Objective Based on HPLC fingerprinting and chemometrics,to evaluate the quality of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.from Guangxi.Methods HPLC was used to establish fingerprints of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.from ten different origins,and gradient elution was carried out with methanol-0.1％phosphoric acid aqueous solution as mobile phase.Cluster analysis(CA),principal component analysis(PCA)and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)were applied to evaluate quality.Results The fingerprints of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.from ten different origins were established by HPLC,a total of 22 common peaks were calibrated,with a similarity range of 0.922-0.999.Four chromatographic peaks were identified as rhodopsin,4,5-bis-O-caffeoylquinic acid,caffeic acid,and naringin.The samples were classified into four types according to the CA and OPLS-DA.PCA identified four principal components with a cumulative contribution rare of 95.39％.Conclusion The quality of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.can be comprehensively evaluated by fingerprinting combined with CA,PCA and OPLS-DA analysis.The Study can provide a reference for improving the quality control and assessment of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.

Objective To observe the effect of Shenqi Chongcao (SQCC) Formula on the ASS1/src/STAT3 signaling pathway in a rat model of lung fibrosis and explore its therapeutic mechanism. Methods A total of 120 male SD rats were divided equally into 5 groups, including a blank control group with saline treatment and 4 groups of rat models of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis induced by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin. One day after modeling, the rat models were treated with daily gavage of 10 mL/kg saline, SQCC decoction (0.423 g/kg), pirfenidone (10 mL/kg), or intraperitoneal injection of arginine deiminase (ADI; 2.25 mg/kg, every 3 days) for 28 days. After the treatments, the lung tissues of the rats were collected for calculating the lung/body weight ratio, observing histopathology using HE and Masson staining, and analyzing the inflammatory cells in BALF using Giemsa staining. Serum chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) levels were measured with ELISA. The protein expressions of src, p-srcTry529, STAT3, and p-STAT3Try705 and the mRNA expressions of ASS1, src and STAT3 in the lung tissues were detected using Western blotting and RT-qPCR. Results The neutrophil, macrophage and lymphocyte counts and serum levels of CCL2 and TGF-β1 were significantly lower in SQCC, pirfenidone and ADI treatment groups than in the model group at each time point of measurement (P<0.05). P-srcTry529 and p-STAT3Try705 protein expression levels and ASS1, src, and STAT3 mRNA in the lung tissues were also significantly lower in the 3 treatment groups than in the model group (P<0.05). Conclusion SQCC Formula can alleviate lung fibrosis in rats possibly by activating the ASS1/src/STAT3 signaling pathway in the lung tissues.

Objective To observe the effect of Shenqi Chongcao (SQCC) Formula on the ASS1/src/STAT3 signaling pathway in a rat model of lung fibrosis and explore its therapeutic mechanism. Methods A total of 120 male SD rats were divided equally into 5 groups, including a blank control group with saline treatment and 4 groups of rat models of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis induced by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin. One day after modeling, the rat models were treated with daily gavage of 10 mL/kg saline, SQCC decoction (0.423 g/kg), pirfenidone (10 mL/kg), or intraperitoneal injection of arginine deiminase (ADI; 2.25 mg/kg, every 3 days) for 28 days. After the treatments, the lung tissues of the rats were collected for calculating the lung/body weight ratio, observing histopathology using HE and Masson staining, and analyzing the inflammatory cells in BALF using Giemsa staining. Serum chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) levels were measured with ELISA. The protein expressions of src, p-srcTry529, STAT3, and p-STAT3Try705 and the mRNA expressions of ASS1, src and STAT3 in the lung tissues were detected using Western blotting and RT-qPCR. Results The neutrophil, macrophage and lymphocyte counts and serum levels of CCL2 and TGF-β1 were significantly lower in SQCC, pirfenidone and ADI treatment groups than in the model group at each time point of measurement (P<0.05). P-srcTry529 and p-STAT3Try705 protein expression levels and ASS1, src, and STAT3 mRNA in the lung tissues were also significantly lower in the 3 treatment groups than in the model group (P<0.05). Conclusion SQCC Formula can alleviate lung fibrosis in rats possibly by activating the ASS1/src/STAT3 signaling pathway in the lung tissues.

