OBJECTIVE To compare the anti-hepatitis mechanisms of Abrus pulchellus subsp. cantoniensis （Hance） Verdc. （AC） and Abrus pulchellus subsp. mollis（Hance） Verdc. （AM）. METHODS SD rats were randomly divided into blank group， AC- treated group， and AM-treated group， with each group consisting of 10 rats. The rats’ orbital venous blood was collected at 5， 15， 30 minutes， and 1， 1.5， 2， 4， 6， 8， 12 hours after gavage administration of 24 g/kg of the corresponding drug （calculated by crude drug） or water， respectively. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology was utilized to identify the prototype components present in the serum. The network pharmacology method was adopted to predict the anti-hepatitis active components， key targets， and signaling pathways of AC and AM. Additionally， molecular docking technology was utilized to verify the binding activity of the core active components with key targets. RESULTS A total of 35 prototype components migrating to the blood of AC and AM were identified in the serum of administered rats， among which 24 were common components. The active components in AC， such as acetylanguidine， physcion， soyasaponin A3 and soyasaponin Ⅰ， as well as those in AM， including vicenin 3， acetylanguidine，soyasaponin Ⅰ and schaftoside， all acted on key targets such as steroid receptor coactivator， phosphatidylinositol-4，5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， and protein kinase B1（Akt1）. These components modulated pathways in cancer， EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance， and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K） -Akt pathway， thereby exerting anti-hepatitis effects. Furthermore， the binding energies between these active components and their key targets were all less than －5 kJ/mol. CONCLUSIONS There are differences in the active components of AC and AM against hepatitis， but their mechanisms of action are similar. Both may exert their anti-hepatitis effects through pathways in cancer， EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance， and the PI3K-Akt pathway.

BACKGROUND: Molecular subtyping is an essential complementarity after pathological analyses for targeted therapy. This study aimed to investigate the consistency of next-generation sequencing (NGS) results between circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based and tissue-based in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and identify the patient characteristics that favor ctDNA testing. METHODS: Patients who diagnosed with NSCLC and received both ctDNA- and cancer tissue-based NGS before surgery or systemic treatment in Lung Cancer Center, Sichuan University West China Hospital between December 2017 and August 2022 were enrolled. A 425-cancer panel with a HiSeq 4000 NGS platform was used for NGS. The unweighted Cohen's kappa coefficient was employed to discriminate the high-concordance group from the low-concordance group with a cutoff value of 0.6. Six machine learning models were used to identify patient characteristics that relate to high concordance between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients were enrolled, of which 22.4% (19/85) had stage III disease and 56.5% (48/85) had stage IV disease. Forty-four patients (51.8%) showed consistent gene mutation types between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS, while one patient (1.2%) tested negative in both approaches. Patients with advanced diseases and metastases to other organs would be suitable for the ctDNA-based NGS, and the generalized linear model showed that T stage, M stage, and tumor mutation burden were the critical discriminators to predict the consistency of results between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS. CONCLUSION ctDNA-based NGS showed comparable detection performance in the targeted gene mutations compared with tissue-based NGS, and it could be considered in advanced or metastatic NSCLC.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology* ; Circulating Tumor DNA/blood* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods* ; Female ; Male ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Middle Aged ; Mutation/genetics* ; Aged ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over

ObjectiveTo explore the therapeutic mechanism of Bushen Huoxue prescription from the perspective of bone metabolism by observing the clinical efficacy of this prescription in treating femoral head necrosis （ONFH， syndrome of liver and kidney deficiency） and its influences on bone metabolism indexes： N-terminal propeptide （PINP） and β-collagen degradation product （β-CTX）. MethodSixty-six ONFH patients with the syndrome of liver and kidney deficiency in Zhengzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Orthopedics from December 2021 to September 2022 were selected. The patients were randomized into an experimental group and a control group by the parallel control method， with 33 patients in each group. The experimental group received Bushen Huoxue prescription orally， while the control group received Xianlinggubao Capsules orally， with a treatment cycle of 6 months. The visual analogue scale （VAS） score， Harris score， Association Research Circulation Osseous （ARCO） staging， imaging changes， quantitative scores of TCM symptoms， and serum levels of PINP and β-CTX were determined before and after treatment. The occurrence of adverse events and reactions was recorded. ResultThe total response rate in the experimental group was 83.87% （26/31）， which was higher than that （68.75%， 22/32） in the control group （Z=-2.096， P<0.05）. After treatment， the single and total scores of TCM symptoms， VAS score， and β-CTX level decreased in the two groups （P<0.05）. Moreover， the decreases in the scores of hip pain， lower limb mobility， soreness of waist and knees， and lower limb flaccidity， total score of TCM symptoms， VAS score， and β-CTX level in the experimental were larger than those in the control group （P<0.05）. After treatment， the imaging results showed no significant improvement in the two groups. The Harris score and PINP level in both groups increased after treatment （P<0.05）， and the increases were more obvious in the experimental group than in the control group （P<0.05）. No serious adverse event or adverse reaction appeared during the observation period. ConclusionBushen Huoxue prescription can relieve pain and TCM symptoms and improve the hip joint function in treating ONFH patients with the syndrome of liver and kidney deficiency. It can inhibit the development of ONFH， increase PINP， and decrease β-CTX. No obvious side effect appears during the clinical observation period， which shows that Bushen Huoxue prescription has good safety.

