1.Herbal Textual Research on Arcae Concha in Famous Classical Formulas
Yiqin ZHANG ; Yixue ZHUANG ; Yinan LU ; Yanning CHEN ; Yichong CHEN ; Shuiyu XU ; Zhilai ZHAN ; Chengzi YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(2):208-218
In this paper, the name, origin, producing area, harvesting, processing and functional indications of Arcae Concha were systematically combed and verified by consulting the ancient and modern literature, in order to provide a basis for the development of famous classical formulas containing Arcae Concha. Arcae Concha was first recorded in the name of Han in Bencao Shiyi, but later, due to the influence of LI Shizhen's error of combining Han item with Kuiha in the Ming dynasty, there were aliases such as Kuilu and Fulao, and Yizong Bidu began to include Walengzi as its correct name and has been used ever since. The textual descriptions and illustrations of the medicinal materials of Arcae Concha contained in the materia medica of the past generations were consistent with the modern Arca inflata, A. subcrenata and A. granosa. In ancient times, there were medicinal records of two parts of shell and meat, but now the shell is used as medicine, and the meat is mostly edible. In ancient times, Zhejiang, Shandong, Guangdong and Guangxi were the main producing areas, and Zhejiang was the best. It is now believed that A. inflata is mostly distributed in the northern part of the Huanghai Sea, A. granosa is mostly distributed in the coastal areas south of Shandong Peninsula in China, and A. subcrenata is widely distributed in the coastal areas of China. Its quality is better in a complete, white, no residual meat and sand. In ancient times, there was no clear harvesting period, and the processing was mainly based on vinegar quenching after calcination or powdering of calcined shell, but now the harvesting period is autumn and winter. After harvesting, it is directly washed and crushed for raw use or processed by calcined method. The records of the medicinal materials in the past dynasties on the properties of Arcae Concha were mainly warm, sweet, salty and mild, and it is now believed that Arcae Concha is salty in taste and mild in nature. In ancient times, it was believed that Arcae Concha were mainly used for coldness in the heart and abdomen, coldness in the waist and spine, benefiting the five internal organs, strengthening the stomach. Nowadays, it is believed that Arcae Concha can eliminate phlegm and remove blood stasis, soften the hardness and dissipate the lumps, produce acid and relieve pain. It can be used in the treatment of stubborn phlegm, gall tumor, scrofula and other symptoms. In conclusion, it is suggested that for the famous classical formulas containing Arcae Concha, the corresponding methods should be selected according to the processing requirements of the drug in the formulas, while those without processing requirements can be determined according to the functional position of the products.
2.Isolation,culture and differentiation of human urine-derived stem cells into smooth muscle cells
Jiahui CHEN ; Xiaoqi DAI ; Yangang XU ; Yuanchao LI ; Mei HUANG ; Yifei ZHAN ; Yuxuan DU ; Liuqiang LI ; Yaochuan GUO ; Jun BIAN ; Dehui LAI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(19):4076-4082
BACKGROUND:Traditional methods of urinary tract reconstruction are limited by donor scarcity,high complication rates,and suboptimal functional recovery.Tissue engineering strategies offer new directions in this field.Since the urinary tract is mainly composed of muscle tissue,the key is to find suitable seed cells and efficiently induce them to differentiate into smooth muscle cells.Comparative studies on the efficacy of different smooth muscle cell induction regimens are still lacking. OBJECTIVE:To isolate,culture,and identify human urine-derived stem cells,and to compare the effects of two different induction protocols. METHODS:Human urine-derived stem cells were isolated from urine samples of 11 healthy adult volunteers by multiple centrifugations.Surface markers were identified by flow cytometry.The multi-directional differentiation potential of human urine-derived stem cells was verified through osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation.Differentiation was induced by transforming growth factor-β1 or transforming growth factor-β1 combined with platelet derived growth factor for 14 days.Immunofluorescence staining and western blot assay were employed to compare the expression differences of smooth muscle-specific proteins(α-SMA and SM22). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Urine-derived stem cells were successfully isolated from the eight urine samples of healthy people.These cells exhibit a"rice grain"-like morphology and possess a robust proliferative capacity.(2)Urine-derived stem cells exhibited high expression of mesenchymal stem cell surface markers(CD73,CD90,and CD44)and extremely low expression of hematopoietic stem cell surface markers(CD34 and CD45).These cells did not express CD19,CD105,and HLA-DR.(3)After osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation,the formation of calcium nodules and lipid droplets was observed,with positive staining results from Alizarin Red S and Oil Red O staining.(4)After 14 days of smooth muscle induction culture,immunofluorescence staining revealed that the smooth muscle differentiation rate of urine-derived stem cells treated with a combination of transforming growth factor-β1 and platelet derived growth factor was significantly higher compared to those treated with transforming growth factor-β1 alone(P<0.005).(5)After 14 days of smooth muscle induction culture,western blot assay further demonstrated that the expression levels of α-SMA and SM22 in the transforming growth factor-β1/platelet derived growth factor group were significantly elevated compared to those in the transforming growth factor-β1 only group(P<0.005).These findings confirm that urine-derived stem cells can be non-invasively isolated using multiple rounds of centrifugation.Compared with transforming growth factor-β1 alone,the combination of transforming growth factor-β1 and platelet derived growth factor can improve the efficiency of inducing urine-derived stem cells to differentiate into smooth muscle cells.
