1.Research on bioinformatics and molecular simulation in proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTAC)
Jie ZHU ; Jin-yi NIE ; Xiao-yi LIU ; Zhong-jie LIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(6):1546-1561
Proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) is a drug discovery strategy using ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) to degrade the target protein. Unlike traditional small molecule drugs utilizing occupancy-driven pharmacology as the mode of action (MOA) to regulate protein activity, PROTACs function through forming stable target protein-PROTAC-E3 ubiquitin ligase ternary complex and use ubiquitin proteasome system to degrade the target protein. However, only a few E3 ubiquitin ligases have been used in PROTAC drug design now, and the space of target proteins that PROTAC can target needs to be further expanded. On the other hand, the complicated system of ternary crystal structures is difficult to capture and identify, computational simulation provides modeling of PROTAC-mediated ternary complex formation with effective approaches. In view of this, this review describes the recent progress of bioinformatics on expanding the landscape of E3 ubiquitin ligases and target proteins, and summarizes the methods of computation simulation in modeling PROTAC ternary complex. Finally, the trend of development about PROTAC is prospected.
2.Mechanism of Toddalia asiatica in treatment of osteodestruction in rheumatoid arthritis based on network pharmacology and experimental verification
Lu JIANG ; Zong-Xing ZHANG ; Wei-Yi LI ; Dao-Zhong LIU ; Zhuo-Ma BAO ; Qin-Yun NIE ; Lin YUAN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(10):1979-1990
Aim To investigate the effect of Toddalia asiatica(TA)on bone destruction in rheumatoid ar-thritis(RA)and its possible mechanism by network pharmacology and in vitro experiments.Methods The active components and targets of TA against RA bone damage were analyzed by network pharmacology.Mo-lecular docking was performed by using AutoDock and PyMOL software pairs.MC3T3-e1 cells were cultured in vitro,and the effect of Toddalia asiatica alcohol ex-tract(TAAE)on cell viability was detected by CCK-8,and appropriate drug concentration and intervention time were screened.The osteoblast model was induced by osteogenic induction medium,and the osteogenic differentiation was detected by ALP staining,activity detection and alizarin red staining.The expression of pathway-related proteins Wnt3a and β-catenin was de-tected by Western blot,and the pathway inhibitor DKK-1 was used to further verify whether TAAE regulated osteoblast differentiation through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.Results A total of 158 anti-RA bone destruction targets and 56 core targets were se-lected.The enrichment of KEGG signaling pathway mainly included cancer pathway,phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway and cAMP signaling pathway.The results of CCK-8 showed that 1 g·L-1 TAAE could significantly improve cell survival rate.The results of ALP staining and ALP activity de-tection showed that TAAE could significantly increase the staining positive rate and ALP activity of cells in-duced by osteogenic induction medium.Western blot showed that TAAE could increase the expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin.The expression of these proteins decreased after DKK-1 inhibitors were used.Conclu-sion TAAE can regulate osteoblast differentiation through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to treat os-teodestruction in rheumatoid arthritis.
3.Retrospective study on the modified Uhl technique of closed reduction and percutaneous pin in the treatment of Colles' fracture.
Zhao-Hui LI ; Zhong-Yi SUN ; Zhen NIE ; Yu CHEN ; Wei-Zhi NIE
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2023;36(9):821-826
OBJECTIVE:
To retrospectively assess the advantages of the modified Uhl technique in the treatment of Colles' fracture guided by the principles of Chinese osteosynthesis (CO) concept.
METHODS:
A retrospective study was conducted on 358 patients with Colles' fracture treated with the modified Uhl technique of closed reduction and percutaneous pin between January 2016 and June 2021. Out of these, 120 eligible cases were selected and categorized into two groups according to different surgical methods:the closed reduction and percutaneous pin group, and the open reduction group. Sixty-eight patients in the closed reduction and percutaneous pin group were treated with the modified Uhl technique, while fifty-two patients in the open reduction group were treated with open reduction and internal fixation using plates. The modified Sarmiento imaging score, Gartland-Werley wrist score, operation time, hospital stay, and treatment costs between the two groups were compared at a 6-month postoperative follow-up.
RESULTS:
There were no significant differences in terms of gender, age, affected side, injure factors, time of injury to surgery, Sarmiento imaging score, and Gartland-Werley wrist joint score (P>0.05). The closed reduction and percutaneous pin group exhibited an operation time of (35.88±14.11) minutes, hospitalization stay of (9.78±2.48) days, and treatment costs of (16 074.91±1 964.48) yuan, while the open reduction group demonstrated comparatively longer operation time of (65.48±14.26) minutes, hospitalization stay of (15.88±2.00) days, and treatment costs of (20 451.27±1 760.22) yuan (P<0.01).
