This study developed a core outcome set(COS) for traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) interventions in diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN), standardizing evaluation metrics for TCM efficacy and providing a new framework for DPN treatment and management. A systematic search was conducted across databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, and PubMed, targeting clinical trial literature published between January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2023. The search focused on extracting outcome indicators and measurement tools used in TCM treatments for DPN. Retrospective data collection was performed from January 2018 to June 2023, involving 200 DPN patients hospitalized at the Department of Endocrinology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with inpatients, outpatients, their families, and nursing staff to further refine and enhance the list of outcome indicators. After two rounds of Delphi questionnaire survey and consensus meeting, a consensus was reached. The study initially retrieved 3 421 publications, of which 170 met the inclusion criteria after review. These publications, combined with retrospective analysis and semi-structured interviews, supplemented the list of indicators. After two rounds of Delphi surveys, experts agreed on 24 indicators and 6 measurement tools. The final COS determined by expert consensus meeting included 5 domains and 13 outcome indicators: neurological function signs, quality of life, TCM syndrome score, nerve conduction velocity, current perception threshold test, fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, complete blood count, urinalysis, liver function test, kidney function test, and electrocardiogram.
Humans ; Diabetic Neuropathies/drug therapy* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Male ; Female

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the common mechanisms among collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and CIA+BLM to evaluate the therapeutic effect of triptolide (TP) on CIA+BLM. METHODS: Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups according to a random number table (n=6 per group): normal control (NC), CIA, BLM, combined CIA+BLM model, TP low-dose (TP-L, 0.0931 mg/kg), and TP high-dose (TP-H, 0.1862 mg/kg) groups. The CIA model was induced by intradermal injection at the base of the tail with emulsion of bovine type II collagen and incomplete Freund's adjuvant (1:1), with 200 µL administered on day 0 and a booster of 100 µL on day 7. Pulmonary fibrosis was induced via a single intratracheal injection of BLM (5 mg/kg). The CIA+BLM model combined both protocols, and TP was administered orally from day 14 to 35. After successful modeling, arthritis scores were recorded every 3 days, and pulmonary function was assessed once at the end of the treatment period. Lung tissues were collected for histological analysis (hematoxylin eosin and Masson staining), immunohistochemistry, measurement of hydroxyproline (HYP) content, and calculation of lung coefficient. In addition, HE staining was performed on the ankle joint. Total RNA was extracted from lung tissues for transcriptomic analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were compared with those from the RA-associated interstitial lung diseases patient dataset GSE199152 to identify overlapping genes, which were then used to construct a protein-protein interaction network. Hub genes were identified using multiple topological algorithms. RESULTS: The successfully established CIA+BLM rat model exhibited significantly increased arthritis scores and severe pulmonary fibrosis (P<0.01). By intersecting the DEGs obtained from transcriptomic analysis of lung tissues in CIA, BLM, and CIA+BLM rats with DEGs from rheumatoid arthritis-interstitial lung disease patients (GSE199152 dataset), 50 upregulated and 44 downregulated genes were identified. Through integrated PPI network analysis using multiple topological algorithms, IGF1 was identified as a central hub gene. TP intervention significantly improved pulmonary function by increasing peak inspiratory flow (P<0.01), and reduced lung index and HYP content (P<0.01). Histopathological analysis showed that TP alleviated alveolar collapse, interstitial thickening, and collagen deposition in the lung tissues (P<0.01). Moreover, TP treatment reduced the expression of collagen type I and α-SMA and increased E-cadherin levels (P<0.01). TP also significantly reduced arthritis scores and ameliorated synovial inflammation (P<0.05). Both transcriptomic and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed that IGF1 expression was elevated in the CIA+BLM group and downregulated following TP treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION TP exerts protective effects in the CIA+BLM model by alleviating arthritis and pulmonary fibrosis through the inhibition of IGF1-mediated EMT.
Animals ; Pulmonary Fibrosis/complications* ; Bleomycin/adverse effects* ; Phenanthrenes/pharmacology* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Diterpenes/pharmacology* ; Epoxy Compounds/therapeutic use* ; Arthritis, Experimental/complications* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism* ; Rats ; Lung/physiopathology*

OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies seen in clinic and requires novel treatment options. Morin is a natural flavonoid extracted from the flower stalk of a highly valuable medicinal plant Prunella vulgaris L., which exhibits an anti-cancer effect in multiple types of tumors. However, the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of morin in treating GC remains elusive. The study aims to explore the therapeutic effect and underlying molecular mechanisms of morin in GC. METHODS: For in vitro experiments, the proliferation inhibition of morin was measured by cell counting kit-8 assay and colony formation assay in human GC cell line MKN45, human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line AGS, and human gastric epithelial cell line GES-1; for apoptosis analysis, microscopic photography, Western blotting, ubiquitination analysis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, flow cytometry, and RNA interference technology were employed. For in vivo studies, immunohistochemistry, biomedical analysis, and Western blotting were used to assess the efficacy and safety of morin in a xenograft mouse model of GC. RESULTS: Morin significantly inhibited the proliferation of GC cells MKN45 and AGS in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but did not inhibit human gastric epithelial cells GES-1. Only the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK was able to significantly reverse the inhibition of proliferation by morin in both GC cells, suggesting that apoptosis was the main type of cell death during the treatment. Morin induced intrinsic apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in GC cells, which mainly relied on B cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) associated agonist of cell death (BAD) but not phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-induced protein 1. The upregulation of BAD by morin was due to blocking the ubiquitination degradation of BAD, rather than the transcription regulation and the phosphorylation of BAD. Furthermore, the combination of morin and BCL-2 inhibitor navitoclax (also known as ABT-737) produced a synergistic inhibitory effect in GC cells through amplifying apoptotic signals. In addition, morin treatment significantly suppressed the growth of GC in vivo by upregulating BAD and the subsequent activation of its downstream apoptosis pathway. CONCLUSION Morin suppressed GC by inducing apoptosis, which was mainly due to blocking the ubiquitination-based degradation of the pro-apoptotic protein BAD. The combination of morin and the BCL-2 inhibitor ABT-737 synergistically amplified apoptotic signals in GC cells, which may overcome the drug resistance of the BCL-2 inhibitor. These findings indicated that morin was a potent and promising agent for GC treatment. Please cite this article as: Wang Y, Sun XY, Ma FQ, Ren MM, Zhao RH, Qin MM, Zhu XH, Xu Y, Cao ND, Chen YY, Dong TG, Pan YF, Zhao AG. Morin inhibits ubiquitination degradation of BCL-2 associated agonist of cell death and synergizes with BCL-2 inhibitor in gastric cancer cells. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 320-332.
Humans ; Flavonoids/therapeutic use* ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Animals ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Ubiquitination/drug effects* ; Mice ; Drug Synergism ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; Flavones

Objective To analyze the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Cangfu Daotan Decoction on obese polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)rats.Methods Fifteen female SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group and Chinese medicine group,with five rats in each group.In addition to the normal group,the remaining rats were treated with Letrozole Solution by gavage combined with high-fat diet to construct an obese PCOS model.After successful modeling,the rats in the Chinese medicine group were given Cangfu Daotan Decoction by gavage for 30 days.At the end of administration,the ovarian protein expression of rats in each group was detected by non-standard proteomics quantitative technique,and the results of differential protein function,gene ontology(GO)enrichment,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment and differential protein KEGG pathway clustering were compared.Results The functions of differential proteins between the model group and the normal group were mainly concentrated in lipid transport,metabolism and post-translational modification,and protein transcription,and the cluster analysis results of KEGG pathway enrichment and pathway enrichment were mainly concentrated in the degradation of valine,leucine and isoleucine,arginine and proline metabolism,tryptophan metabolism pathway enrichment and renin angiotensin system.The functions of differential proteins between the Chinese medicine group and the model group were concentrated in information storage and processing,especially in transformation,ribosomal structure and signal transduction mechanism,and the cluster analysis results of KEGG pathway enrichment and pathway enrichment were mainly concentrated in ribosome metabolism,drug metabolism-cytochrome P450,methyl butyrate metabolism,and vitamin B6 metabolism.The functional classification of differential proteins between Chinese medicine group and normal group was mainly in signal transduction mechanism,lipid transport and metabolism,and the clustering analysis results of KEGG pathway enrichment and pathway enrichment were mainly concentrated in ribosome,protein digestion and absorption,steroid hormone biosynthesis pathway,cell adhesion molecule,glycerol lipid metabolism and gastric acid secretion.Conclusion Cangfu Daotan Decoction may play a role in the treatment of obese PCOS by regulating branched-chain amino acid metabolism,renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and steroid hormone synthesis pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of integrated Chinese and Western medicine extending the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) patients after the first-line chemoradiotherapy. METHODS: The data of 67 LS-SCLC patients who received combined treatment of CM and Western medicine (WM) between January 2013 and May 2020 at the outpatient clinic of Guang'anmen Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-six LS-SCLC patients who received only WM treatment was used as the WM control group. The medical data of the two groups were statistically analyzed. Survival analysis was performed using the product-limit method (Kaplan-Meier analysis). The median OS and PFS were calculated, and survival curves were compared by the Log rank test. The cumulative survival rates at 1, 2, and 5 years were estimated by the life table analysis. Stratified survival analysis was performed between patients with different CM administration time. RESULTS: The median PFS in the CM and WM combination treatment group and the WM group were 19 months (95% CI: 12.357-25.643) vs. 9 months (95% CI: 5.957-12.043), HR=0.43 (95% CI: 0.27-0.69, P<0.001), respectively. The median OS in the CM and WM combination group and the WM group were 34 months (95% CI could not be calculated) vs. 18.63 months (95% CI: 16.425-20.835), HR=0.40 (95% CI: 0.24-0.66, P<0.001), respectively. Similar results were obtained in the further stratified analysis of whether the duration of CM administration exceeded 18 and 24 months (P<0.001). CONCLUSION The combination treatment of CM and WM with continuing oral administration of CM treatment after the first-line chemoradiotherapy for LS-SCLC patients produced better prognosis, lower risks of progression, and longer survival than the WM treatment alone. (Registration No. ChiCTR2200056616).
Humans ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/drug therapy* ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Combined Modality Therapy