3.Exploring the safety and the countermeasures of rational use of Psoraleae Fructus based on the evolution of efficacy/toxicity records in ancient and modern literature
Ying-jie XU ; Xiao-yan ZHAN ; Zhao-fang BAI ; Xiao-he XIAO
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):314-322
Psoraleae Fructus is derived from the dried fruit of the
4.Correlation between CD4+T lymphocytes and viral load in newly identified human immunodeficiency virus infected individuals in Huangpu District,Shanghai,2023
Shuang ZHU ; Jieqiong ZHAN ; Lili SONG ; Yu WANG ; Wei CHU ; Weihua CHEN ; Huimin XU
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(2):125-128
ObjectiveTo analyze the detected results of CD4+T lymphocytes and viral load in newly identified human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients in Huangpu District of Shanghai in 2023, to explore the correlation between them, so as to provide a scientific basis for the development of targeted prevention and control measures and antiviral treatment programs. MethodsThe data of CD4 cell count, viral load and demographic characteristics of the newly infected patients living with HIV in Huangpu District, Shanghai in 2023 were collected and analyzed by using descriptive epidemiological method. ResultsThe mean CD4 cell count of the 67 newly identified HIV infected patients in Huangpu District was (301.22±235.19) cells·µL-1, with a mean viral load of (5.15±1.28) ×105 copies·mL-1.There were statistically significant differences in CD4 cell count and viral load among different age groups (P<0.05), but there were no statistically significant differences by gender and marital status (both P>0.05). The CD4 cell count and CD4/CD8 ratio both were negatively correlated with the lg value of viral load (r=-0.290, -0.378; P=0.027, 0.002). ConclusionThe CD4 cell counts of the newly identified HIV infected patients in Huangpu District in 2023 were generally low, the proportion of patients with high viral load was high, but the risk for elderly infected with HIV was high. The elderly have gradually become the key population for AIDS prevention and control in Huangpu District. It is recommended to expand HIV screening in the elderly to reduce the risk of HIV transmission and increase the rate of early detection and treatment.
5.Research advances in small-molecule hydrophobic tagging protein degraders
Zirui HUO ; Jieyu PEI ; Fangyi ZHAN ; Shaowen XIE ; Jinyi XU ; Shengtao XU
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2025;56(2):252-263
In In recent years, small-molecule targeted protein degraders inducing protein degradation have been developing rapidly. These molecules are attracting substantial interest from researchers since they can overcome such limitations of traditional small-molecule inhibitors as their inapplicability to ‘undruggable’ targets and tendency to induce drug resistance. Compared with other targeted protein degraders, small-molecule hydrophobic tags (HyTs) may have a smaller number of hydrogen bond donors/acceptors, smaller molecular weights, and better pharmacokinetic profiles, thus attracting extensive attention from researchers. This review focuses on the possible mechanisms and popular types of HyTs, with special attention to the potential application value of adamantane, a typical hydrophobic tag, in the fields of cancer and neurodegeneration. In general, there are still some problems like fewer types of hydrophobic tags and insufficient research on degradation mechanisms, which still need to be further explored. This review is expected to provide researchers working in the fields of small-molecule targeted protein degraders with some valuable reference.