ObjectiveTo study the effect and mechanism of Curculiginis Rhizoma in ameliorating kidney-Yang deficiency in castrated rats. MethodThe targets of Curculiginis Rhizoma and male reproductive diseases due to kidney-Yang deficiency were screened from relevant databases by network pharmacology， and key targets were screened out according to topological eigenvalues. After that， gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analyses were performed to obtain the pathways of Curculiginis Rhizoma in treating kidney-Yang deficiency. The rat model of kidney-Yang deficiency was established by castration. The rats were assigned into model， testosterone propinate （2 mg·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， high-dose （0.14， 0.28， 0.56 g·kg^-1， respectively） Curculiginis Rhizoma groups. Another 8 healthy male rats with first incising and then suturing were used as the sham group. The rats were administrated with corresponding agents by gavage once a day for 6 consecutive weeks. During the experiment， the general conditions of rats in each group were observed， and their body mass was recorded. At the end of the experiment， the indexes of accessory sex organs were calculated， and the pathological changes of the seminal vesicle glands and prostate glands were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The serum levels of luteinizing hormone （LH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， testosterone （T）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results of the network pharmacological prediction were verified by animal experiments， and the expression levels of related genes and proteins were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot， respectively. ResultThe biological functions enriched mainly involved four overexpression modules including regulation of cell responses to various stimuli， metabolic responses， regulation of intracellular signal transduction， and regulation of reproduction. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway was a significantly enriched pathway for the core target and also a pathway with the highest enrichment factor in the biological process of regulating cell responses to stimuli. The results of animal experiments showed that compared with the model group， low-dose Curculiginis Rhizoma group increased the body weight gain （P<0.05）. In addition， high-dose Curculiginis Rhizoma group increased the seminal vesicle gland index and epididymis index （P<0.05）. The administration with Curculiginis Rhizoma ameliorate epithelial cell hyperplasia of the seminal vesicle glands， did not attenuate the vacuolar degeneration， mitigated the enlarged vesicular lumen of the prostate gland， changing of epithelial cells of the glands from flattened to cubic and columnar shapes， and cellular disarrangement， and reduced the mesenchymal stroma thickness. Compared with the model group， all the intervention measures elevated the levels of FSH， LH， T， and IL-6 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of PI3K and the mRNA levels of Akt in the epididymis tissue （P<0.05）. ConclusionCurculiginis Rhizoma can alleviate the T level reduction and accessory sex organ atrophy in castrated rats by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

With the rapid development of the interdisciplinary area of artificial intelligence and medicine, large language model (LLM) has been widely used in the fields such as diagnosis and treatment, medicine, and healthcare. LLM has unique advantages in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as high consistency with the "Four Diagnostic Methods", perfect combination of natural language and self-supervised learning in TCM, the ability to adapt to the characteristics TCM formulas, and the assistance in TCM diagnosis and treatment. At present, various LLM models have been developed, including the "Qihuang Ask Big Model" and the Digital Traditional Chinese Medicine Big Model "GLM-130B", but they still face challenges such as value mismatch and medical abuse, increased demand for interpretability, lack of advanced technology, and domestic policy access. This article reviews the evolution of LLM, its unique advantages and applications in the field of TCM, the problems and challenges, and the future development trends, in order to providereference for the further promotion of LLM in traditional medicine.

"Target trial emulation" (TTE), as a new framework in real-world research, has been formally established in recent years. It can be used to guide the evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of medical interventions based on real-world data for observational causal inference. The core idea of this framework is to follow the principles of randomized controlled trial (RCT), emulate a corresponding RCT using real-world data, and then draw conclusions about the causal relationship between interventions and outcomes. The main implementation tips of TTE can be summarized as "3-7-2": 3 implementation steps including formulating the causal question, designing the emulation plan, and emulating the target study; 7 design elements including eligibility criteria, treatment strategies, intervention allocation, follow-up period, outcome, causal contrast of interest, and analysis plan; and control of 2 critical biases including immortal time bias and prevalent user bias. In this article, we present an overview of the development, current status, implementation steps, classic examples, advantages and limitations of TTE, and its application prospects in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is hoped that this article can assist researchers in TCM to utilize this method for real-world research and contribute to the construction of a clinical evaluation system with distinctive features of TCM.

