Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease(AD)is complex and unclear.Existing drugs can only alleviate its symp-toms,and there is an urgent need to develop effective therapeutic drugs.As the representative drugs of tonic and enlightening medicine,ginseng and acorus calamus have pharmacological effects to improve memory,improve learning ability and reduce cognitive impairment,which are commonly used in Chinese med-icine for the treatment of dementia.The combination of ginseng and acorus calamus can further promote the active ingredients in-to brain to exert their medicinal effects,and delay the process of AD through anti-inflammatory,anti-oxidative stress,modulation of neuronal-synaptic plasticity and other multiple pathways,with multi-level,multi-system and multi-target action characteristics.This paper attempts to summarize the existing research results and lay the foundation for further exploring the synergistic mech-anism of action of ginseng-acorus calamus combination and the dose-effect relationship of the combination,so as to provide a sci-entific basis for the development of innovative Chinese medicines for the prevention and treatment of AD.

Exosomes represent a class of nanoscale extracellular vesicles that facilitate the exchange of genetic information among various cells.Alzheimer's disease(AD)stands as a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by its subtle and advan-cing onset,representing the foremost form of dementia lacking effective therapeutic interventions.Notably,investigations have illuminated the involvement of exosomes in the pathogenesis of AD,attributing diagnostic and therapeutic significance to their role,particularly concerning exosomal microRNAs(miRNA).The miRNAs carried by exosomes serve as potential biomarkers for AD,while also exhibiting potential benefits in ameliorating cognitive dysfunction in individuals afflicted by AD.This article aims to comprehensively review the origins of exosomes(encom-passing both mesenchymal cell-derived exosomes and brain-de-rived exosomes)and their potential as therapeutic agents targe-ting AD.

Objective: To investigate the clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) undergoing immunosuppressive therapy (IST) . Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we collected the demographic and clinical data of patients with AA and COVID-19 from December 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023. We described the clinical features of COVID-19 among patients with AA and evaluated the effects of IST on the signs and severity of COVID-19. Results: A total of 170 patients with AA and COVID-19 were included. The common early symptoms, including fever, dizziness or headache, muscle or body aches, and sore throat, disappeared within 1-2 weeks. Approximately 25% of the patients had persistent fatigue within 2 weeks. Many patients experienced cough after an initial 1-3 days of infection, which lasted for more than 2 weeks. There were no differences in the duration of total fever episodes and maximum body temperature when patients were stratified according to whether or not they underwent IST, by IST duration, or by use of anti-lymphocyte globulin (ALG) (P>0.05). No differences were observed in the occurrence of symptoms in either the early or recovery stages when patients with AA were stratified according to whether or not they underwent IST, or by IST duration (P>0.05). However, patients who received ALG had fewer fever episodes within 1 week after infection (P=0.035) and more sore throat episodes within 2 weeks after infection (P=0.015). There were no other significant differences in clinical symptoms between patients who did and patients who did not receive ALG (P>0.05) . Conclusion: The majority of patients with AA and COVID-19 recovered within 2 weeks of noticing symptoms when treated with IST.
Humans ; Anemia, Aplastic ; COVID-19 ; Prospective Studies ; Fever ; Immunosuppression Therapy ; Pharyngitis