6.Herbal Textual Research on Stemonae Radix in Famous Classical Formulas
Gang XU ; Li AN ; Xiaomei WANG ; Erhuan WANG ; Yichen YANG ; Cunde MA ; Yang YANG ; Zhilai ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(21):241-251
This article systematically reviews and verifies the historical evolution of Stemonae Radix from the aspects of name, origin, harvesting and processing, quality and others by consulting ancient and modern literature, in order to provide reference for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this medicinal herb. Stemonae Radix has a long history of application, and it derives its name from its distinctive growth pattern, featuring clusters of ten to several dozen underground tuberous roots. This morphology resembles that of certain plants in the genus Asparagus, leading to historical instances where tuberous roots from genus Asparagus were mistakenly used as Stemonae Radix. After the research, it can be concluded that Stemonae Radix was first recorded in Mingyi Bielu, and throughout history, Baidu has been recognized as its official name, though it also bears alternative names such as Baibing, Pofucao and Ye Tianmendong. The mainstream sources used throughout history have been the dried tuberous roots of Stemona sessilifolia, S. japonica or S. tuberosa from the family Stemonaceae. This aligns with the 2025 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China(hereinafter referred to as Chinese Pharmacopoeia). Additionally, Asparagus filicinus and A. officinalis from the genus Asparagus are common sources of confusion with Stemonae Radix. The three primitive plants are mainly distributed in the Yangtze River basin and southern China, exhibiting a wide distribution. Historically, wild harvesting was predominant, but cultivation is now established. In ancient times, the harvesting time was mostly in the second, third, and eighth lunar months, when roots were harvested and dried. Nowadays, it is more common to pick and excavate in the spring and autumn seasons. After excavation, the roots are washed, fibrous roots removed, briefly blanched in boiling water or steamed until no white core remains, and then sun-dried or oven-dried. In ancient times, the processing of Stemonae Radix primarily involved roasting(stir-frying), wine roasting, or raw materials. Modern mainstream processing specifications include two types of raw and honey-roasted products. In terms of quality evaluation of the medicinal materials, ancient criteria of "preferring plump and moist roots" align with modern requirement favoring "thick, robust stems with firm texture". Evaluating quality with authenticity, since the Song dynasty, it has been highly praised to produce in Chuzhou and Hengyang as the best. It was an ancient method of fixing the production area to stabilize the medicinal origin, reflecting the ancient recognition of the therapeutic efficacy of plants belonging to the genus Stemona. The main functions of Stemonae Radix remain consistent throughout history, including relieving coughs, eliminating phlegm and parasites. Based on the research results, it is recommended that when developing famous classical formulas containing the medicinal material Stemonae Radix, the botanical source specified in the 2025 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia should be selected. The specific species can be determined according to the distribution of resources and the main production areas, and the origin and corresponding botanical source should be fixed. Processing methods should be chosen based on the prescription requirements. It is recommended to use raw products without specified requirements.