ObjectiveThrough a randomized， double-blind， double-simulation， positive-control， multicenter design， this study aimed to analyze the relationship between the dosage， efficacy， and safety of Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid in treating acute pharyngitis/tonsillitis in adults caused by bacterial infection and validate the regulatory effect of Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid on inflammatory markers such as serum amyloid A （SAA）， C-reactive protein （CRP）， white blood cells （WBC）， neutrophil percentage （NE%）， and erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）， thereby exploring the feasibility of using Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid as a substitute for antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases and providing a basis for rational clinical medication. MethodUsing a stratified randomized， double-blind， double-simulation， positive-control， multicenter design， 220 participants were enrolled from nine centers. The participants were randomly divided into three groups at 1∶1∶1 — a Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid 20 mL group （73 cases）， a Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid 10 mL group （73 cases）， and a control group （amoxicillin group， 74 cases）. The treatment course was 7 days. The study observed parameters including the total effective rate of sore throat， onset and disappearance time of sore throat， health status score， treatment time， and inflammation markers. Result①Dataset division： The 211 cases were included in the full analysis dataset （FAS）， 208 cases were included in the per-protocol dataset （PPS）， and 218 cases were included in the safety dataset （SS）. ② Efficacy evaluation： There were statistically significant differences （P<0.05） in the comparison of the three groups regarding the total effective rate of sore throat， disappearance time of sore throat， and health status. Both the 20 mL and 10 mL groups were non-inferior to the control group， and there was a statistically significant difference between the 20 mL and 10 mL dosage groups （P<0.05）. There was no statistically significant difference in the comparison of onset time of sore throat among the groups. CRP， WBC， and NE% of patients in all three groups significantly decreased on the 7^th day of treatment compared with those before treatment （P<0.01）. ③Safety evaluation： Adverse events mainly occurred in various examination indicators. There were no statistically significant differences in the comparison between groups， and no adverse reactions or serious adverse events occurred. ④Economic evaluation： The increased cost of the 10 mL and 20 mL dosage groups was entirely justified as compared with that in the control group. When comparing the 10 mL and 20 mL dosage groups， the 10 mL dosage group was deemed less advantageous. ConclusionPudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid can be used alone as an alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of acute pharyngitis/tonsillitis caused by bacterial infection. It demonstrates good safety and can lower inflammation markers such as CRP， WBC， and NE%， suggesting its potential to reduce the body's inflammatory response. Its mechanism of action may be related to its multi-target regulatory mechanism.

Chinese materia medica can inhibit the proliferation, invasion, migration and expression of drug-resistant proteins of lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs), and induce apoptosis and delay self-renewal, as well as exert anti-tumor effects by interfering with their ecological niche, immune microenvironment and aerobic glycolysis, etc. The biomarkers involved mainly include CD133, CD44, ALDH and ABCG2, while the related signaling pathways are Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog, and Notch. The research on the intervention of LCSCs by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is generally few, mostly concentrated in basic research, and the selected experimental indicators have a high repetition rate, involving fewer cell types and signaling pathways; there is a relative lack of clinical trials, which lack an organic connection with basic experiments. In the future, the quality of research is expected to be improved, and in-depth study of TCM with anti-lung cancer stem cell effect should be carried out, with the purpose to promote the precise treatment of lung cancer.