Objective To compare the consistency of quantitative ultrasound(QUS)and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA)in measuring bone mineral density(BMD)of adults aged 18-40 years in Guangzhou and evaluate the diagnostic value of QUS for identifying low bone mass.Methods DXA was employed to measure the BMD and QUS to measure the speed of sound(SOS)in 731 participants.The Bland-Altman analysis was performed to evaluate the consistency of Z scores between SOS and BMD.With the BMD Z ≤-2.00 as the diagnostic criterion for low bone mass,the receiver operating characteristics curve of QUS was established,and the area under the curve(AUC)and the sensitivity,specificity,and correct diagnostic index for the optimal cut-off of SOS Z score were calculated.Results The results of Bland-Altman analysis showed that the mean differences in the Z scores of SOS and BMD in males and females were 1.27(-0.94 to 3.47)and 0.93(-1.33 to 3.18),respectively.The AUC of SOS Z score in the diagnosis of low bone mass in males and females was 0.734(95%CI=0.380-0.788)and 0.679(95%CI=0.625-0.732),respectively.In males,the optimal cut-off of SOS Z score for low bone mass was -0.35,with the sensitivity,specificity,and correct diagnostic index of 64.1%,68.6%,and 0.327,respectively.In females,the optimal cut-off value of SOS Z scores for low bone mass was -1.14,with the sensitivity,specificity,and correct index of 73.9%,54.8%,and 0.285,respectively.Conclusion QUS and DXA show poor consistency in the diagnosis of BMD in the adults aged 18-40 years in Guangzhou,while QUS demonstrates an acceptable value in identifying low bone mass.
Male ; Female ; Adult ; Humans ; Absorptiometry, Photon/methods* ; Bone Density ; Ultrasonography ; Bone and Bones ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Pulmonary fibrosis is an interstitial lung disease characterized by inflammatory injury and tissue structure destruction. Currently, there is a lack of effective therapeutic drugs for pulmonary fibrosis, and the mechanism is still unknown. Therefore, it is urgent to seek new targets for effective drugs. In pulmonary fibrosis, the level of autotaxin (ATX) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid increases and stimulates the production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). The involvement of LPA receptors in activating a variety of G-protein-mediated signal transduction pathways leads to a range of related physiological effects, including pro-inflammatory signaling in epithelial cells, activation of transforming growth factor signaling, and stimulation of fibroblast accumulation. LPA receptor antagonists and ATX inhibitors have been concerned as new targets for pulmonary fiber therapy, and currently related drugs have entered clinical trials. In this paper, the pathophysiological effects of LPA and ATX in pulmonary fibrosis disease and related drug development progress were reviewed to provide reference information of new drug development for pulmonary fibrosis based on the ATX-LPA axis.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment on postoperative pain in patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease, and explored the relationship between the postoperative analgesic effect of acupuncture and the sensation of acupuncture experienced by the patients. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of 97 patients who had undergone an operation by the same surgeon due to degenerative lumbar disease. These patients were divided into acupuncture group (n = 32), patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) group (n = 27), and oral analgesia group (n = 38) according to the different postoperative analgesic methods. During their hospitalization, patients completed daily evaluations of their pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and injection times of supplemental meperidine were recorded. Also, the Chinese version of the Massachusetts General Hospital Acupuncture Sensation Scale (C-MASS) was used in the acupuncture group. RESULTS: Each of the three treatment groups showed significant reductions in postoperative pain, as shown by reduced VAS scores. The acupuncture group, however, had less rebound pain (P < 0.05) than the other two groups. Both the acupuncture and PCA groups experienced acute analgesic effects that were superior to those in the oral analgesia group. In addition, the higher the C-MASS index on the second day after surgery, the lower the VAS score on the fourth day after surgery. There was also a significant difference in the "dull pain" in the acupuncture sensation. CONCLUSION The results demonstrated that acupuncture was beneficial for postoperative pain and discomfort after simple surgery for degenerative spinal disease. It is worth noting that there was a disproportionate relevance between the patient's acupuncture sensation and the improvement of pain VAS score.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Analgesia/methods* ; Analgesics/therapeutic use* ; Consensus ; Humans ; Pain, Postoperative/drug therapy* ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensation

It is an urgent demand worldwide to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL^pro) and papain-like protease (PL^pro) are key targets to discover SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. After screening 12 Chinese herbal medicines and 125 compounds from licorice, we found that a popular natural product schaftoside inhibited 3CL^pro and PL^pro with IC₅₀ values of 1.73 ± 0.22 and 3.91 ± 0.19 μmol/L, respectively, and inhibited SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vero E6 cells with EC₅₀ of 11.83 ± 3.23 μmol/L. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry analysis, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations, together with site-directed mutagenesis indicated the antiviral activities of schaftoside were related with non-covalent interactions with H41, G143 and R188 of 3CL^pro, and K157, E167 and A246 of PL^pro. Moreover, proteomics analysis and cytokine assay revealed that schaftoside also regulated immune response and inflammation of the host cells. The anti-inflammatory activities of schaftoside were confirmed on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury mice. Schaftoside showed good safety and pharmacokinetic property, and could be a promising drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

