This research investigated the impact of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides(GLP) on hepatoblastoma HepG2 and Huh6 cell models, as well as KM mouse model with in situ transplanted tumors, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of GLP. Cell viability was assessed through the CCK-8 assay, whereas cell proliferation was evaluated by using the BeyoClick~(TM)EdU-488 test. Cell apoptosis was visualized via Hochest 33258 staining, and autophagy was detected through Mrfp-GFP-LC3 dual fluorescence staining. An in situ tumor transplantation model was created by using HepG2 cells in mice, and mice were treated with normal saline and GLP of 100, 200, and 300 mg·kg~(-1) for tumor count calculation and size assessment. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe pathological changes in tumor tissue and vital organs(liver, kidney, lung, spleen, and heart). Western blot analysis was conducted to measure the protein expressions of tumor protein P53(P53), B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), cleaved-caspase-3, Beclin-1, autophagy related protein-5(Atg-5), microtubule-associated protein-light chain-3Ⅰ(LC3Ⅰ)/LC3Ⅱ, autophagy adapter protein 62(P62), protein kinase B(Akt), p-Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR), and p-mTOR. The in vitro experiment revealed that compared with the control group, after GLP treatment, tumor cell viability decreased significantly; apoptosis rate increased in a dose-dependent manner, and autophagic flux was inhibited. The in vivo experiments showed that compared with the model group, mice treated with GLP exhibited significantly fewer and smaller tumors. Western blot results showed that compared with the control group or model group, levels of P53, Bax, cleaved-caspase-3, Beclin-1, Atg-5, and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ were significantly increased after GLP treatment, and the levels of Bcl-2, P62, p-Akt/Akt, and p-mTOR/mTOR were significantly decreased. These outcomes suggest that GLP promotes apoptosis and autophagy in hepatoblastoma cells by regulating the Akt/mTOR pathway.
Animals ; Humans ; Autophagy/drug effects* ; Reishi/chemistry* ; Mice ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Hepatoblastoma/genetics* ; Polysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Male ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Hep G2 Cells

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

Animals ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Macaca mulatta ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Antibodies, Viral ; Vaccines

Bufonis Venenum, an animal medicinal material, is widely used for treating cardiovascular diseases and pain induced by rheumatics or malignant tumors. In view of the high activity and high toxicity, it is of great significance to pay attention to the quality control of Bufonis Venenum to ensure the safety and effectiveness of its preparations. China's drug standards involve 102 preparations(474 batch numbers) containing Bufonis Venenum approved for sale, including 14 preparations in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition) and 68 preparations in the standards issued by the Ministry of Health Drug Standard of the People's Republic of China. Bufonis Venenum is mostly used in pill and powder preparations in the form of raw powder, with the main functions of clearing heat, removing toxin, relieving swelling and pain, replenishing qi, activating blood, opening orifice, and awakening brain. Except the high level of quality control for Bufonis Venenum in the preparations in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition), the quality control standards of Bufonis Venenum in other preparations are low or even absent. Therefore, it is urgent to conduct research on the improvement of quality standards for the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum. This study retrieved the reports focusing on the quality evaluation and quality control of the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum from CNKI, PubMed, and Web of Science. Qualitative and quantitative analysis methods for 64 preparations containing Bufonis Venenum have been reported, mainly including thin-layer chromatography, HPLC fingerprint, and multi-component content determination. The index components mainly involved bufadienolides, such as gamabufalin, arenobufagin, bufotalin, bufalin, cinobufagin, and resibufogenin. According to the literature information, this paper suggests that attention should be paid to the correlations between the analysis methods and detection indexes of medicinal materials, decoction pieces and preparations, the monitoring of indole alkaloids, and the content uniformity inspection for further improving the quality standards for the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum.
Animals ; Humans ; Bufonidae ; Powders ; Bufanolides/pharmacology* ; Quality Control ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Pain/drug therapy*

