1.Interpretation of Pharmacovigilance Guidelines for Clinical Application of Oral Chinese Patent Medicines
Wenxi PENG ; Meng QIAO ; Lianxin WANG ; Yuanyuan LI ; Xiuhui LI ; Xin CUI ; Zijia CHEN ; Xinyi CHEN ; Yi DENG ; Yanming XIE ; Zhifei WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(6):152-160
The Pharmacovigilance Guidelines for Clinical Application of Oral Chinese Patent Medicines (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines) is first specialized in the field of drug safety for oral Chinese patent medicines (OCPMs) in China. Rooted in China's healthcare context, the Guidelines address the unique usage patterns and risk characteristics of OCPMs, filling a regulatory gap in the pharmacovigilance framework specific to this category. To facilitate accurate understanding and effective implementation of the Guidelines, and to promote the standardized development of pharmacovigilance practices for OCPMs, this study offered a systematic interpretation based on its three core components. In the domain of risk monitoring and reporting, the paper analyzed the rationale for multi-source information integration and clarified the criteria for identifying key products and target populations for intensive monitoring. Regarding risk assessment, the Guidelines were examined from three dimensions of formulation components, medication behaviors, and population to address complex safety issues arising from medicinal constituents, irrational use, and individual susceptibility. In the area of risk control, the analysis focused on context-based interventions and dynamic closed-loop management strategies, exploring practical pathways to shift from passive response to proactive risk mitigation. Furthermore, this paper evaluated the applied value of the Guidelines and identified implementation challenges, such as insufficient capacity at the primary-care level and limited digital infrastructure. In response, the study proposed optimization strategies including establishing a dynamic updating mechanism, strengthening training at the grassroots level, and incorporating artificial intelligence to enhance pharmacovigilance capacity. This interpretation aims to provide actionable insights for marketing authorization holders (including manufacturers), pharmaceutical distributors, healthcare institutions, and research organizations, ultimately supporting the establishment and refinement of a full lifecycle pharmacovigilance system for OCPMs.
2.Study on the anti-hepatitis mechanism of Abrus pulchellus subsp. cantoniensis (Hance) Verdc. and Abrus pulchellus subsp. mollis (Hance) Verdc. based on serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology
Qiaowen ZHOU ; Xue WANG ; Mingjuan HUANG ; Li LI ; Wenya CHEN ; Zhengtao WANG ; Zijia ZHANG ; Lanlan FAN
China Pharmacy 2025;36(22):2772-2777
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.
3.Circulating tumor DNA- and cancer tissue-based next-generation sequencing reveals comparable consistency in targeted gene mutations for advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
Weijia HUANG ; Kai XU ; Zhenkun LIU ; Yifeng WANG ; Zijia CHEN ; Yanyun GAO ; Renwang PENG ; Qinghua ZHOU
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(7):851-858
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
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Adult
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Aged, 80 and over
4.Protective effect of adipose-derived stem cells combined with acellular scaffolds on dorsal root ganglion in rats with sciatic nerve injury and its mechanism
Xiaomin YU ; Qinghua ZHU ; Yilun WANG ; Miao REN ; Zijia LIU ; Yongyi YU ; Yuanliang DU ; Donghui LIU ; Sen GUO ; Xiumei FU
Journal of Jilin University(Medicine Edition) 2025;51(6):1542-1550
Objective:To observe the effects of adipose-derived stem cells(ADSC)combined with acellular scaffold(AS)on the ultrastructure of dorsal root ganglion and the protein and mRNA expression levels of ciliary neurotrophic factor(CNTF),Janus kinase 2(JAK2),phosphorylated JAK2(p-JAK2),signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)and phosphorylated STAT3(p-STAT3)in the rats with sciatic nerve injury(SNI),and to clarify the protective effect of ADSC combined with AS on dorsal root ganglion in the SNI rats and its possible mechanism.Methods:The rat ADSCs were isolated and cultured and their multidirectional differentiation potential was detected.The AS of rats was prepared,and ADSCs were injected into the AS to construct tissue-engineered nerve.A total of 36 rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,AS group,and ADSC+AS group.The rats in control group were routinely fed,and the rats in other groups were used to establish the SNI models by resecting 10 mm of right sciatic nerve.The rats in model group received no further treatment,while the rats in AS group and ADSC+AS group were bridged with AS and the constructed tissue-engineered nerve at the two ends of the injured nerve,respectively.At 6 weeks after surgery,transmission electron microscope was used to observe the ultrastructure of dorsal root ganglion of the rats in various groups;immunofluorescence method was used to detect the protein expression levels of CNTF,p-JAK2,and p-STAT3 in dorsal root ganglion of the rats;real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of CNTF,JAK2,and STAT3 in dorsal root ganglion of the rats in various groups.Results:After 7 d of primary ADSC culture,a large number of large and long spindle-shaped cells were observed under the inverted microscope,arranged in clusters or whirlpools;red lipid droplets were observed with oil red O staining under microscope,and calcified nodules were observed with Alizarin red staining under microscope,indicating that the isolated and cultured cells had multidirectional differentiation ability.Compared with normal nerve tissue,the level of DNA in AS of rats was significantly decreased(P<0.05).Compared with control group,the nuclear membrane of dorsal root ganglion cells in model group was uneven and serrated,the number of organelles in the cytoplasm was decreased,mitochondria were swollen with broken or missing cristae and unclear structure;the CNTF protein and mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased(P<0.01),the p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 protein expression levels were significantly increased(P<0.01),and the JAK2 and STAT3 mRNA expression levels were significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with model group,the serrated change of nuclear membrane of the dorsal root ganglion cells in AS group was significantly alleviated,the number of organelles in the cytoplasm was increased,and mitochondrial swelling was reduced;in ADSC+AS group,the nuclear membrane of dorsal root ganglion cells tended to be intact,the number of organelles was increased,and mitochondrial swelling and vacuolization were significantly reduced;the CNTF protein and mRNA expression levels in the dorsal root ganglion in AS group and ADSC+AS group were significantly increased(P<0.01),the p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 protein expression levels were significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the JAK2 and STAT3 mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with AS group,the CNTF protein and mRNA expression levels in ADSC+AS group were significantly increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01),the p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 protein expression levels were significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the JAK2 and STAT3 mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased(P<0.01).Conclusion:The application of ADSC combined with AS can improve the ultrastructure of dorsal root ganglion in the SNI rats,and the mechanism may be related to the increased CNTF expression and decreased activation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the dorsal root ganglion by ADSC combined with AS application.
