Objective To investigate the changes of inflammatory factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),lung tissue,and serum of a rat pneumonia model induced by inhalation of lipopolysaccharides(LPS).Methods Three days after modeling by LPS 4 mg/mL inhalation,15 min/d,was conducted while monitoring the particle size distribution and aerosol concentration of LPS,the degree of inflammation in lung tissues of rats in each group was observed via HE staining,and neutrophils in BALF were counted by microscope.The contents of interferon gamma(IFN-γ),interleukin-1 beta(IL-1 β),IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-10,IL-13,tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),and KC/GRO in lung tissue,serum,and BALF were detected by Meso Scale Discovery.Results The lung histopathology of model rats displayed focal and diffuse alveolar epithelial necrosis with shedding and the aggregation and infiltration of inflammatory cells.The particle size distribution of atomized LPS was as follows,Dv(10)=0.6974μm,Dv(50)=3.387 μm,Dv(90)=8.836 μm.The aerosol concentration of LPS was 4.08 g/m3,and the calculated inhalation dose for rats was 47.10 mg/kg.The neutrophil count(P＜0.01)and contents of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P＜0.05,P＜0.001,P＜0.001)in the BALF,and the contents of IL-1β,IL-6,and KC/GRO in lung tissue(P＜0.01,P＜0.05,P＜0.01),of model rats were significantly increased.No biologically significant changes were observed in inflammatory factor levels in the serum.Conclusions In the acute pneumonia model induced by inhalation of LPS,significant changes in inflammatory factors such as IL-1β,IL-6,KC/GRO,and TNF-α were observed in both lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),while no notable changes in these inflammatory factors were detected in serum.This indicates that the inflammation responses are primarily localized in the lungs.

Objective To investigate the changes of inflammatory factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),lung tissue,and serum of a rat pneumonia model induced by inhalation of lipopolysaccharides(LPS).Methods Three days after modeling by LPS 4 mg/mL inhalation,15 min/d,was conducted while monitoring the particle size distribution and aerosol concentration of LPS,the degree of inflammation in lung tissues of rats in each group was observed via HE staining,and neutrophils in BALF were counted by microscope.The contents of interferon gamma(IFN-γ),interleukin-1 beta(IL-1 β),IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-10,IL-13,tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),and KC/GRO in lung tissue,serum,and BALF were detected by Meso Scale Discovery.Results The lung histopathology of model rats displayed focal and diffuse alveolar epithelial necrosis with shedding and the aggregation and infiltration of inflammatory cells.The particle size distribution of atomized LPS was as follows,Dv(10)=0.6974μm,Dv(50)=3.387 μm,Dv(90)=8.836 μm.The aerosol concentration of LPS was 4.08 g/m3,and the calculated inhalation dose for rats was 47.10 mg/kg.The neutrophil count(P＜0.01)and contents of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P＜0.05,P＜0.001,P＜0.001)in the BALF,and the contents of IL-1β,IL-6,and KC/GRO in lung tissue(P＜0.01,P＜0.05,P＜0.01),of model rats were significantly increased.No biologically significant changes were observed in inflammatory factor levels in the serum.Conclusions In the acute pneumonia model induced by inhalation of LPS,significant changes in inflammatory factors such as IL-1β,IL-6,KC/GRO,and TNF-α were observed in both lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),while no notable changes in these inflammatory factors were detected in serum.This indicates that the inflammation responses are primarily localized in the lungs.