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes complicated clinical manifestations with variable multi-organ injuries, however, the underlying mechanism, in particular immune responses in different organs, remains elusive. In this study, comprehensive transcriptomic alterations of 14 tissues from rhesus macaque infected with SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed. Compared to normal controls, SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in dysregulation of genes involving diverse functions in various examined tissues/organs, with drastic transcriptomic changes in cerebral cortex and right ventricle. Intriguingly, cerebral cortex exhibited a hyperinflammatory state evidenced by significant upregulation of inflammation response-related genes. Meanwhile, expressions of coagulation, angiogenesis and fibrosis factors were also up-regulated in cerebral cortex. Based on our findings, neuropilin 1 (NRP1), a receptor of SARS-CoV-2, was significantly elevated in cerebral cortex post infection, accompanied by active immune response releasing inflammatory factors and signal transmission among tissues, which enhanced infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in a positive feedback way, leading to viral encephalitis. Overall, our study depicts a multi-tissue/organ transcriptomic landscapes of rhesus macaque with early infection of SARS-CoV-2, and provides important insights into the mechanistic basis for COVID-19-associated clinical complications.
Animals ; COVID-19/genetics* ; Macaca mulatta ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Transcriptome

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of children with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and to summarize the mid-term efficacy of China Net Childhood Lymphoma-mature B-cell lymphoma 2017 (CNCL-B-NHL-2017) regimen. Methods: Clinical features of 436 BL patients who were ≤18 years old and treated with the CNCL-B-NHL-2017 regimen from May 2017 to April 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical characteristics of patients at disease onset were analyzed and the therapeutic effects of patients with different clinical stages and risk groups were compared. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression was used to identify the prognostic factors. Results: Among 436 patients, there were 368 (84.4%) males and 68 (15.6%) females, the age of disease onset was 6.0 (4.0, 9.0) years old. According to the St. Jude staging system, there were 4 patients (0.9%) with stage Ⅰ, 30 patients (6.9%) with stage Ⅱ, 217 patients (49.8%) with stage Ⅲ, and 185 patients (42.4%) with stage Ⅳ. All patients were stratified into following risk groups: group A (n=1, 0.2%), group B1 (n=46, 10.6%), group B2 (n=19, 4.4%), group C1 (n=285, 65.4%), group C2 (n=85, 19.5%). Sixty-three patients (14.4%) were treated with chemotherapy only and 373 patients (85.6%) were treated with chemotherapy combined with rituximab. Twenty-one patients (4.8%) suffered from progressive disease, 3 patients (0.7%) relapsed, and 13 patients (3.0%) died of treatment-related complications. The follow-up time of all patients was 24.0 (13.0, 35.0) months, the 2-year event free survival (EFS) rate of all patients was (90.9±1.4) %. The 2-year EFS rates of group A, B1, B2, C1 and C2 were 100.0%, 100.0%, (94.7±5.1) %, (90.7±1.7) % and (85.9±4.0) %, respectively. The 2-year EFS rates was higher in group A, B1, and B2 than those in group C1 (χ²=4.16, P=0.041) and group C2 (χ²=7.21, P=0.007). The 2-year EFS rates of the patients treated with chemotherapy alone and those treated with chemotherapy combined with rituximab were (79.3±5.1)% and (92.9±1.4)% (χ²=14.23, P<0.001) respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that stage Ⅳ (including leukemia stage), serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)>4-fold normal value, and with residual tumor in the mid-term evaluation were risk factors for poor prognosis (HR=1.38,1.23,8.52,95%CI 1.05-1.82,1.05-1.43,3.96-18.30). Conclusions: The CNCL-B-NHL-2017 regimen show significant effect in the treatment of pediatric BL. The combination of rituximab improve the efficacy further.
Adolescent ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Burkitt Lymphoma/drug therapy* ; Child ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Lactate Dehydrogenases ; Lymphoma, B-Cell/drug therapy* ; Male ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of the neonates infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the Omicron outbreak in Shanghai 2022. Methods: In this retrospective case series study, all the 16 neonates with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection who were admitted to the neonatal unit in Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from March 1^st to May 31^st, 2022 were enrolled. Their epidemiological history, clinical manifestations, nucleic acid cycle threshold (Ct) value and outcomes were analyzed. Based on maternal vaccination, they were divided into vaccinated group and unvaccinated group. Rank sum test and Chi-square test were used for the comparison between the groups. Results: Among the 16 neonates, 10 were male, and 6 were female. All the infants were full-term. The infection was confirmed at the age of 12.5 (8.0, 20.5) days. All the neonates had a history of exposure to infected family members, and thus horizontal transmission was the primary mode. Four infants were asymptomatic, 12 were symptomatic, and there were no severe or critical cases. The most common clinical manifestation was fever (11 cases), with the highest temperature of 38.1 (37.9, 38.3) ℃ and a course of 1-5 days. Other clinical manifestations included nasal obstruction (3 cases), runny nose (2 cases), cough (2 cases), poor feeding (2 cases), vomiting (1 case), and mild tachypnea (1 case). The complete blood counts of all neonates were within the normal range, and the C-reactive protein increased slightly in 1 infant. Chest imaging was performed in 2 infants, showing mild focal exudative changes. Nucleic acid turned negative (Ct value ≥35) within 7-15 days after diagnosis. All neonates fully recovered after supportive treatment, and the length of hospitalization was 13 (10, 14) days. In the telephone follow-up 2 weeks after discharge for all 16 cases, no infant showed reoccurrence of clinical manifestations or nucleic acid reactivation. Maternal vaccination was not significantly correlated with symptomatic infection or the persistence of positive nucleic acid result in neonates (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Horizontal transmission is the primary mode for neonatal SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection. Neonatal infections are usually mild or asymptomatic, with good short-term outcomes. And their clinical manifestations and laboratory examinations are nonspecific.
Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2 ; COVID-19 ; Retrospective Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Fever ; Disease Outbreaks ; Nucleic Acids

