The study investigated the effect of Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD) on endogenous biomarkers in the urine of rats with chronic inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), aiming to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of BYHWD on chronic inflammation from a metabolomics perspective. Male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose BYHWD groups(7.5, 15, and 30 g·kg~(-1)). The model group and BYHWD groups received tail intravenous injection of LPS(200 μg·kg~(-1)) on the first day of each week, followed by oral administration of BYHWD once a day for four consecutive weeks. Urine samples were collected at the end of the administration period, and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to analyze the metabolic profiles of the rat urine in each group. Multivariate statistical analysis methods such as principal component analysis(PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were used to analyze the effect of BYHWD on endogenous metabolites. One-way ANOVA and variable importance for the projection(VIP) were used to screen for potential biomarkers related to chronic inflammation. The identified biomarkers were subjected to pathway and enrichment analysis using MetaboAnalyst 5.0. A total of 25 potential biomarkers were screened and identified in the rat urine in this experiment. Compared with the normal group, the model group showed significant increases in the levels of 14 substances(P<0.05) and significant decreases in the levels of 11 substances(P<0.05). BYHWD was able to effectively reverse the trend of most endogenous biomarkers. Compared with the model group, BYHWD significantly down-regulated 13 biomarkers(P<0.05) and up-regulated 10 biomarkers(P<0.05). The metabolic products were mainly related to the biosynthesis of pantothenic acid and coenzyme A, tryptophan metabolism, retinol metabolism, and propionate metabolism. BYHWD has therapeutic effect on chronic inflammation induced by LPS, which may be related to its ability to improve the levels of endogenous metabolites, enhance the body's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities, and restore normal metabolic activity.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Metabolomics/methods* ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Biomarkers/urine*

Objective: To analyze the trends of incidence and age change for global female breast cancer in different regions of the world according to the database from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Time Trends (CI5plus) published by the International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR). Methods: The recorded annual female breast cancer (ICD-10: C50) incidence data and corresponding population at-risk data (1998-2012) were extracted from CI5plus published by IACR. The annual change percentage and average annual change percentage (AAPC) were calculated to examine the trends of incidence. The age-standardized mean age at diagnosis and proportion of incidence cases by age were calculated to analyze the relationship between incidence and age. Results: For crude incidence, except in Northern America, all other regions showed an upward trend, with Asia showing the most obvious upward trend (AAPC: 4.1%, 95% CI: 3.9%, 4.3%). For age-standardized incidence, in Asia, Latin America and Europe, the rising trends had slowed down, in Oceania and Africa, the trends began to be stable, and in Northern America, the trend showed a downward trend (APPC: -0.6%; 95% CI: -1.0%, -0.1%). The mean age at diagnosis were increased from 1998 to 2012 in Asia, Latin America, Oceania and Europe, with an annual increase of 0.12 years, 0.09 years, 0.04 years and 0.03 years, respectively. But after age-standardized, only Europe still kept increasing year by year, with an annual increase of 0.02 years, while Northern America showed a decreasing trend, with an annual decrease of about 0.03 years. Conclusions: From 1998 to 2012, the trends of incidence and age change for global female breast cancer vary in different regions of the world, and the global population aging is widespread, which affects the trend of the actual age change. Prevention and control strategies should be targeted at different age groups in different regions.
Humans ; Female ; Breast Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Asia/epidemiology* ; Europe/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors

The ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS~E) technology was employed to compare the chemical components between the aerial and underground parts of Coptis chinensis samples from different batches. According to the retention time, molecular ion peak, and LC-MS~E fragment information of the reference substances and available literature, we identified a total of 40 components. Thirty-three and 31 compounds were respectively identified in the underground part(taproots) and the aerial part(stems and leaves) of C. chinensis. Among them, 24 compounds, including alkaloids(e.g., berberine and jatrorrhizine) and phenolic acids(e.g., chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, and tanshinol), were common in the two parts. In addition, differential components were also identified, such as magnoline glucoside in the underground part and(±) lariciresionol-4-β-D-glucopyranoside in the aerial part. The analysis of fragmentation pathways based on spectra of reference substances indicated the differences among samples of different batches. Furthermore, we performed the principal component analysis(PCA) for the peak areas of C. chinensis in different batches. The results showed that the underground part and the aerial part were clearly clustered into two groups, indicating that the chemical components contained in the two parts were different. Furthermore, the results of partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) identified 31 differential compounds(VIP value>1) between the underground part and the aerial part, mainly including alkaloids, phenolic acids, lignans, and flavonoids. This study proves that C. chinensis possesses great development potential with multiple available compounds in stems and leaves. Moreover, it sheds light on for the development and utilization of non-medicinal organs of C. chinensis and other Chinese medicinal herbs.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Coptis chinensis ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization/methods* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Technology