ObjectiveTo construct the evidence body for revision of safety information on package inserts of Chinese patent medicines in post-marketing by taking Xiaoke'an capsules as an example， so as to provide reference for the revision of instructions of Chinese patent medicines in post-marketing. MethodThe construction of the evidence body was guided by the theory of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） and the Technical Guiding Principles for Revision of Safety Information Items in Instructions for TCMs After Marketing， and 8 categories and 25 specific items were taken as the main body of the evidence body， and information inclusion， integration， screening and improvement were carried out， then expert demonstrations were conducted， and finally modifications were made based on the opinions of the Center for Drug Evaluation to complete the revision of the safety information in the instructions of Xiaoke'an capsules. Result［Adverse reactions］ of Xiaoke'an capsules was revised to "monitoring data show that the following adverse reactions can be seen with this product：individual hypoglycemic reaction reports". ［Contraindications］ was revised to "contraindicated for those allergic to this product and its ingredients". ［Precautions］ was revised to "（1）pregnant women should use with caution， （2）elderly people should consult a physician， （3）people with spleen deficiency and dampness， spleen and stomach deficiency and cold， or those who eat less and have diarrhea should use with caution， （4）this product contains ginseng， should not be taken at the same time with TCM prescriptions or patent medicines containing veratrum and Wulingzhi， （5）pay attention to monitoring blood sugar during medication， （6）if any other discomfort occurs during medication， you should seek medical attention in time". The warning was revised to "use with caution by pregnant women， and pay attention to regular monitoring of blood sugar". ConclusionIn accordance with the content and process of the evidence body for the revision of safety information in the instructions， the revision of the safety information in the instructions of Xiaoke'an capsules has been completed， providing a strong basis for the rational and safe use of medication in the clinic.

Objective:To explore the effect of Jian-Pi-Zhi-Dong decoction on autonomous activity and dopamine (dopamine, DA) synaptic vesicle protein expression in the striatum of Tourette syndrome (TS) model rats.Methods:The 4-week-old male SD rats were used to establish the TS model by intraperitoneal injection of N-aminodipropionate. Thirty successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into model group, Chinese medicine group, and tiberide group according to random number table method, with 10 rats in each group. And another 10 rats with matched body mass were selected as the control group. Rats in Chinese medicine group were given Jian-Pi-Zhi-Dong decoction solution (1.6 g/100 g) and the rats in tiapride group were given sulfate tiapride suspension (2.1 mg/100 g), while rats in control group and model group were given an equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution, once a day for 4 weeks.The number of autonomous activities in rats was determined by autonomous activity programmer. ELISA was used to detect the level of DA in the striatum of rats and the expression of dopamine transporter (DAT).Vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT2) and α-synuclein (α-syn) were measured by Western blot.SPSS 25.0 software was used for data analysis. Multiple group comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA, non-parametric test and repeated measures ANOVA.Results:Comparing the number of autonomous activities among the 4 groups, the interaction effect between time and group was significant ( F=184.354, P<0.001). At the 1-4 weeks of gavaging, the numbers of autonomic activities in the model group were more than those in the control group (all P<0.05).While the numbers of autonomic activities in Chinese medicine group and tiapride group were less than those in the model group (all P<0.05). Moreover, the numbers of autonomic activities in Chinese medicine group and tiapride group from 1 to 4 weeks were less than those after model making (all P<0.05). The Western blot results showed significant differences in the relative expression of α-syn ( H=29.098), DAT ( F=54.632) and VMAT2 ( H=18.982) among the 4 groups (all P<0.001). The expression levels of α-syn protein in Chinese medicine group and tiapride group were both lower than that in the model group (0.39(0.36, 0.51), 0.39(0.36, 0.50), 0.62(0.50, 0.70)) (both P<0.05). The expression level of DAT protein in Chinese medicine group was higher than that in the model group and lower than that in tiapride group ((0.37±0.06), (0.26±0.07), (0.49±0.09)) (both P<0.05). And the expression level of VMAT2 protein in Chinese medicine group had no significant difference compared with that in the model group ( P>0.05).The ELISA results showed significant differences in DA content of striatum among the 4 groups ( F=75.370, P<0.001). The level of DA in the model group was higher than that in the control group ((7.65±0.72) ng/L, (3.71±0.59) ng/L, P<0.05). The levels of DA in Chinese medicine group ((3.92±0.81) ng/L) and tiapride group ((4.40±0.53) ng/L) were lower than that in the model group (both P<0.05), and the difference between Chinese medicine group and tiapride group was not significant ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Jian-Pi-Zhi-Dong decoction can relieve the tic symptoms of the model rats with TS, and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting the excessive release of α-syn, improving the expression of DAT and VMAT2, improving the DA synaptic vesicle circulation, and reducing the DA content in the synaptic space of the brain.