ObjectiveTo investigate an outbreak of norovirus diarrhea in a welfare home for the elderly in Shanghai， and to analyze the epidemiology and virus genotype characteristics of the epidemic， thus providing a scientific basis for the prevention and control of norovirus epidemic. MethodsCase definition was clarified. After case definition， a standardized questionnaire was used to carry out case investigation to make comprehensive analysis in combination with field epidemiological investigation and laboratory tests results. ResultsThe epidemic lasted for 14 days， and 23 cases were reported with an incidence rate of 12.37% （23/186）， including 3 males and 20 females. There were more cases on the 1st， 4th and 6th floor of the main building in the welfare home， accounting for 52.17% （12/23） of total cases. 19 cases were reported in the main building， with an incidence rate of 11.59% （19/164）； 4 cases were reported in the auxiliary building， with an incidence rate of 18.18% （4/22）. There was no significant difference in the morbidity between the main building and the auxiliary building （χ²=0.779，P>0.05）. The main clinical manifestations were vomiting and diarrhea. There was a significant difference in the incidence of vomiting symptoms among the elderly， nursing staff and other staff in the welfare home （χ²=10.216， P<0.05）. But there was no significant difference in the incidence of diarrhea among the elderly， nursing staff and other staff （χ²=1.218， P>0.05）. Fecal samples were collected from 23 cases， 1 case family member， 68 risk personnel and 14 environmental surface swab samples. Norovirus GⅡ was detected in stool samples of 19 cases， 1 family member and 36 risk personnel. ConclusionOutbreak of norovirus infection is reported in a welfare home in Shanghai. The close contact between the elderly and health workers might lead to the outbreak.

This paper aimed to explore the mechanism of the split components of Phytolaccae Radix by means of network pharmaco-logy. Based on the theoretical hypothesis of the nature and taste of traditional Chinese medicine, the chemical components of the separated components of Phytolaccae Radix were selected by using Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database(TCMSP) and Traditional Chinese Medicines IntegratedDatabase(TCMID) databases in combination with related literatures. Relevant target analysis was carried out based on PubChem and SwissTargetPrediction databases. Targets corresponding to disease were excavated based on GeneCards for each split component, corresponding potential targets were obtained through mapping the target set of target compounds to disease targets. GO biological process analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the mapped targets with the help of DAVID database. Based on Cytoscape software and the corresponding efficacy, the network diagram of "medicinal material-split components-compound-target-pathway" was constructed to explore the mechanism of different efficacy of the separated components of Cytoscape. And the target purgation and diuretic mapping was used as the target of the traditional efficacy of smoothening secretion for the first time. The study explored esculentoside component, fatty oil component and phenolic acid component, a total of 30 target compounds and 301 corresponding targets, involving 44 potential targets for "anti-inflammatory", 50 potential targets for "immunoregulation", 52 potential targets for "smoothening secretion", 28 potential targets for "antibacterial activity", 28 potential targets for "antiviral effect", and 29 potential targets for "antitumor effect". Topological analysis revealed 14 key gene targets such as MAPK8, MAPK14, EGFR and PTGS2. A total of 684 GO entries and 235 KEGG pathways were obtained through bioinformatics enrichment analysis, mainly involving TNF signaling pathway, NF-kappaB signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway. This study revealed the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-channel action mechanism of the split components of Phytolaccae Radix, which provided certain basis for the next step to clarify the split components of Phytolaccae Radix through the method of system biology, and injected new content and significance into the study of properties and flavors theory.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Signal Transduction ; Software