CONCLUSION
The modified Uhl technique presents notable advantages in the management of Colles' fracture, including reliable fixation, less trauma, shorter operation time, less pain, shorter hospital stay, and cost-effectiveness. This technique exhibits promising potential for broader clinical application. However, it is important to note that the pin could potentially damage tendons, and in cases of Colles' fractures with osteoporosis and comminuted fragments, additional techniques may be required for reliable fixation.
Humans
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Retrospective Studies
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Colles' Fracture/surgery*
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Fracture Fixation, Internal
;
Fractures, Comminuted
;
Hospitalization
4.Acupuncture Enhances Signals at Sensitized Acupoints to Elevate Pressure Pain Threshold in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients.
Xiao-Yu WANG ; Zhong-Yi NIE ; Qing-Quan YU ; Wei CHEN ; Xiao-Ning ZHANG ; Hong-Ye WAN ; Yang-Shuai SU ; Wei HE ; Ru-Ya LI ; Xiang-Hong JING
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2022;28(12):1105-1110
OBJECTIVE:
To observe the pressure pain threshold (PPT), skin conductance (SC) and blood perfusion (BP) of the sensitized acupoints in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and explore the mechanism of acupuncture at the sensitized acupoints for treating diseases.
METHODS:
Eleven healthy subjects and 11 unilateral KOA patients were recruited from July 2020 to March 2021 in this study. The PPT, SC and BP of control acupoints in healthy controls, and non-sensitized and sensitized acupoints in KOA patients were measured and compared between baseline and after manual acupuncture (MA) treatment.
RESULTS:
Before MA treatment, lower PPT was observed at the sensitized acupoints compared with non-sensitized and control acupoints (P<0.05). After MA treatment, PPT at the sensitized acupoints increased significantly in KOA patients (P<0.05). Before MA treatment, there was no statistical difference in SC and BP among control, non-sensitized and sensitized acupoints (P>0.05). Compared with the control and non-sensitized acupoints, there were significant increases of SC and BP in sensitized acupoints of KOA patients after MA treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01).
CONCLUSION
MA at sensitized acupoints could elevate PPT of KOA patients, which may be associated with the increment of SC and BP.
Humans
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Acupuncture Points
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Pain Threshold
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Osteoarthritis, Knee/therapy*
;
Acupuncture
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Acupuncture Therapy
;
Pain
5.A multicenter study on childhood Hodgkin lymphoma treated with HL-2013 regimen in China.
Di Min NIE ; Qing YUAN ; Yan YU ; Chong Jun WU ; Xia GUO ; Ai Jun ZHANG ; Jun WANG ; Li Yun XIAO ; Kai Zhi WENG ; Yong Jun FANG ; Xiu Li JU ; Ju GAO ; Zhong Jin XU ; Liang Chun YANG ; Ai Guo LIU ; Yi Jin GAO
Chinese Journal of Pediatrics 2022;60(11):1172-1177
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the Hodgkin lymphoma (HL)-2013 regimen in the treatment of children with HL, and to investigate the prognostic factors of childhood HL. Methods: Clinical data of 145 children (aged ≤18 years) with newly diagnosed HL, treated with HL-2013 regimen in 8 tertiary referral centers for childhood cancer from August 2011 to April 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. All the diagnosis were confirmed by histopathological morphology and immunohistochemical examination. The clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were summarized, and the patients were divided into different groups according to clinical characteristics. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and the comparison of survival rates between groups was performed with Log-rank test. Results: Of the 145 cases, there were 115 males and 30 females, the age at diagnosis was 7.9 (5.8, 10.6) years. Cervical lymph node enlargement (114 cases, 78.6%) was the common symptom of the disease, and 57 patients (39.3%) were accompanied by large masses. The most common pathological classification was mixed cell type (93 cases, 64.1%). According to the Ann Arbor staging system, there were 9 cases of stage Ⅰ, 62 cases of stage Ⅱ, 45 cases of stage Ⅲ, 29 cases of stage Ⅳ. According to the risk stratification: there were 14 cases of low-risk group, 76 cases of medium-risk group and 55 cases of high-risk group. Of all patients, 68 cases (46.9%) achieved an early complete remission (CR) after 2 courses of chemotherapy, and the CR rate was 93.8% (136/145) after first-line treatment. Disease recurrence or progression occurred in 22 cases (15.2%). Of all patients, 125 cases survived, 6 cases died and 14 cases were lost to follow-up. Among the survived cases, 123 cases were continuously at CR state,and the follow-up time was 55 (40, 76) months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) rates were (95.3±1.9)% and (84.2±3.0)% for the entire group, respectively. 5-year OS and EFS rates for patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ were both lower than those for patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (χ2=6.28 and 7.58, both P<0.05), the 5-year OS and EFS rates for patients in high-risk group were both lower than those for patients in low-risk and medium-risk group (χ2=10.93, 7.79, both P<0.05). The 5-year OS rates for the patient with early CR and without early CR were 100.0% and (90.9±3.6)% (χ2=5.77, P=0.016). EFS rates for the patient with early CR (68 cases) and without early CR (77 cases) were (93.8±3.0)% and (75.8±5.0)% (χ2=8.78, P=0.003). Conclusions: HL-2013 regimen is significantly effective in the treatment of pediatric HL. However, the patients in high-risk group and those without early CR are prone to disease recurrence or progression. Stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ and without early CR were associated with worse prognosis.