OBJECTIVE To study the differences in toxicity between intravenous(iv)administration and aqueous solution exposure of Dichroa alkali salt(DAS)in zebrafish.METHODS ① Well-devel-oped zebrafish larvae of 2 d post fertilization(2 dpf)were randomly divided into the normal control(no treatment),solvent control(saline,iv),and DAS groups(0.125,0.25,0.50,1.00 and 2.00 mg·kg-1,iv)before being observed for 3 consecutive days after administration.A heart rate of 0 was determined as death of zebrafish,and the mortality rate,maximum non-lethal dose(MNLD),and 10 percent lethal dose(LD10)were calculated.The incidence of venous sinus congestion,pericardial edema,slowing heart rate and blood flow of zebrafish in the 0.50 and 2.00 mg·kg-1 groups were observed and calculated by somatoscopic microscopy at 4 h after drug administration.Zebrafish larvae were iv given DAS at doses of 0.041,0.136,0.412,and 0.452 mg·kg-1 while the malformation phenotypes of zebrafish larvae development were observed under a stereomicroscope for 3 consecutive days,including pericardial edema,abnormal heart rate,slow blood flow,loss of circulation,eye abnormalities,brain malforma-tions,jaw abnormalities,loss/degeneration of the liver,delayed yolk sac absorption,intestinal abnormal-ities,abnormal body coloration,body edema,curvature of the trunk/tail/nodal cord and muscle degener-ation before the incidence was calculated.②Zebrafish larvae were randomly divided into a normal control group and DAS aqueous solution exposure groups at concentrations of 2.5,5.0,10.0,25.0,50.0,75.0,and 100.0 mg·L-1,observed for 3 d until the mortality rate,LD10,and MNLD were calculated.Zebrafish were exposed to DAS aqueous solutions at concentrations of 0.32,1.06,3.20,and 11.00 mg·L-1,and the malformation phenotypes of zebrafish larvae development were observed under a stereomicro-scope for 3 consecutive days to calculate the incidence.RESULTS ① The MNLD and LD10 of DAS iv administered to zebrafish larvae were 0.412 and 0.452 mg·kg-1,respectively.Compared with the solvent control group,4 h after DAS iv administration,the incidence of sinus congestion,slow heart rate and pericardial edema in the 0.50 and 2.00 mg·kg-1 groups significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),so was the incidence of slow blood flow in the 2.00 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.01).The rate of delayed yolk sac absorption was significantly increased in the 0.041,0.136,0.412,and 0.452 mg·kg-1 groups(P<0.05,P<0.01),so was the mortality rate in the 0.452 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.05),with pericardial edema observed in the dead zebrafish.② The MNLD and LD10 of DAS aqueous solution exposure for zebrafish larvae were 3.20 and 11.00 mg·L-1,respectively.Compared with the normal control group,the incidence of decreased heart rate and slow blood flow was significantly increased in the 3.20 and 11.00 mg·L-1 groups(P<0.01),so was the incidence of significantly darkened intestines in the 1.06,3.20,and 11.00 mg·L-1 groups(P<0.01).The incidence of delayed yolk sac absorption was significantly increased in the 0.32,1.06,3.20,and 11.00 mg·L-1 groups(P<0.05,P<0.01),so was the incidence of trunk curvature and lower jaw malformation in the 11.00 mg·L-1 group(P<0.01).CONCLUSION The toxic phenotypes of DAS are different between iv administration and aqueous solution exposure in zebrafish larvae.DAS aqueous solution exposure can not only lead to slow heart rate,slow blood rheology,delayed yolk sac absorption and intestinal blackening,but also induce neurodevelopmental toxicity.However,iv adminis-tration can effectively ward off significant gastrointestinal damage and neurodevelopmental toxicity.

Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of Xiaojin Pills in the treatment of breast cancer using an integrated network pharmacology and experimental verification.Methods The chemical components and potential targets of Xiaojin Pills were obtained from TCMSP,TCM-ID,ETCM and SwissTargetPrediction databases.Breast cancer related targets were collected from GeneCards,OMIM and KEGG databases.The overlapped targets were imported into STRING database to analysis a protein-protein interaction(PPI).The key targets of PPI networks were screened based on node topology parameter values through Cytoscape 3.8.0.DAVID database was used to analyze the GO and KEGG pathway enrichment to build drug-chemical components-key targets-signaling pathway network.The breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 were used to study the effects of Xiaojin Pills extract on cell apoptosis,migration and invasion,and to verify the key pathway obtained by enrichment analysis.Results Totally 181 chemical components in Xiaojin Pills were obtained,including quercetin,myricetin,pinocembrin and β-sitosterol.615 potential targets were identified for the anti-breast cancer effects of Xiaojin Pills.After overlapping,170 key targets against breast cancer were identified based on the topological analysis,which included SRC,ERK1/2,AKT1,EGFR,etc.KEGG analysis enriched pathways including pathways in cancer,MAPK signaling pathway,endocrine resistance,PI3K-AKT signaling pathway,EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance,apoptosis,and HIF-1 signaling pathway,which may play important roles in the therapeutic effects of Xiaojin Pills against breast cancer.GO enrichment was involved in protein phosphorylation,inflammatory response,negative regulation of apoptosis,and positive regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascades.Cell experiments showed that Xiaojin Pills further induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of MAPK and PI3K-AKT pathways.At the same time,the expressions of ZO-1 and β-catenin increased,and the epithelial-mesenchymal transformation process was reversed to inhibit the metastasis of breast cancer cells.Conclusion The key targets and signaling pathways of Xiaojin Pills in the treatment of breast cancer are studied through network pharmacology combined with in vitro experiments,which provided a basis for further study of its pharmacodynamic material basis,mechanism of action and clinical application.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease with a complex pathogenesis, which causes the lack of precise and personalized prevention, control, and treatment approaches in clinical practice. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with multiple components acting on multiple targets plays a role in the prevention and treatment of COPD. After evaluating the treatment of cough, dyspnea, and lung distension based on syndrome differentiation in TCM, we summarized the commonly used TCM preparations for treating COPD. These preparations are mainly composed of medicines for clearing interior heat and releasing exterior, tonifying, activating blood and resolving stasis, resolving phlegm, relieving cough and breathlessness, and regulating Qi movement. Because all of them contain a variety of active ingredients such as flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenols, we analyzed the mechanisms of the classic prescriptions alone or in combination with othermedicines or therapeuticmethods. These mechanisms involve counteracting inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis, inhibiting apoptosis, alleviating airway remodeling, and enhancing immunity. Meantime, we summarized the existing problems in the treatment of COPD by TCM. This review provides a scientific basis for the research and treatment of COPD in the future.