7.Herbal Textual Research on Stemonae Radix in Famous Classical Formulas
Gang XU ; Li AN ; Xiaomei WANG ; Erhuan WANG ; Yichen YANG ; Cunde MA ; Yang YANG ; Zhilai ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(21):241-251
This article systematically reviews and verifies the historical evolution of Stemonae Radix from the aspects of name, origin, harvesting and processing, quality and others by consulting ancient and modern literature, in order to provide reference for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this medicinal herb. Stemonae Radix has a long history of application, and it derives its name from its distinctive growth pattern, featuring clusters of ten to several dozen underground tuberous roots. This morphology resembles that of certain plants in the genus Asparagus, leading to historical instances where tuberous roots from genus Asparagus were mistakenly used as Stemonae Radix. After the research, it can be concluded that Stemonae Radix was first recorded in Mingyi Bielu, and throughout history, Baidu has been recognized as its official name, though it also bears alternative names such as Baibing, Pofucao and Ye Tianmendong. The mainstream sources used throughout history have been the dried tuberous roots of Stemona sessilifolia, S. japonica or S. tuberosa from the family Stemonaceae. This aligns with the 2025 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China(hereinafter referred to as Chinese Pharmacopoeia). Additionally, Asparagus filicinus and A. officinalis from the genus Asparagus are common sources of confusion with Stemonae Radix. The three primitive plants are mainly distributed in the Yangtze River basin and southern China, exhibiting a wide distribution. Historically, wild harvesting was predominant, but cultivation is now established. In ancient times, the harvesting time was mostly in the second, third, and eighth lunar months, when roots were harvested and dried. Nowadays, it is more common to pick and excavate in the spring and autumn seasons. After excavation, the roots are washed, fibrous roots removed, briefly blanched in boiling water or steamed until no white core remains, and then sun-dried or oven-dried. In ancient times, the processing of Stemonae Radix primarily involved roasting(stir-frying), wine roasting, or raw materials. Modern mainstream processing specifications include two types of raw and honey-roasted products. In terms of quality evaluation of the medicinal materials, ancient criteria of "preferring plump and moist roots" align with modern requirement favoring "thick, robust stems with firm texture". Evaluating quality with authenticity, since the Song dynasty, it has been highly praised to produce in Chuzhou and Hengyang as the best. It was an ancient method of fixing the production area to stabilize the medicinal origin, reflecting the ancient recognition of the therapeutic efficacy of plants belonging to the genus Stemona. The main functions of Stemonae Radix remain consistent throughout history, including relieving coughs, eliminating phlegm and parasites. Based on the research results, it is recommended that when developing famous classical formulas containing the medicinal material Stemonae Radix, the botanical source specified in the 2025 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia should be selected. The specific species can be determined according to the distribution of resources and the main production areas, and the origin and corresponding botanical source should be fixed. Processing methods should be chosen based on the prescription requirements. It is recommended to use raw products without specified requirements.
8.Herbal Textual Research on Bruceae Fructus in Famous Classical Formulas
Shuiyu XU ; Yixue ZHUANG ; Yiqin ZHANG ; Yichong CHEN ; Yanning CHEN ; Zhilai ZHAN ; Chengzi YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(7):11-19
Through consulting the ancient herbal books and modern literature, this paper has carried out the textual research on the name, origin, place of origin, harvesting and processing, and other contents of Bruceae Fructus, combed its ancient and modern medicinal history, so as to provide reference for the development of famous classical formulas containing Bruceae Fructus. Through the herbal textual research, It can be verified that, since the Qing dynasty, Bruceae Fructus has been recorded in the materia medica, most of the materia medica in previous dynasties took Bruceae Fructus as its proper name, and Laoyadan, Kushenzi and Yadanzi as the aliases. The main origin of Bruceae Fructus is Brucea javanica, its medicinal part is the fruit, which is harvested from August to October every year, the fruit can be harvested when it is ripe. Bruceae Fructus was first distributed in Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, and gradually expanded to the south of China with the change of time. The traditional processing method of Bruceae Fructus is mainly to remove the shell and kernel, and remove the oil by frosting. The 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia stipulates that its processing method is to remove the shell and impurities. Based on the research results, it is suggested that the dried mature fruit of B. javanica should be selected for the development of famous classical formulas containing this herb, and the raw products can be used if the original formula does not specify the processing requirements.