With the recent ongoing autumn/winter 2022 COVID-19 wave and the adjustment of public health control measures, there have been widespread SARS-CoV-2 infections in Chinese mainland. Here we have analyzed 369 viral genomes from recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients in Shanghai, identifying a large number of sublineages of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron family. Phylogenetic analysis, coupled with contact history tracing, revealed simultaneous community transmission of two Omicron sublineages dominating the infections in some areas of China (BA.5.2 mainly in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and BF.7 mainly in Beijing) and two highly infectious sublineages recently imported from abroad (XBB and BQ.1). Publicly available data from August 31 to November 29, 2022 indicated an overall severe/critical case rate of 0.035% nationwide, while analysis of 5706 symptomatic patients treated at the Shanghai Public Health Center between September 1 and December 26, 2022 showed that 20 cases (0.35%) without comorbidities progressed into severe/critical conditions and 153 cases (2.68%) with COVID-19-exacerbated comorbidities progressed into severe/critical conditions. These observations shall alert healthcare providers to place more resources for the treatment of severe/critical cases. Furthermore, mathematical modeling predicts this autumn/winter wave might pass through major cities in China by the end of the year, whereas some middle and western provinces and rural areas would be hit by the upcoming infection wave in mid-to-late January 2023, and the duration and magnitude of upcoming outbreak could be dramatically enhanced by the extensive travels during the Spring Festival (January 21, 2023). Altogether, these preliminary data highlight the needs to allocate resources to early diagnosis and effective treatment of severe cases and the protection of vulnerable population, especially in the rural areas, to ensure the country's smooth exit from the ongoing pandemic and accelerate socio-economic recovery.

Objective: To understand the influence of meteorological factors on the morbidity of influenza in northern cities of China and explore the differences in the influence of meteorological factors on the morbidity of influenza in 15 cities. Methods: The monthly reported morbidity of influenza and monthly meteorological data from 2008 to 2020 were collected in 15 provincial capital cities, including Xi 'an, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi (5 northwestern cities), Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Hohhot, Ji'nan, Zhengzhou (7 northern cities), Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin (3 northeastern cities). The panel data regression model was applied to conduct quantitative analyze on the influence of meteorological factors on influenza morbidity. Results: The univariate and multivariate panel regression analysis showed that after controlling the population density and other meteorological factors, for each 5 ℃ drop of monthly average temperature, the morbidity change percentage (MCP) of influenza was 11.35%, 34.04% and 25.04% in the 3 northeastern cities, 7 northern cities and 5 northwestern cities, respectively, and the best lag period months was 1, 0 and 1 month; When the monthly average relative humidity decreased by 10%, the MCP was 15.84% in 3 cities in northeastern China and 14.80% in 7 cities in northern China respectively, and the best lag period months was 2 and 1 months respectively; The MCP of 5 cities in northwestern China was 4.50% for each 10 mm reduction of monthly accumulated precipitation, and the best lag period months was 1 month; The MCPs of 3 cities in northeastern China and 5 cities in northwestern China were 4.19% and 5.97% respectively when the accumulated sunshine duration of each month decreased by 10 hours, the best lag period months was 1 month. Conclusions: In northern cities of China from 2008 to 2020, the temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and sunshine duration all had negatively impact on the morbidity of influenza, and temperature and relative humidity were the main sensitive meteorological factors. Temperature had a strong direct impact on the morbidity of influenza in 7 cities in northern China, and relative humidity had a strong lag effect on the morbidity of influenza in 3 cities in northeastern China. The duration of sunshine in 5 cities in northwestern China had a greater impact on the morbidity of influenza compared with 3 cities in northeastern China.
Humans ; Cities ; Influenza, Human ; China ; Beijing ; Meteorological Concepts