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of five-element music therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on the clinical symptoms and the quality of life in the patients with suboptimal health status (SHS) of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency and explore the corresponding specificity changes in the temperature of acupoints when zangfu functions are of dysfunction and recovered to be balanced, separately. METHODS: Sixty patients with SHS of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. In the control group, the conventional health education was provided. In the observation group, on the base of the therapeutic regimen as the control group, the patients received the five-element music therapy to pacify the liver qi and strengthen the spleen functions, once every two days, 30 min each time, 3 treatments a week. The course of treatment consisted of 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, the TCM syndrome score and the MOS 36-item short form healthy survey (SF-36) score were compared between the two groups and the clinical therapeutic effect was evaluated. Using infrared thermal imaging, the temperature at the acupoints of the affected organs (liver, spleen), the related organs (gallbladder, stomach) and the other non-related zangfu organs (pericardium, lung) was detected before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the TCM syndrome scores were reduced when compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01, P<0.05); the reduction in the observation group was larger than that of the control group (P<0.01). The score of each domain for the SF-36 in the observation group and the score of role-emotional domain in the control group were all increased when compared with the scores before treatment (P<0.01, P<0.05); and the score of each domain for the SF-36 in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). The total effective rate was 66.7% (20/30) in the observation group, which was higher than 10.0% in the control group (3/30, P<0.05). In the observation group, the temperature of the yuan-primary point, the back-shu point and the front-mu point related to the liver, as well as those related to the gallbladder after treatment was reduced when compared with the temperature before treatment; and the changes were larger than those of the control group (P<0.01). The temperature of the yuan-primary point, the back-shu point and the front-mu point related to the spleen, as well as the back-shu point and the front-mu point related to the stomach in the observation group was increased when compared with the temperature before treatment (P<0.01); and the changes were larger than those of the control group (P<0.01). For the temperature of the non-specific points related to the liver and spleen, as well as the yuan-primary point, the back-shu point and the front-mu point related to the pericardium and the lung, there was no significant differences when compared with the temperature at the above-mentioned acupoints before and after treatment (P>0.05). CONCLUSION TCM five-element music therapy associated with the conventional health education may effectively relieve the clinical symptoms and improve the quality of life in the patients with suboptimal health status of liver stagnation and sleep deficiency; and the therapeutic effect is better than the simple health education. The changes in the temperature of acupoints may reflect the functional regulation of the related zangfu organs in the body.
Humans ; Acupuncture Points ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Spleen ; Music Therapy ; Quality of Life ; Temperature ; Liver ; Health Status