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of pirfenidone for reducing urethral stricture following urethral injury in rats and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: Thirty male SD rats were randomly assigned into negative control group, positive control group and pirfenidone group (n=10). In pirfenidone and positive control groups, the rats were subjected to incision of the posterior urethral cavernous body followed by daily intraperitoneal injection of pirfenidone (100 mg/kg) and an equivalent volume of solvent, respectively. The rats in the negative control group were given intraperitoneal injections of solvent without urethral injury. At two weeks after modeling, retrograde urethrography was performed for observing urethral stricture, and the injured urethral tissues were harvested for HE staining, Masson staining, immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting for detecting the protein expressions of α-SMA and TGF-β1. The mRNA expressions of the inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β were detected using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: The body weight of the rats in pirfenidone group was significantly decreased compared with that in the other two groups (P < 0.05). Retrograde urethrography showed significant narrowing of the urethra in the positive control group but not in the pirfenidone group. HE staining of the injured urethral tissues showed obvious proliferation of urethral epithelial cells with narrow urethral cavity and increased inflammatory cells in positive control group. The pathological findings of the urethra were similar between pirfenidone group and the negative control group. Masson staining revealed obviously reduced collagen fibers and regular arrangement of the fibers in pirfenidone group as compared to the positive control group. Compared with those in the negative control group, the expressions of α-SMA and TGF-β1 were significantly increased in the positive control group, and pirfenidone treatment significantly inhibited their expressions (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Pirfenidone also significantly inhibited the mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the injured urethral tissue (P < 0.05 or 0.01). CONCLUSION Pirfenidone can prevent urethral fibrosis and stricture after urethral injury possibly by inhibiting the TGF-β1 pathway and inflammatory response.
Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Male ; Pyridones/pharmacology* ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Solvents ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Urethral Stricture/pathology*

Applying Chinese medicine (CM) is an important strategy for malignant tumor treatment in China. One of the significant characteristics of CM is to treat diseases based on syndrome differentiation. For Western medicine, it is of important clinical significance to formulate guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients based on the characteristics of disease differentiation. In Chinese clinical practice, the combination of disease differentiation and syndrome differentiation is an important feature for cancer treatment in the past. Currently, molecular profiling and genomic analysis-based precision medicine optimizes the anticancer drug design and holds the greatest success in treating cancer patients. Therefore, we want to know which populations of cancer patients can benefit more from CM treatment if the theory of precision medicine is applied to CM clinical practice. So, we developed a novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategy "disease-syndrome differentiation-genomic profiling-prescriptions" for cancer patients by CM syndrome differentiation and precision medicine. As a result, this strategy has greatly enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy of CM and improved clinical outcomes for cancer patients with some gene mutations. Our idea will hopefully establish a novel approach for the inheritance and innovation of CM.
Antineoplastic Agents ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neoplasms/therapy* ; Precision Medicine ; Syndrome

Objective:To observe the relationship between cervical curvature and spinal drift distance after laminectomy with lateral mass screw fixation, and its effect on clinical outcome. Methods:From January, 2017 to October, 2018, a total of 117 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) underwent laminectomy with lateral mass screw fixation, and 90 of them completed the follow-up. According to the patients' cervical curvature (CC), they were divided into three groups: those CC between 0° to 5° were in Group A (n = 28), 5° to 16.5° in Group B (n = 36) and CC > 16.5° in Group C (n = 26). The spinal drift distance, nerve recovery, axial symptoms and C₅ palsy were recorded and analyzed. Results:There were significant differences in CC and spinal drift distance (F > 152.119,P < 0.001), and no significant difference was found in laminectomy width and incidence of C₅ palsy (P > 0.05) among three groups. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score significantly increased in all the groups post operation and at the last follow-up (t > 8.869,P < 0.001), and no significant difference was found among there groups at the same time (P > 0.05), as well as the incidence of C₅ palsy (F = 0.472,P = 0.625). There was significant difference in the score of Visual Analogue Scale of axial symptoms among three groups (F > 34.800,P < 0.001), which was lower in groups B and C than in group A (t > 5.845,P< 0.001), and no significant differene was found between group B and group C. Conclusion:On the basis of the same laminectomy width, the greater the CC was, the more favorable the spinal drift went backwards. The loss of CC was related to the occurrence of axial symptoms, but was not correlated with the neurological recovery and C₅ palsy.

