been widely applied in TCM, enhancing or altering efficacy, reducing toxicity, and expanding the scope of clinical applications. This paper reviewed the current research on Puerariae Lobatae Radix fermentation, including fermentation methods, strain selection, fermentation processes, and pharmacological effects, with the aim of providing a reference for further in-depth research, development, and utilization of Puerariae Lobatae Radix fermentation.
Pueraria/chemistry* ; Fermentation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Humans ; Animals

Hard capsules of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) have different degrees of hygroscopicity, which affects the stability and efficacy of drugs. In this paper, 30 kinds of commercially available TCM capsules were used as the research object. The hygroscopicity curves of capsule contents, capsule shells, and capsules were tested respectively, and the first-order kinetic equation was used for fitting. The results show that during the 24 h hygroscopicity process, the capsule shell can reduce the weight gain caused by the hygroscopicity of the contents by 0.80%-53.0% and the hygroscopicity rate of the capsule contents by 1.74%-91.3%, indicating that the capsule shell has a strong delay effect on the hygroscopicity of the contents of the TCM capsules. Seven physical parameters of the contents of 30 kinds of TCM capsules were determined, and 14 prescription process-related parameters were sorted out. A partial least squares model for predicting the hygroscopicity rate of the contents of TCM capsules(with shell) for 24 h was established. It is found that the hygroscopicity rate of the capsule shell is positively correlated with the hygroscopicity of the contents of TCM capsules(with shell), suggesting that the capsule shell with a low hygroscopicity rate is helpful for moisture prevention. In addition, the pre-treatment process route of the preparation and the type of molding raw materials affect the hygroscopicity. A larger proportion of the extract in the capsule content and a smaller proportion of the fine powder of the decoction pieces indicate stronger hygroscopicity of the capsule content. The 24 h hygroscopicity rate of 15% was used as the classification node of hygroscopicity strength, and the hygroscopicity rate constant of 0.58 was used as the classification node of hygroscopicity speed. The classification system of hygroscopicity behaviors of TCM capsules was established: the varieties with strong and fast hygroscopicity accounted for about 6.67%, while those with strong and slow hygroscopicity accounted for about 33.3%; the varieties with weak and fast hygroscopicity accounted for about 26.7%, while those with weak and slow hygroscopicity accounted for about 33.3%. The classification system is helpful to quantify and compare the hygroscopicity behavior of different TCM capsules and provides a reference for the quality improvement, moisture prevention technologies, and material research of TCM capsules.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Wettability ; Capsules ; Powders ; Technology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

The mixing process is a critical link in the formation of oral solid preparations of traditional Chinese medicine. This paper took the extract powder of Guizhi Fuling Capsules and Paeonol powder as research objects. The angle of repose, loose packing density, and particle size of the two powders were measured to calibrate discrete element simulation parameters for the mixing process. The discrete element method was used to calibrate the simulated solid density of Paeonol powder and extract powder of Guizhi Fuling Capsules based on the Hertz-Mindlin with JKR V2 contact model and particle scaling. The Plackett-Burman experimental design was used to screen out the critical contact parameters that had a significant effect on the simulation of the angle of repose. The regression model between the critical contact parameters and the simulated angle of repose was established by the Box-Behnken experimental design, and the critical contact parameters of each powder were optimized based on the regression model. The best combination of critical contact parameters of the extract powder of Guizhi Fuling Capsules was found to be 0.51 for particle-particle static friction coefficient, 0.31 for particle-particle rolling friction coefficient, and 0.64 for particle-stainless steel static friction coefficient. For Paeonol powder, the best combination of critical contact parameters was 0.4 for particle-particle static friction coefficient and 0.19 for particle-particle rolling friction coefficient. The best combination of contact parameters between Paeonol powder and extract powder of Guizhi Fuling Capsules was 0.27 for collision recovery coefficient, 0.49 for static friction coefficient, and 0.38 for rolling friction coefficient. The verification results show that the relative error between the simulated value and the measured value of the angle of repose of the two single powders is less than 1%, while the relative error between the simulated value and the measured value of the angle of repose of the mixed powder with a mass ratio of 1∶1 is less than 4%. These research results provide reliable physical property simulation data for the mixed simulation experiment of extract powder of Guizhi Fuling Capsules and Paeonol powder.
Wolfiporia ; Calibration ; Powders ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Capsules

Objectives: To investigated the safety and efficacy of treating patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and elevated levels of N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with levosimendan within 24 hours of first medical contact (FMC). Methods: This multicenter, open-label, block-randomized controlled trial (NCT03189901) investigated the safety and efficacy of levosimendan as an early management strategy of acute heart failure (EMS-AHF) for patients with NSTEMI and high NT-proBNP levels. This study included 255 patients with NSTEMI and elevated NT-proBNP levels, including 142 males and 113 females with a median age of 65 (58-70) years, and were admitted in the emergency or outpatient departments at 14 medical centers in China between October 2017 and October 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a levosimendan group (n=129) and a control group (n=126). The primary outcome measure was NT-proBNP levels on day 3 of treatment and changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline on day 5 after randomization. The secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in NT-proBNP levels from baseline, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and at 6 months after hospitalization, safety during the treatment, and health economics indices. The measurement data parameters between groups were compared using the t-test or the non-parametric test. The count data parameters were compared between groups using the χ² test. Results: On day 3, the NT-proBNP levels in the levosimendan group were lower than the control group but were statistically insignificant [866 (455, 1 960) vs. 1 118 (459, 2 417) ng/L, Z=-1.25,P=0.21]. However, on day 5, changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline in the levosimendan group were significantly higher than the control group [67.6% (33.8%,82.5%)vs.54.8% (7.3%,77.9%), Z=-2.14, P=0.03]. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in the NT-proBNP levels on day 5 between the levosimendan and the control groups [77.5% (100/129) vs. 69.0% (87/126), χ²=2.34, P=0.13]. Furthermore, incidences of MACE did not show any significant differences between the two groups during hospitalization [4.7% (6/129) vs. 7.1% (9/126), χ²=0.72, P=0.40] and at 6 months [14.7% (19/129) vs. 12.7% (16/126), χ²=0.22, P=0.64]. Four cardiac deaths were reported in the control group during hospitalization [0 (0/129) vs. 3.2% (4/126), P=0.06]. However, 6-month survival rates were comparable between the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.18). Moreover, adverse events or serious adverse events such as shock, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia were not reported in both the groups during levosimendan treatment (days 0-1). The total cost of hospitalization [34 591.00(15 527.46,59 324.80) vs. 37 144.65(16 066.90,63 919.00)yuan, Z=-0.26, P=0.80] and the total length of hospitalization [9 (8, 12) vs. 10 (7, 13) days, Z=0.72, P=0.72] were lower for patients in the levosimendan group compared to those in the control group, but did not show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Early administration of levosimendan reduced NT-proBNP levels in NSTEMI patients with elevated NT-proBNP and did not increase the total cost and length of hospitalization, but did not significantly improve MACE during hospitalization or at 6 months.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Simendan/therapeutic use* ; Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Peptide Fragments ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Biomarkers ; Prognosis