ObjectiveTo investigate the detoxification mechanism of Chebulae Fructus， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Prepared Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Cocta， and their effective components ellagic acid， liquiritin and aconitine based on cardiac cytochrome P450 （CYP450） system. MethodIn in vivo experiments， rats were randomly divided into control group， prepared Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Cocta group （0.25 g·kg^-1）， Chebulae Fructus group （0.252 g·kg^-1）， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma group （0.25 g·kg^-1） and combination group （0.25 g·kg^-1 Chebulae Fructus+0.25 g·kg^-1 Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma+0.25 g·kg^-1 prepared Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Cocta， with prepared Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Cocta as standard）. After 8 days of administration， creatine kinase （CK） and lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） in rats were detected to observe the pathological changes of heart tissue. Real-time PCR and Western blot were performed to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of CYP2J3， respectively. In in vitro experiments， control group， aconitine group， ellagic acid group， liquiritin group and combination group （aconitine+ellagic acid+liquiritin） were set， and their effects on cell number， DNA content， reactive oxygen species （ROS） and mitochondrial membrane potential （MMP） were detected by high content analysis. The changes in the mRNA and protein expressions of CYP2J3 were also observed. ResultIn vivo experiments， compared with the control group， the prepared Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Cocta group had increased CK and LDH in serum （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the combination group had decreased activities of CK and LDH. Additionally， pathological staining results showed that Chebulae Fructus and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma reduced the cardiac toxicity caused by prepared Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Cocta. Real-time PCR found that compared with the control group， prepared Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Cocta down-regulated the mRNA level of CYP2J3 （P<0.05）， while up-regulated that expression when used in combination with Chebulae Fructus and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma （P<0.01）. The protein and mRNA translation levels were basically consistent. In vitro experiments， high content analysis revealed that there was a decrease in the cell number， DNA content and MMP fluorescence value of the aconitine group （P<0.01） and the combination group （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the fluorescence value of the combination group was higher than that of the aconitine group. Moreover， aconitine down-regulated the mRNA level of CYP2J3 （P<0.05）， but the down-regulating ability of aconitine was reversed in the combination group （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe detoxification mechanism of combined Chebulae Fructus， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and prepared Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Cocta is mainly that the combination of ellagic acid， liquiritin and aconitine can up-regulate the expression of CYP2J3， and promote the metabolism of arachidonic acid （AA） to produce epoxyeicosatrienoic acids （EETs）， thus reducing the cardiac toxicity， and this effect may start from the transcriptional link.

Objective:To investigate the effects of Guiling Gao on body temperature, gastrointestinal motility, gastrointestinal hormones, Th1/Th2 cytokines and water metabolism in rats with damp-heat syndrome.Methods:Totally 60 SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, mosapride group, Guiling Gao low dose group (3.4 g/kg), medium dose group (6.8 g/kg) and high dose group (13.6 g/kg) according to random number table method, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the blank group, the other groups adopted the method of "environmental factors + fat and sweet diet + biological factors" to prepare the rat model of damp heat syndrome of febrile diseases. After modeling, they were administered by gavage for 7 days. During the experiment, the general state, body weight and body temperature were observed, the gastric residue rate of rats was calculated by weighing method, the intestinal propulsion rate of rats was calculated by charcoal propulsion method, and the levels of serum motilin (MTL), gastrin (GAS), somatostatin (SS), substance P (SP),IL-4 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were detected by ELISA, and the changes of aquaporin 3 (AQP3) mRNA transcription level were detected by real-time PCR.Results:Compared with the model group, the weight of rats in Guiling Gao high dose group increased after experiment of 22 days ( P<0.05), and body temperature of rats in Guiling Gao medium and high dose group decreased in 19-20 day ( P<0.01); and the gastric emptying rate and the small intestine propulsion rate of small intestine in Guiling Gao medium and high dose group increased significantly ( P<0.01 or P<0.05); the serum MTL, GAS and SP levels increased ( P<0.01 or P<0.05), and SS decreased ( P<0.01 or P<0.05) in the Guiling Gao medium and high dose groups; The levels of IL-4, IFN-γ and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio decreased ( P<0.01); The expression of AQP3 mRNA (1.16 ± 0.25 vs. 0.23 ± 0.01) in the Guiling Gao high dose group was up-regulated ( P<0.01). Conclusions:Guiling Gao can effectively improve the activity state of damp-heat syndrome model rats caused by complex factors. This mechanism may be related to enhancing gastrointestinal movement, increasing gastrointestinal hormone secretion, restoring the dynamic balance of immune system Th1/Th2 and promoting the transport of water from intestinal cavity.