Algorithms ; Bronchoscopy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; Thoracic Injuries ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery

Objective To investigate the effect of cysteine protease inhibitor derived from S chistosoma japonicum(SjCys-tatin)on dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced acute ulcerative colitis in mice.Methods Eighteen C57BL/6 mice were ran-domly divided into three groups:a control group treated with PBS(Group A),a DSS-induced-colitis group treated with PBS(Group B),and a DSS-induced-colitis group treated with SjCystatin(Group C).Colitis was induced in mice by giving 3％DSS orally for 7 days.During this period,the mice were daily injected with 10μg of SjCystatin or PBS only as a control intraperitone-ally.The mice were monitored daily for their clinical manifestations and given scores based on disease activity index(DAI).The severity of colonic inflammation was monitored by the macroscopic score and pathological change.The cytokine profile including TNF-α,IL-4,IL-6 and IL-10 in the supernatants of colon homogenate was detected by ELISA.Results Compared with Group A(0.50 ± 0.28),the DAI score increased significantly in Group B(9.30 ± 1.30)(F=86.86,P<0.01),with remarkable path-ological damages seen in colon tissues.and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were(321.33±67.01)and(403.58 ±180.51)pg/mL.The DAI score significantly reduced in Group C(6.67±1.57)as compared to Group B(F=86.86,P<0.01),with improve-ments in the macroscopic and microscopic pathology in mouse colon specimens.As compared to Group B,the levels of TNF-α [(188.14 ± 40.14)pg/mL] and IL-6 [(209.71 ± 48.47)pg/mL] significantly decreased(F=17.46 and 9.89,both P<0.01).Con-clusion SjCystatin has a significantly inhibitory effect for alleviating DSS-induced acute ulcerative colitis in C57BL/6 mice.

Objective Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the main pathogenic factors of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This study was to explore the method of establishing a CRS model in C57BL/6J mice.Methods Thirty C57BL/6J mice were equally randomized into a CRS model, a sham operation and a blank control group. The CRS model was made by implanting type-Ⅲ streptococcus pneumoniae in the maxillary sinuses, the mice of the sham operation group underwent opening and suturing of the maxillary sinuses without implantation of any streptococcus pneumonia, while the blank controls did not receive any operation. Two months later, all the mice were sacrificed and the nasal sinus mucosal tissue was harvested, embedded with paraffin, sectioned, and subjected to HE staining, followed by observation of the pathological changes under the microscope.Results The CRS model mice exhibited significant proliferation and disorderly arrangement of epithelial cells in the nasal mucosal tissue, with degeneration, necrosis, exfoliation, ulceration, goblet cell proliferation, gland and tissue hyperplasia, and infiltration of lymphocytes, plasmocytes and monocytes. No obvious inflammation was observed in the sham operation and blank control groups. The pathology index score of the nasal sinus mucosal tissue was significantly higher in the CRS model than in the sham operation and blank control groups (\[14.800±5.200\] vs \[2.000±2.906\] and \[1.800±2.098\], P<0.05) but no statistically significant difference between the latter two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion The CRS model was successfully established in mice, which has provided some reference for the construction of the CRS model in animals.

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of skin wound induction gel on the glans scabbing rate, class-A wound healing rate, and wound healing time of circumcision for phimosis in pediatric patients.

METHODSWe randomly assigned 48 six to thirteen years old children with phimosis to an experimental group (n = 25) and a control group (n = 23) to be treated by circumcision. After surgery, the patients in the experimental group received application of skin wound induction gel while those in the control group received that of povidone iodine only to the glans and incision. We recorded and compared the glans scabbing rate, class-A wound healing rate, and wound healing time between the two groups of patients.

RESULTSGlans scabbing was observed in 3 cases in the experimental group and 17 cases in the control group (12.0% vs 73.9%, P < 0.01). No statistically significant differences were found in the rate of class-A wound healing between the two groups (100% vs 91.3%, P > 0.05). The wound healing time was significantly shorter in the experimental than in the control group ([10.7 ± 1.7] d vs [11.9 ± 2.1] d, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPost-circumcision application of skin wound induction gel to the glans and incision can effectively reduce glans secreta, alleviate inflammatory reaction, and shorten the healing time in the treatment of phimosis in children.

Adolescent ; Child ; Circumcision, Male ; Gels ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; methods ; Inflammation ; prevention & control ; Male ; Phimosis ; drug therapy ; Postoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Wound Healing ; drug effects