Objective: To explore the feasibility of moving epidemic method (MEM) in the assessment of seasonal influenza (influenza) activity intensity from the perspective of urban agglomeration, assess influenza activity intensity in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2019 to 2021 and evaluate the reliability of surveillance data and the effectiveness of the MEM model application. Methods: The weekly reported incidence rate (IR) of influenza and the percentage of influenza-like illness (ILI%) from 2011-2021 in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region were collected to establish MEM models respectively. The model fitting effect and the reliability of the two data were evaluated for the purpose of establishing an optimal model to assess the influenza activity intensity in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2019-2021. A cross-validation procedure was used to evaluate the performance of the models by calculating the Youden's index, sensitivity and specificity. Results: The MEM model fitted with weekly ILI% had a higher Youden's index compared with the model fitted with weekly IR at both Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region level and provincial level. The MEM model based on ILI% showed that the epidemic threshold in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region during 2019-2020 was 4.42%, the post-epidemic threshold was 4.66%, with medium, high and very high intensity thresholds as 5.38%, 7.22% and 7.84%, respectively. The influenza season during 2019-2020 had 10 weeks (week 50 of 2019 to week 7 of 2020). The influenza season started in week 50 of 2019, and the intensity fluctuated above and below medium epidemic level for six consecutive weeks. The high intensity was observed in week 4 of 2020, the threshold of very high intensity was excessed in week 5, and the intensity gradually declined and became lower than the threshold at the end of the influenza season in week 8. The epidemic threshold was 4.29% and the post-epidemic threshold was 4.35% during 2020-2021. Influenza activity level never excessed the epidemic threshold throughout the year, and no epidemic period emerged. Conclusions: The MEM model could be applied in the assessment of influenza activity intensity in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the use of ILI% to assess influenza activity intensity in this region was more reliable than IR data. Influenza activity intensity in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was higher during 2019-2020 but significantly lower in 2020-2021.
Humans ; Beijing/epidemiology* ; Influenza, Human/epidemiology* ; Seasons ; Reproducibility of Results ; Epidemics ; China/epidemiology*

Children's fever is often accompanied by food accumulation. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that removing food stagnation while clearing heat of children can effectively avoid heat damage. To systematically evaluate the efficacy of Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules(XRCQ) in clearing heat and removing food accumulation and explore its potential mechanism, this study combined suckling SD rats fed with high-sugar and high-fat diet with injection of carrageenan to induce rat model of fever and food accumulation. This study provided references for the study on the pharmacodynamics and mechanism of XRCQ. The results showed that XRCQ effectively reduced the rectal temperature of suckling rats, improved the inflammatory environment such as the content of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-2(IL-2), interferon-γ(IFN-γ), white blood cells, and monocytes. XRCQ also effectively repaired intestinal injury and enhanced intestinal propulsion function. According to the confirmation of its efficacy of clearing heat, the thermolytic mechanism of XRCQ was further explored by non-targeted and targeted metabolomics methods based on LTQ-Orbitrap MS/MS and UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS. Non-target metabolomics analysis of brain tissue samples was performed by QI software combined with SIMCA-P software, and 22 endogenous metabolites that could be significantly regulated were screened out. MetaboAnalyst pathway enrichment results showed that the intervention mechanism was mainly focused on tyrosine metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, inositol phosphate metabolism, and other pathways. At the same time, the results of targeted metabolomics of brain tissue samples showed that XRCQ changed the vitality of digestive system, and inhibited abnormal energy metabolism and inflammatory response, playing a role in clearing heat and removing food stagnation from multiple levels.
Animals ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hot Temperature ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Metabolomics ; Food ; Fever ; Interferon-gamma