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects and molecular mechanism of ursolic acid on the proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells. MethodThe proliferation inhibition rate of human colorectal cancer RKO cells treated with different concentrations of ursolic acid （0， 5， 10， 15， 20， 25， 30 μmol·L^-1） was detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）， and the half maximal inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） at 24 h and 48 h was calculated. According to the IC₅₀ of RKO cells treated with ursolic acid for 24 h， two concentrations were selected for subsequent experiments. The colony formation assay was used to detect the proliferation ability of the cells and flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis rate and cell cycle arrest after treatment of RKO cells with ursolic acid. After treatment of RKO cells with ursolic acid for 24 hours， the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）-associated X protein （Bax） in RKO cells， Bcl-2 in Raji cells， PMA responsive gene in T lymphocyte （Noxa）， cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A （p21）， cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B （p27）， cyclin-dependent kinase 4 （CDK4）， protein kinase B （Akt）， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， forkhead transcription factor O3a （FoxO3a）， and phosphorylated FoxO3a （p-FoxO3a） was determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with the blank group， the ursolic acid groups could inhibit the viability of RKO cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the colony formation rates of RKO cells in the ursolic acid groups were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a concentration-dependent manner. The cells in the ursolic acid group （20 μmol·L^-1） experienced cell cycle arrest， which increased in the early stage of synthesis， ie， the G₀/G₁ phase （P<0.05） as compared with the results in the blank group. Compared with the blank group， the ursolic acid groups （15 and 20 μmol·L^-1） showed increased protein expression of p21 and p27， decreased expression of CDK4 protein （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and increased apoptosis rate， and the ursolic acid group （20 μmol·L^-1） showed increased protein expression of Bax and Noxa and decreased expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In terms of mechanism， compared with the blank group， the ursolic acid group （20 μmol·L^-1） down-regulated the expression of p-Akt protein and up-regulated the expression of p-FoxO3a （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and there was no significant change in the total protein of Akt and FoxO3a. ConclusionUrsolic acid can effectively inhibit the proliferation of colorectal cancer RKO cells and promote cell apoptosis， which may be related to the Akt/FoxO pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate effect of lyophilized powder of modified Huangqi Gancaotang on proliferation， apoptosis， invasion， migration， and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human non-small cell lung cancer cells （A549， PC9） and possible mechanism. MethodEffect of 1.0， 2.0， 4.0， 8.0， 12.0 g·L^-1 modified Huangqi Gancaotang on the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer cells was detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay. A549 and PC9 cells were classified into the blank group and the low-， medium-， and high-dose Huangqi Gancaotang groups （2.0， 4.0， 8.0 g·L^-1）. Plate cloning assay was used to examine the effect of modified Huangqi Gancaotang on cell cloning ability. Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry were employed to detect the apoptosis， and scratch assay and Transwell migration assay were applied to examine cell migration and invasion abilities， respectively. Mammosphere assay was used to examine the sphere-forming ability of tumor cells， and real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） to detect the mRNA expression of stemness-related molecules octamer-binding transcription factor 4 （Oct-4）， human sex-determining region Y-box 2 （Sox2）， and homeobox transcription factor （Nanog） to assess cancer stem cell activity. The protein expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated death promoter （Bad）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， cleaved Caspase-3， Caspase-3， E-cadherin， N-cadherin， vimentin， matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2）， β-catenin， c-Myc， Cyclin D₁， and zinc-finger transcription factor （Slug） was determined by Western blot. ResultThe proliferation ability of A549 and PC9 cells was significantly inhibited after 24 h and 48 h treatment with 1.0， 2.0， 4.0， 8.0， and 12.0 g·L^-1 lyophilized powder of modified Huangqi Gancaotang compared with that in the blank group and the inhibition was dose- and time-dependent （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the low-， medium-， and high-dose modified Huangqi Gancaotang suppressed the cloning ability of A549 and PC9 cells （P< 0.05， P<0.01）， and high-dose modified Huangqi Gancaotang induced apoptosis of A549 and PC9 cells （P<0.01）. In comparison with the blank group， the low-， medium-， and high-dose modified Huangqi Gancaotang inhibited the invasion and migration of A549 and PC9 cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the low-， medium-， and high-dose modified Huangqi Gancaotang significantly decreased volume of the microspheres of A549 cells and the mRNA expression of Oct-4， Sox2， and Nanog in A549 and PC9 cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the medium- and high-dose modified Huangqi Gancaotang down-regulated the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bad， Bax， and cleaved Caspase-3/Caspase-3 （P<0.05， P<0.01） in A549 and PC9 cells， decreased the expression of MMP-2， N-cadherin， and vimentin （P<0.05， P< 0.01）， and raised the E-cadherin expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the medium-dose and high-dose