To investigate the clinical efficacy of one-stage repairing the wounds after excision of soft tissue malignant tumor in lower limb with deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps. Methods From Au-gust, 2016 to July, 2018, 11 patients(8 males and 3 females; aged 35-76 years) with the soft tissue defects in the low-er limb underwent immediate reconstructive operations with DIEP flap after their tumor resection. The defects ranged in area from 11 cm×7 cm to 25 cm×10 cm after extended resection, including 5 cases of bone exposure. The DIEP flap area ranged from 11 cm×8 cm to 26 cm×18 cm.Among them, 9 cases were treated with free transplantation and 2 cases with pedicle transplantation.The donor sites were closed directly. The patients’ limb function, tumor recurrence and the healing of surgical incision had been followed-up. Results Eleven flaps survived and the donor sites healed directly. One flap had skin pigmentation due to postoperative vascular crisis, and the other flaps had satisfied texture and appearance. All patients were followed-up from 6 to 30 months. The lower limb movement was normal. All the donor sites had a good healing with no pain and abdominal complications. No tumor recurrence was observed during the followed-up period. Conclusion DIEP flap have many advantages, such as large cutting area, which is suitable for large-area wound repair after extended excision of soft tissue malignant tumor in lower limb. At the same time, the perforator vessel is constant and the caliber are thick, also the donor area is concealed and can be sutured directly.This kind of the technique for reconstruction of lower limb soft tissue defects after malignant tumor resection is well acceptable.

Objective: To investigate the effect of O-Z flap for the reconstruction of round-or elliptical-shaped defects following the scalp tumor removal. Methods: The resection of the scalp tumor resulted in a round or elliptical-shaped defect. Intraoperative frozen section identified pathological diagnosis, while also ensured margin being tumor-free. Based on the size and location of the defect, the mobility of the surrounding scalp and hair distribution, two local flaps were designed in opposite directions on each side of the defect. The two flaps were rotated to close the defect in an O-Z fashion. Results: From April 2016 to November 2017, 6 patients underwent defect reconstruction using the scalp O-Z flap. The etiologies included basal cell carcinoma (n=2), squamous cell carcinoma (n=2), and trichilemoma and epidermoid cyst (n=2). The defect size ranged from 3.0cm×3.5cm to 5.0cm×6.0cm. Necrosis on the distal of the flap had occurred in 1 patient. It was taken approximately 6% of the flap size, and healed after conservative management. Other flaps survived without any complications. After 3 to 12 months follow-up, the appearance of the sclap was satisfactory and tumor recurrence was not noticed. Conclusions The O-Z flap technique can be considered as an alternative for the medium-sized defect reconstruction of the scalp. The postoperative outcome of scalp was satisfactory, without disrupted hair orientation.

Objective To study computer toxicity prediction technology and predict the acute toxicity of Chinese materia medica; To provide a new way and method for safety evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine. Methods First, Mold2 software (version 2.0.0) was used to calculate molecular descriptors of 7409 chemical components. After preliminary screening of molecular descriptors, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models were built up with Random Forest (RF) for screening the optimum prediction model. From the 83 kinds of toxic Chinese materia medica in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition), acute toxicity of 60 kinds of Chinese materia medica reported from monomer structure (1692 chemical components) were under prediction.Results Totally 7409 pieces of data were obtained. When the descriptors were 52, RF modeling accuracy and Kappa were the highest, 0.712 and 0.436 respectively. Compound clusters were divided into 3 types according to optimum molecule descriptors (52). The accuracy and Kappa of the optimum model for the first type of compounds were 0.666 and 0.476 respectively; the accuracy and Kappa of the optimum model for the second type of compounds were 0.804 and 0.381 respectively; the accuracy and Kappa of the optimum model for the third type of compounds were 0.709 and 0.373 respectively. It was predicted that 60 kinds of Chinese materia medica containing 0 violent toxic compound, 2 high toxic compounds, 172 medium toxic compounds and 1518 low toxic compound.Conclusion QSAR model for prediction study on acute toxicity of chemical components of Chinese mareria medica can provide references combination medication and experimental studies.