Child
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Female
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Male
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Humans
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Hodgkin Disease
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Retrospective Studies
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Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
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China
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Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
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Prognosis
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Disease-Free Survival
6.Comparison of clinical efficacy of transperitoneal robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy versus extraperitoneal single port robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Shangqing REN ; Qian LYU ; Hualin FENG ; Yong OU ; Yaoqian WANG ; Yi WEI ; Shida FAN ; Fang ZHOU ; Shan ZHONG ; Yu NIE ; Qiang WANG ; Cheng LUO ; Zhengjun CHEN ; Jingzhi TIAN ; Jiaojiao HUANG ; Xiaolin CHEN ; Dong WANG
Chinese Journal of Urology 2021;42(2):116-121
Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of transperitoneal robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP) versus extraperitoneal single port RARP.Methods:A retrospective analysis was perfoumed on 142 cases of RARP from July 2019 to June 2020 in Robotic Minimally Invasive Center of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, including 82 cases(Group A) , aged 70.0(65.6-78.0), undergoing transperitoneal RARP and 60 cases(Group B), aged 68.2 years old(60.1-79.2), undergoing extraperitoneal single port RARP. For group A, PSA was 12.9(5.6-64.0) ng/ml, with 26 cases of less than 10 ng/ml(31.7%), 40 cases of 10-20 ng/ml(48.8%), and 16 cases of more than 20 ng/ml(19.5%), the Gleason score was 7.2(6.0-10.0), with 14 cases(17.1%) of ≤6, 56 cases(68.3%) of 7, and 12 cases(14.6%) of ≥8, and the prostate volume was 61.3(29.0-112.0) ml. There were 49 cases with BMI≤25 kg/m 2, accounting for 59.8%, and 33 cases with BMI>25 kg/m 2, accounting for 40.2%. There were 17 cases(20.7%) of T 1, 44 cases(53.7%) of T 2 and 21 cases(25.6%) of T 3. The proportion of lymph node dissection was 17.1%, and 4 cases(4.9%)had a history of operation. For group B, the PSA was 12.2(1.0-42.6)ng/ml, with 20 cases (33.3%) of <10 ng/ml, 31 cases(51.7%)of 10-20 ng/ml, and 9 cases (15%) of >20 ng/ml. Gleason score was 7.1(6.0-9.0), with 12 cases (20.0%) of ≤6, 42 cases (70.0%) of 7, and 6 cases (10.0%)of ≥8. Prostate volume was 42.4(31.2-72.8)ml on average. There were 37 cases (61.7%) with BMI≤25 kg/m 2, and 23 cases (38.3%)with BMI >25 kg/m 2 . There were 17 cases(28.3%)of T 1, 32 cases(53.3%)of T 2 and 11 cases(18.3%)of T 3.The proportion of lymph node dissection was 11.7% and 4 cases (6.7%) had a history of operation.There was no statistically significant difference in term of age, PSA level, Gleason score, BMI, clinical stage, proportion of lymph node dissection or history of operation between the two groups( P>0.05), but there was statistically significant difference for prostate volume( P<0.05). All operations were performed by the same operator. Four different ways of bladder neck and urethral dissociation was selected according to the intraoperative conditions in Group A, include VIP style, T-shape incision style, VIP plus T-shape incision style or the style along the lateral side of the bladder neck. Small and single anterograde incision stripping of bladder neck was routinely performed in the Group B. Postoperative follow-up was performed to compare the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, bladder neck and urethral anastomosis time, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative exhaust time, postoperative complications, positive rate of surgical margin, indwelling time of urinary catheter, urinary continence satisfaction rate of immediately after operation, 3 months and 6 months after operation, wound healing and aesthetics. Results:All of the operations were successfully completed under robot-assisted laparoscopy, and there was no conversion to open surgery. The operation time was 56.0(45.0-112.0) min in the Group A and 65.4(55.5-96.8) min in the Group B, and there was no statistically significant difference( P>0.05). The intraoperative blood loss was 76.2(30.0-120.5) ml and 55.6(45.5-114.6) ml, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant( P>0.05). The time of bladder neck urethral anastomosis was 18.9(12.6-25.6) min and 16.2(10.7-19.3) min, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant( P>0.05). The postoperative hospital stay days were 9.3(8.0-16.0) d and 