9.Clinical features and early warning indicators of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure and bacterial infection
Zhanhu BI ; Linxu WANG ; Haifeng HU ; Hong DU ; Yidi DING ; Xiaofei YANG ; Jiayi ZHAN ; Fei HU ; Denghui YU ; Hongkai XU ; Jianqi LIAN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(4):760-766
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and bacterial infection and early warning indicators associated with multidrug-resistant infections. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 130 patients with ACLF and bacterial infection who attended The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2021, and according to the drug susceptibility results, the patients were divided into multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infection group with 80 patients and non-MDR bacterial infection group with 50 patients. General information and laboratory examination results were compared between the two groups to screen for the early warning indicators associated with MDR bacterial infection. The Student’s t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data with homogeneity of variance between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data or continuous data with heterogeneity of variance between two groups; the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The binary logistic regression analysis and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the predictive value of early warning indicators. ResultsAmong the 130 patients with ACLF and bacterial infection, sputum (27.7%) was the most common specimen for detection, followed by blood (24.6%), urine (18.5%), and ascites (17.7%). Bacterial infections were dominated by Gram-negative bacteria (58.5%). Of all bacteria, Escherichia coli (18.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.6%), and Enterococcus faecium (13.8%) were the most common pathogens. Gram-positive bacteria had a high resistance rate to the antibacterial drugs such as erythromycin (72.2%), penicillin (57.4%), ampicillin (55.6%), and ciprofloxacin (53.7%), while Gram-negative bacteria had a high resistance rate to the antibacterial drugs such as ampicillin (73.3%), cefazolin (50.0%), and cefepime (47.4%). The patients with ACLF and bacterial infection had a relatively high rate of MDR bacterial infection (61.5%). Comparison of clinical data between the two groups showed that compared with the patients with non-MDR bacterial infection, the patients with MDR bacterial infection had significantly higher levels of alanine aminotransferase (Z=2.089, P=0.037), aspartate aminotransferase (Z=2.063, P=0.039), white blood cell count (Z=2.207, P=0.027), and monocyte count (Z=4.413, P<0.001). The binary logistic regression analysis showed that monocyte count was an independent risk factor for MDR bacterial infection (odds ratio=7.120, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.478 — 20.456,P<0.001) and had an area under the ROC curve of 0.686 (95%CI: 0.597 — 0.776) in predicting ACLF with MDR bacterial infection(P<0.001), with the optimal cut-off value of 0.50×109/L, a sensitivity of 0.725, and a specificity of 0.400. ConclusionACLF combined with bacterial infections is mainly caused by Gram-negative bacteria, with the common pathogens of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae and a relatively high MDR rate in clinical practice. An increase in monocyte count can be used as an early warning indicator to distinguish MDR bacterial infection from non-MDR bacterial infection.
10.Efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib for refractory graft-versus-host disease in Chinese population: a Meta-analysis
Yuchen ZHAN ; Yin LIU ; Dong WANG ; Yang XU
Journal of Leukemia & Lymphoma 2024;33(3):161-171
Objective:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib in the treatment of Chinese patients with refractory graft-versus-host disease(SR-GVHD) by using meta-analysis.Methods:China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), WanFang database, VIP database, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, Ebscore Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection and Cochrane Library were searched by using "ruxolitinib" "Graft vs Host Disease" "graft versus host disease" "Graft-Versus-Host Disease" as key words. The retrieve time was from the establishment of the database to December 7th, 2021. The related literatures of ruxolitinib for Chinese patients with SR-GVHD were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the characteristics of the literatures were extracted. Outcomes indexes included overall objective response rate (ORR), proportion of hormone reduction and discontinuation, survival indexes and incidence of adverse events. Meta-analysis of ORR, remission rate of affected organs, 12-month overall survival rate, overall mortality and mortality due to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were performed by using Stata 16.0 software or R3.6.3 software. The statistics analysis was performed on the hormone usage and adverse events.Results:A total of 19 literatures involving 775 Chinese patients with SR-GVHD treated by ruxolitinib were included. Meta analysis showed that the ORR of ruxolitinib for treatment of acute GVHD (aGVHD) was 84% (285/339), with moderate heterogeneity among studies ( I2 = 62.04%, P<0.01), and the complete remission (CR) rate, partial remission (PR) rate and non-remission (NR) rate was 56% (190/339), 28% (95/339), and 14%(47/339), respectively. The ORR of ruxolitinib for treatment of chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was 77% (332/431), with moderate heterogeneity among studies ( I2 = 50.17%, P = 0.02), and the CR rate, PR rate and NR rate was 36% (155/431), 41% (177/431) and 21% (91/431), respectively. As for hormone usage, 46.51% of aGVHD patients had steroid reduction and 34.88% patients had steroid discontinuation. Similarly, 28.2% of patients with cGVHD had steroid reduction and 36.9% had steroid discontinuation. The overall 12-month survival rate of patients with SR-GVHD after the treatment of ruxolitinib was 71% (95% CI: 63%-79%, I2 = 72.70%, P<0.01). Adverse events occurred for 760 times in total, among which 287 times (36.0%) of viral infection and 269 times (34.7%) of hemocytopenia were the most common adverse events. Conclusions:Ruxolitinib is effective in the treatment of Chinese patients with SR-GVHD, and it helps reduce hormone-dependency and prolong the survival time.

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