Objective:To discuss the mechanism of salidroside in the treatment of triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)by using the bioinformatics and network pharmacology methods,and to clarify the main targets and signaling pathways involved in the therapeutic effect.Methods:The dataset GSE45827 was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database;the gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was performed by using the R software package GSEABase;the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between the adjacent normal tissue and TNBC tissue were identified by limma R software package;the Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the DEGs,and the DEGs were integrated with the drug targets to import into gene/protein interaction retrieval tool String database,and the protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks were constructed;the functional module screening of the PPI network was conducted by MCODE plugin,and the top 2 modules ranked by SCORE value were further subjected to GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG signaling pathway analysis.The pathways obtained from the two rounds of KEGG enrichment analysis were intersected with the results of GSEA enrichment analysis to identify the pathways involved in the therapeutic effect of salidroside on TNBC.The top 10 key node genes in the highest scoring module determined by the maximum clique centrality(MCC)score caculated by CytoHubba plugi were considered as the core genes;the molecular docking was performed by AutoDock Vina1.1.2 and PyMOL2.3.0 Software.Results:The intersection of KEGG and GSEA enrichment analysis results showed 13 singaling pathways,including the cell cycle,cellular senescence,and p53 signaling pathways,and so on.The biological processes involved in the GO functional analysis,such as mitosis,nuclear division,and sister chromatid separation,were closely related to the cell cycle and consistented with the results of the KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis.The top ranked module based on the SCORE value contained 5 drug target genes of Rhodiola glycoside,such as cyclin A2(CCNA2),checkpoint kinase 1(CHEK1),kinesin family member 11(KIF11),DNA topoisomerase 2-alpha(TOP2A),and thymidylate synthase(TYMS).The molecular docking results demonstrated strong binding affinities between the above proteins and Rhodiola glycoside(binding energy<-7.0 kcal·mol-1).Conclusion:The tightly binding target of salidroside is located in the key functional modules of DEGs of TNBC,which can directly regulate by binding with CCNA2 and protein,and indirectly regulate the key differentially genes of TNBC by binding with KIF11,TOPA2,CHEK1 and TYMS proteins.Therefore,salidroside may be a potential clinical therapeutic drug for TNBC.

Objective To investigate the role of macrophages in the process of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)exposure induced damage to pulmonary blood-air barrier.Methods Eighteen male BALB/C mice (aged of 10 weeks,weighing 24～27 g)were randomly divided into control group and low-and high-dose PM2.5 exposure groups (receiving 1 .8 and 16.2 mg/kg,respectively),with 6 mice in each group.The control group received tracheal instillations of normal saline on days 1,4,and 7,whereas the exposure groups were administered corresponding dose of PM2.5 exposure at the same time points.In 24 h after last exposure,pathological changes in the lung tissues were observed,and the contents of total protein (TP ),lactate dehydrogenase (LDH ),and alkaline phosphatase (AKP ) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF ),and F4/80 protein level in lung tissue were measured to evaluate the blood-air barrier damage and macrophage infiltration within the lung tissues.Additionally,an in vitro model of the blood-air barrier was established using A549 alveolar epithelial cells and EA.hy926 vascular endothelial cells.In combination with a THP-1 macrophage model,the supernatant PM2.5 supernatant,macrophage supernatant,and PM2.5-macrophage supernatant were incubated with the barrier model for 24 h,respectively.Transmembrane electrical resistance (TEER),sodium fluorescein permeability of the barrier model,and LDH release from the barrier cells were measured to ascertain the extent of macrophage-mediated enhancement in barrier damage induced by PM2.5 exposure.Furthermore,the expression of inflammatory cytokines,such as TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-8 in the macrophages after PM2.5 exposure was analyzed with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results PM2.5 exposure induced lung tissue damage in mice in a dose-dependent manner,significantly elevated the contents of TP,LDH and AKP in the BALF and caused marked infiltration of macrophages into the lung tissue,especially the high-dose exposure when compared with the mice from the control group (P<0.01 ).In vitro barrier model exposure experiments showed that in comparison with the treatment of 150 and 300 μg/mL PM2.5 and macrophage supernatant,the same doses of PM2.5-macrophage supernatant resulted in notably decreased TEER and significantly enhanced permeability in the barrier model (P<0.01 ),and markedly increased LDH release from epithelial and endothelial barrier cells (P<0.01 ).Additionally,the exposure of 150 and 300μg/mL PM2.5 led to a significant up-regulation of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-8 in the macrophages (P<0.01 ).Conclusion Macrophages deteriorate PM2.5-induced functional impairment of the pulmonary blood-air barrier.