5.Role of Apolipoprotein E4 in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease and Thoughts for Early Intervention with Traditional Chinese Medicine
Jingwen LIU ; Zijia ZHANG ; Kaili WANG ; Jiayan HUANG ; Weimin LI ; Xinxin ZHOU
Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;42(2):512-517
Alzheimer's disease(AD)is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with hidden onset.Recent researches have shown that apolipoprotein E4(APOE4)is a high-risk genetic factor of AD,and the clinical symptoms in APOE4 genotype AD patients are closely related to metabolic disorders.This paper reviewed the role of APOE4 in the pathogenesis of AD,and it is indicated that APOE4 contributes to the injury of the cerebral blood-brain barrier,is associated with the disorder of cerebral glucose and lipid metabolism,and leads to the damage of the scavenging ability of microglia.Moreover,this paper explored the approach of early intervention of AD with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)based on the APOE4 pathogenesis.Based on the pathogenesis of AD being deficiency in origin and excess in superficiality,and under the guidance of the principle of prevention before illness in TCM,it is proposed that early TCM intervention for APOE4 genotype AD patients with metabolic disorders can be performed through improving the phlegm-dampness constitution,by focusing on insulin resistance-related indicators,and with traditional Chinese drug therapy based on syndrome differentiation alone or together with comprehensive management of exercises,diet control and drug interventions,thus to reduce or delay the onset of APOE4 genotype AD.
6.Research Progress on Buyang Huanwu Decoction in the Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathic Pain
Zijia CHEN ; Kaihao CHEN ; Dongmei WANG
Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;42(6):1538-1544
Peripheral neuropathic pain(PNP)is a chronic pain condition caused by the primary damage or the dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system.The incidence of PNP is relatively high and increases with age,and PNP has significant impact on patients'quality of life.Common syndromes associated with PNP include postherpetic neuralgia,painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy,trigeminal neuralgia,and painful radiculopathy.Buyang Huanwu Decoction,originating from Wang Qingren's Yi Lin Gai Cuo(Corrections on the Errors of Medical Works during)the Qing Dynasty and mainly having the actions of replenishing qi and promoting blood circulation,removing stasis and unblocking collaterals,is primarily known as a representative formula for treating stroke due to qi deficiency and blood stasis.Nowadays,modern practitioners have extended its application in treating various multi-system diseases in internal medicine.This paper systematically reviewed clinical studies and pharmacological mechanisms of Buyang Huanwu Decoction in treating PNP over the past 20 years.The results indicated that the combination of herbs in Buyang Huanwu Decoction has multi-component,multi-target,and multi-pathway effects on repairing nerve damage,nourishing nerves,promoting nerve regeneration,and alleviating neuropathic pain.Buyang Huanwu Decoction shows significant efficacy in treating PNP syndromes caused by neuropathic damage resulting from various etiological factors.This article reviewed both clinical observation and basic research on Buyang Huanwu Decoction in treating PNP,aiming to provide references for the clinical treatment of PNP and to expand the clinical applications of Buyang Huanwu Decoction.
7.Application, Challenges, and Prospects of Large Language Model in the Field of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Zijia CHEN ; Wenxi PENG ; Dezheng ZHANG ; Xin LIU ; Zhifei WANG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;16(1):83-89
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.
8.Novel Framework (Target Trial Emulation) in Observational Causal Inference Research Based on Real-world Data and Its Application Prospects in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Cuncun LU ; Zijia CHEN ; Zhifei WANG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;15(2):422-428
"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.
9.Curculiginis Rhizoma Ameliorates Kidney-Yang Deficiency in Castrated Rats via PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway
Meng YANG ; Lu WANG ; Zijia ZHANG ; Zhengtao WANG ; Ying XU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(20):46-53
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.
10.Bushen Huoxue Prescription Regulates PINP and β-CTX in Treatment of Femoral Head Necrosis with Syndrome of Liver and Kidney Deficiency
Zijia LIU ; Ying LI ; Pengtao CUI ; Bowen WANG ; Peigang ZHANG ; Wuyue TONG ; Zhihui ZHANG ; Yuju CAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(3):81-89
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.

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