modified Huangqi Gancaotang all reduced the expression of β-catenin， c-Myc， Cyclin D₁， and Slug in A549 and PC9 cells （P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Huangqi Gancaotang can inhibit the proliferation， invasion， migration， activity of cancer stem cells， and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human non-small cell lung cancer （A549， PC9） cells and induce apoptosis， and the mechanism is the likelihood that it regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) characteristic lung rehabilitation in treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and TCM syndrome of lung and kidney qi deficiency at stable period. Methods Sixty patients with stable COPD and lung and kidney qi deficiency syndrome admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from June to August 2017 were enrolled, and they were divided into routine treatment group and lung rehabilitation treatment group according to the random number table method, each group 30 cases. The routine treatment group was given Seretide (serevent/futicasone) dry powderi nhalation therapy; on the basis of therapy in the routine treatment group, the lung rehabilitation treatment group was treated with TCM characteristic lung rehabilitation technology (acupoint application + Chinese medicine ionic induction + oral administration of Chinese medicine Liuweibuqi granules, delivery at appropriate intervals); both groups were treated for 2 months. The changes of TCM syndrome score, western medicine symptom score, the times of acute exacerbation of COPD, COPD assessment test (CAT) score, lung function indexes: forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) were observed before and after treatment in two groups. Results After treatment, TCM syndrome score, western medicine symptom score, CAT score, and after treatment the times of acute exacerbation of COPD in both groups were significantly lower than those before treatment, and the above indexes in the lung rehabilitation treatment group were markedly lower than those in routine treatment group [TCM syndrome score:11.93±1.80 vs. 14.27±2.88, western medicine symptom score: 14.20±2.75 vs. 11.93±4.23, CAT score: 14.87±2.60 vs. 16.23±4.39, the times of acute exacerbation of COPD (times): 0.63±0.49 vs. 0.95±0.83, all P < 0.05]. The improvement of FEV1 in the two groups was not significant; but FEV1/FVC in lung rehabilitation treatment group was obviously higher than that before treatment, FEV1/FVC in lung rehabilitation treatment group was significantly higher than that in the routine treatment group [(57.93±7.27)% vs. (52.49±6.61)%, P < 0.05]. Conclusion The application of TCM characteristic lung rehabilitation in the treatment of COPD patients with stable lung and kidney qi deficiency syndrome based on bronchodilators and glucocorticoids can reduce the number of acute exacerbation, improve the patients' clinical symptoms and living quality, but the improvement of lung function is not significant.

Objective To analyze the effects of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate aerosols fluticasone propionate and salmeterol joint tiotropium aerosol on pulmonary function and exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical treatment.Methods 119 COPD patients were selected in this study.They were randomly divided into 65 cases of seretide group and 54 cases of combined treatment group.Before treatment,three months after treatment and six months after treatment,the pulmonary function and 6MWD were measured in all patients.Results After 3 months,6 months of treatment,the FEV1,FEV1/FVC,FVC,6MWD of the combined treatment group had significant differences compared with before treatment (ta =-5.89,tb =-6.88,te =-8.46,tf =-8.86,ti =-10.74,tj =-8.52,tm =-9.37,tn =-13.04,all P ＜0.05).After 3 months,6 months of treatment,the FEV1,FEV1/FVC,FVC,6MWD in the control group had significant differences compared with before treatment (tc =-4.29,td =-7.19,tg =-6.16,th =-11.40,tk =-11.69,tl =-7.43,to =-11.71,tp =-10.53,all P ＜ 0.05).After 3 months of treatment,the differences of FEV1,FEV1/FVC,FVC between two groups were significant (tv =2.69,tq =6.74,tr =2.91,all P ＜ 0.05).In the control group,theFEV1,FEV1/FVC,FVC after 6 months of treatment had significant differences compared with after 3 months of treatment(ts =-2.50,tt =-9.46,tu =-1.65,all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Seretide and tiotropium aerosol aerosol can better improve lung function in patients with COPD and exercise tolerance,but the result of using two drugs to improve the patients'lung function was significantly better than seretide alone.

Individual Chinese herbal medicines and the active ingredients have certain effects of anti-pulmonary fibrosis. Chinese herbal medicine with the effects of benefiting qi and activating blood circulation are commonly used in clinic. This article reviewed the experimental researches on Chinese herbal medicines with the effects of benefiting qi and activating blood circulation and the active ingredients in treating pulmonary fibrosis, with a purpose to find the target spot of the TCM treatment for pulmonary fibrosis and provide references for clinical treatment.