8.4(7.0-13.0) d, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant( P>0.05). The postoperative exhaust time was 1.3(0.7-3.0) d and 3.4(2.0-7.0) d, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant( P<0.05). There was 1 case of anastomotic fistula with ureteral injury in Group A, and no serious complication in Group B, and the difference was not statistically significant( P>0.05). The number of positive surgical margin in the two groups was 13(15.9%)and 9(15.0%)respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant( P>0.05). The indwelling time of urinary catheter after operation was 9(7-21) d and 6(4-8) d, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant( P<0.05). The number of patients with satisfactory urinary continence immediately after surgery, 3 months and 6 months after surgery in the two groups were 8(9.8%), 51(62.2%), 62(75.6%) and 17(28.3%), 43(71.7%) and 54(90.0%), respectively. The differences were statistically significant( P<0.05). The total incision lengths in the two groups were 12.1(10.4-13.4) cm and 5.6(5.0-6.0) cm, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant( P<0.05). Conclusions:The extraperitoneal single port RARP is safe and feasible, and the postoperative effect is similar to that of transperitoneal RARP. It has the advantages of shorter recovery time, higher urinary continence satisfaction rate, neater and more beautiful incision. The long-term therapeutic effect needs further confirming by prospective study.
7.Improving native human sperm freezing protection by using a modified vitrification method.
Dai ZHOU ; Xing-Ming WANG ; Rui-Xue LI ; Yi-Ze WANG ; Yuan-Chi CHAO ; Zhi-Zhong LIU ; Zeng-Hui HUANG ; Hong-Chuan NIE ; Wen-Bing ZHU ; Yue-Qiu TAN ; Li-Qing FAN
Asian Journal of Andrology 2021;23(1):91-96
Slow freezing is the most commonly used technique for the cryopreservation of spermatozoa in clinical practice. However, it has been shown to have a negative impact on sperm function and structure. Vitrification as a successful alternative method has been proved to have better protective effects on human embryos, but vitrification of spermatozoa is still subject to low recovery rates. In this study, a modified vitrification method for native spermatozoa was developed. A total of 28 semen samples were included; each sample was divided into three equal parts and assigned to fresh, slow freezing, and vitrification groups. Sperm vitality, motility, morphology, DNA integrity, and acrosome reaction were assessed for each of the groups. The results showed that vitrification achieves better results for several sperm protection parameters than slow freezing; vitrification achieves a higher recovery rate (P < 0.05), motility (P <0.05), morphology (P <0.05), and curve line velocity (P <0.05) than slow freezing. Furthermore, DNA fragmentation was decreased (P <0.05) and better acrosome protection (P <0.05) was exhibited in the spermatozoa after vitrification. Principal component analysis of all sperm parameters revealed that the vitrification cluster was closer to the fresh cluster, indicating that spermatozoa are better preserved through vitrification. In conclusion, while both slow freezing and vitrification have negative effects on sperm function and structure, the vitrification protocol described here had a relatively better recovery rate (65.8%) and showed improved preservation of several sperm quality parameters compared with slow freezing.
8.Functional prediction of Tanreqing Injection in brain diseases.
Zhong-Min LYU ; Yi WANG ; Dan-Qiao WANG ; Tao LI ; Hai-Ming ZHANG ; Ying-Lan NIE ; Fu-Jiang SONG ; Jian SUN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2020;45(4):937-945
The study explores the application of Tanreqing Injection into brain components in brain diseases. The components of Tanreqing Injection and its existing components in rat cerebrospinal fluid were qualitatively analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS). The possible mechanism of action of Tanreqing Injection into brain on brain diseases was predicted by network pharmacological theory. In this study, 17 brain-entry components of Tanreqing Injection were founded, and 222 core targets were obtained from network pharmacological results. The biological processes include 31 items such as negative regulation of apoptotic process, MAPK cascade, Ras protein signal transduction, and 22 items such as PI3 K-Akt signal transduction, MAPK signal transduction and neurotrophic factor signal transduction. Nine brain diseases including stroke, migraine and meningioma were screened out by predicting the effect of Tanreqing Injection on brain components, which provide ideas and directions for further study of a certain encephalopathy and lay a theoretical foundation for further revealing its molecular mechanism.