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of modified Chaihu Shugansan（CHSG） and its disassembled formulas on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 （ACE2）-angiotensin （Ⅰ-Ⅶ） ［Ang （Ⅰ-Ⅶ）］-mitochondrial assembly receptor （MasR） axis in hyperlipidemic rats with myocardial ischemia and depression， and to explore the underlying mechanism of its prevention and treatment of myocardial ischemia and depression. MethodA total of 108 male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group， a model group， a modified CHSG group （11.7 g·kg^-1）， a Quyu Huatan disassembled formula group （4.05 g·kg^-1）， a Shugan Xingqi disassembled formula group （3.15 g·kg^-1）， a Jianpi Yangxue disassembled formula group （4.5 g·kg^-1）， a fluoxetine group （0.001 8 g·kg^-1）， a trimetazidine group （0.005 4 g·kg^-1）， and a simvastatin group （0.001 8 g·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. The hyperlipidemia model with myocardial ischemia and depression was induced with a high-fat diet combined with injection of isoproterenol （ISO） and chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS） in rats in the model group and groups with drug intervention for eight weeks. The rats in each group with drug intervention were treated correspondingly by gavage from the first day of modeling， while those in the normal group and the model group received the same amount of normal saline. The behavioral changes of rats in each group were observed by open field test and forced swimming test. Left ventricular fractional shortening （LVFS） and left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） were measured by echocardiography. The serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） were detected by the enzyme-labeled apparatus. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histomorphological changes of the heart. The serum levels of angiotensin Ⅱ （AngⅡ）， ACE2， and Ang（Ⅰ-Ⅶ） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The protein and mRNA expression of ACE2 and MasR in the hippocampus and the heart was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed reduced movement time， distance， and average speed in the central area of the open field （P<0.01）， prolonged immobility time of rats in the forced swimming test （P<0.01）， decreased LVFS and LVEF （P<0.01）， inflammatory exudation and disorderly arranged fiber in heart tissues， elevated serum levels of TC， LDL-C， AngⅡ， ACE2 and Ang（Ⅰ-Ⅶ）， diminished HDL-C （P<0.01）， dwindled mRNA and protein expression of ACE2 in the hippocampus and the heart and MasR in the hippocampus， and up-regulated mRNA and protein expression of MasR in the heart （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the modified CHSG group displayed increased movement time， distance， and average speed in the center area of the open field （P<0.01）， shortened immobility time in the forced swimming test （P<0.01）， increased LVFS and LVEF （P<0.01）， relieved heart injury， reduced serum levels of TC， LDL-C， AngⅡ， ACE2， and Ang（Ⅰ-Ⅶ）， elevated level of HDL-C （P<0.01）， up-regulated mRNA and protein expression of ACE2 in the hippocampus and the heart and MasR in the hippocampus， and down-regulated mRNA and protein expression of MasR in the heart （P<0.01）. Each disassembled formula could improve the above indexes to a certain extent （P<0.05， P<0.01）， but the effect of the whole formula was optimal. ConclusionThe modified CHSG and its disassembled formulas have the effects of resisting depression， improving myocardial injury， and reducing blood lipid. Due to the synergistic effects of stasis-resolving/phlegm-eliminating drugs， liver-smoothing/Qi-moving drugs， and spleen-tonifying/blood-nourishing drugs in the formula， the modified CHSG is superior to each disassembled formula in efficacy. Its mechanism may be related to the activation of the ACE2-Ang （Ⅰ-Ⅶ）-MasR axis.

ObjectiveTo develop a quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker （QAMS） for determination of bufalin， cinobufagin and resibufogenin in Shexiang Baoxin pills， and to provide a method for improving the national standard of the pills. MethodHigh performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was developed for simultaneous determination of bufalin， cinobufagin and resibufogenin in Shexiang Baoxin pills and the methodology validation was carried out. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Nucleosil 100-5 C₁₈ column （4.6 mm×250 mm， 5 μm） with the mobile phase of acetonitrile -0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution （pH adjusted to 3.2 with phosphoric acid） （48∶52）， and the flow rate was 0.6 mL·min^-1， the detection wavelength was set at 296 nm and the column temperature was 35 ℃. Taking cinobufagin as the internal standard， the relative correction factors （RCFs） of bufalin and resibufogenin were calculated， and the key influencing factors of RCFs were investigated. Relative retention time was used for the chromatographic peak location of the analyte， combining with the on-line ultraviolet spectroscopy and accurate relative molecular weight obtained by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-QTOF/MS）. The external standard method was used to verify the contents of three components obtained by QAMS. ResultQAMS was established for the determination of bufalin， cinobufagin and resibufogenin in the samples， and RCFs of cinobufagin to bufalin and resibufogenin were 0.922 and 1.01， respectively. The total content of the three marker compounds in 11 batches of Shexiang Baoxin pills was 33.7-36.0 µg per pill. There was no significant difference between the quantitative results of QAMS and external standard method. ConclusionThe established method can be used for the quality control of bufalin， cinobufagin and resibufogenin in Shexiang Baoxin pills. It is suggested that bufalin should be considered as one of three marker compounds， and the sum of bufalin， cinobufagin and resibufogenin should be used for the content limit of this preparation.