Animals
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Apoptosis
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Brain Diseases/drug therapy*
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Cerebrospinal Fluid/chemistry*
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Chromatography, Liquid
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis*
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Injections
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Mass Spectrometry
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Rats
;
Signal Transduction
9.Clinical value of bedside abdominal sonography performed by certified sonographer in emergency evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma
Nie-Xia HE ; Jin-Hui YU ; Wan-Yi ZHAO ; Chun-Fang GU ; Ya-Fei YIN ; Xu PAN ; Hua ZHONG
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2020;23(5):280-283
Purpose::To investigate the accuracy and efficiency of bedside ultrasonography application performed by certified sonographer in emergency patients with blunt abdominal trauma.Methods::The study was carried out from 2017 to 2019. Findings in operations or on computed tomography (CT) were used as references to evaluate the accuracy of bedside abdominal ultrasonography. The time needed for bedside abdominal ultrasonography or CT examination was collected separately to evaluate the efficiency of bedside abdominal ultrasonography application.Results::Bedside abdominal ultrasonography was performed in 106 patients with blunt abdominal trauma, of which 71 critical patients received surgery. The overall diagnostic accordance rate was 88.68%. The diagnostic accordance rate for liver injury, spleen injury, kidney injury, gut perforation, retroperitoneal hematoma and multiple abdominal organ injury were 100%, 94.73%, 94.12%, 20.00%, 100% and 81.48%, respectively. Among the 71 critical patients, the diagnostic accordance rate was 94.37%, in which the diagnostic accordance rate for liver injury, spleen injury, kidney injury, gut perforation and multiple abdominal organ injury were 100%, 100%, 100%, 20.00% and 100%. The mean time for imaging examination of bedside abdominal ultrasonography was longer than that for CT scan (4.45 ± 1.63 vs. 2.38 ± 1.19) min; however, the mean waiting time before examination (7.37 ± 2.01 vs. 16.42 ± 6.37) min, the time to make a diagnostic report (6.42 ± 3.35 vs. 36.26 ± 13.33) min, and the overall time (17.24 ± 2.33 vs. 55.06 ± 6.96) min were shorter for bedside abdominal ultrasonography than for CT scan. Conclusion::Bedside ultrasonography application provides both efficiency and reliability for the assessment of blunt abdominal trauma. Especially for patients with free peritoneal effusion and critical patients, bedside ultrasonography has been proved obvious advantageous. However, for negative bedside ultrasonography patients with blunt abdominal trauma, we recommend further abdominal CT scan or serial ultrasonography scans subsequently.
10.Determination and risk assessment of heavy metals and harmful elements residues in Niuhuang Qingwei Pills based on ICP-MS.
Li-Xing NIE ; Yi-Fan ZHA ; Tian-Tian ZUO ; Hong-Yu JIN ; Jian-Dong YU ; Zhong DAI ; Shuang-Cheng MA
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2019;44(1):82-87
To achieve a comprehensive understanding of heavy metals and harmful elements residues in Niuhuang Qingwei Pills,49 samples from 18 manufactures were collected from 31 provinces in China.Risk assessment and control preparations were applied innovatively in evaluation of exogenous pollution in traditional Chinese Medicine.Determination methods for Pb,Cd,As,Hg and Cu were established by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS).Based on the procedures including hazard identification,hazard characterization,exposure assessment and risk characterization,risk assessment was performed and residual limits for Pb,Cd,As,Hg and Cu in the drug were formulated.The results showed that the hazardous quotients(HQ) of the elements were decreased in the following order:Pb>As>Cu>Hg>Cd,and the total hazardous index(HI) of heavy metals and harmful elements in Niuhuang Qingwei Pills was above 1,implying health risk of the drug.Under the proposed limits,5 elements in the control preparation as well as Cd and Cu in the samples were within the limits range,but the excess rates of Pb,As and Hg in the samples were 12%,12% and 14%,respectively.For the first time,basic steps for risk assessment of Chinese patent medicine were established,which provided model and reference for risk assessment and limit formulation of other drugs.
China
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Drug Contamination
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal
;
analysis
;
standards
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Metals, Heavy
;
analysis
;
Risk Assessment

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