As a Chinese saying goes， "good Chinese medicinal material makes good medicine"， the quality of Chinese herbal medicines is related to the development prospect of Chinese medicine industry in China. With the rapid development of new technologies such as traceability methods and monitoring instruments， it is imperative to integrate and innovate traditional Chinese herbal medicines with new-generation information technology in view of the quality problems existing in the current production and circulation of Chinese herbal medicines， and it is of great significance for the construction of traceability system to ensure the quality and safety of Chinese herbal medicines and to promote the industry of Chinese herbal medicines to move towards high-quality development. This paper reviews the development history of the traceability system of Chinese herbal medicines in China， takes the influencing factors of the quality of Chinese herbal medicines as the entry point， and proposes that the construction of the traceability system should satisfy the traceability requirements of the characteristics of Chinese herbal medicines and their traditional medication experience. By analyzing the influencing factors of the quality of Chinese herbal medicines， it is pointed out that focusing on the influencing factors to build a traceability system is of great significance for targeting the problematic links at a later stage and exploring the interrelationship between environmental factors and the quality of Chinese herbal medicines. Based on the previous explorations， the author summarizes the system framework， functional modules and practical applications of the traceability system of Chinese herbal medicines， and looks forward to the development of a traceability system with risk early warning function and expert decision-making function in its functional development. Finally， based on the factors affecting the quality of Chinese herbal medicines， the author puts forward several thoughts on construction of the traceability system， and makes an in-depth analysis and puts forward a solution for the current situation that a unified， standardized and universal traceability system has not yet been built， with a view to providing ideas and references for the construction of traceability system of Chinese herbal medicines.

italic>Lamiophlomis rotata is an important medicinal plant species endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, which is prone to strong climate change impacts on its habitable range due to the high sensitivity of the Tibetan Plateau to climate change. Accurate quantification of species vulnerability to climate change is essential for assessing species extinction risk and developing effective conservation strategies. Therefore, we carried out the α-shape analysis to determine the habitat of L. rotata. We then carried out the climate-niche factor analysis (CNFA) to assess the vulnerability of L. rotata to climate change based on five climate variables (i.e., mean diurnal range, temperature seasonality, mean temperature of warmest quarter, precipitation of driest month and precipitation of warmest quarter) in the context of two shared socioeconomic pathways (i.e., SSP126 and SSP585) and three global climate models (CMCC-ESM2: Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici-Earth System Model version 2; HadGEM3-GC31-LL: Hadley Global Environment Model version 3-Global Coupled configuration 3.1; IPSL-CM6A-LR: Institut Pierre Simon Laplace-Climate Model version 6) during two different periods (2041-2060 and 2081-2100). The vulnerability of L. rotata to climate change was calculated by integrating the sensitivity and exposure indices of L. rotata to five climate variables. The results showed that L. rotata had the highest vulnerability to the precipitation of warmest quarter. Its vulnerability within its habitat range generally showed a spatial pattern of high value in the southern region and low in the northern region, high in the western region and low in the eastern region. In general, the vulnerability of L. rotata under the SSP585 scenario was higher than that under the SSP126 scenario. The climate data of different global climate models have some influence on the results, while the resulted uncertainty can be reduced by data integration methods. As a result of climate change, the pressure on the survival of L. rotata in the future will be intensified in the low-altitude areas such as the Yarlung Zangbo River, Yigongzangbu River, Zayu River, and Jiaomuzu River, etc., while the highly weathered scree flats or stony alpine meadows in the high-altitude zones, such as the eastern Tanggula Mountain Range, the northern part of Hengduan Mountain Range, and the western part of the Qinling Mountains, may become its refuge. It is necessary to focus on and strengthen the protection and management of L. rotata resources in these vulnerble and critical areas.

ObjectiveIn recent years， with the sharp decline of wild resources in Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma and the immaturity of medicinal cultivation technology， their adulterants have appeared frequently in the market， and the main identifying characteristics have mostly disappeared in the circulation of medicinal materials. Therefore， there is an urgent need to establish a molecular identification method that can quickly and effectively identify the specificity of Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma. MethodAfter comparison of the rbcL sequences of Arisaematis Rhizoma，Pinelliae Rhizoma， and their adulterants， the specific enzyme cleavage sites Hae Ⅲ and Dra Ⅰ of Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma， respectively， were selected and identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism（PCR-RFLP）. The main system conditions of PCR-RFLP reaction were established and optimized， and their durability and the ability to detect genuine， adulterants， and mixed counterfeits were investigated. ResultThe PCR-RFLP identification method of Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma was established. After specific primer amplification， Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma could be digested by Hae Ⅲ and Dra Ⅰ-restricted endonucleases respectively， at annealing temperature of 54 ℃， the number of cycles of 35， and the amount of DNA template of 3-30 ng， producing two fragments or small cut fragments with a single band between 100-250 bp， whereas the mixed counterfeits were not cleaved and both showed a band at 250 bp. The method is highly accurate in identifying adulterants and mixed counterfeits of Arisaematis Rhizoma or Pinelliae Rhizoma. ConclusionThe PCR-RFLP method developed in this study allows for the rapid identification of Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of nanoparticles PLGA-NPs and mesoporous silicon nanoparticles(MSNs) of different stiffness before and after combination with menthol or curcumol on the mechanical properties of bEnd.3 cells. The particle size distributions of PLGA-NPs and MSNs were measured by Malvern particle size analyzer, and the stiffness of the two nanoparticles was quantified by atomic force microscopy(AFM). The bEnd.3 cells were cultured in vitro, and the cell surface morphology, roughness, and Young's modulus were examined to characterize the roughness and stiffness of the cell surface. The changes in the mechanical properties of the cells were observed by AFM, and the structure and expression of cytoskeletal F-actin were observed by a laser-scanning confocal microscope. The results showed that both nanoparticles had good dispersion. The particle size of PLGA-NPs was(98.77±2.04) nm, the PDI was(0.140±0.030), and Young's modulus value was(104.717±8.475) MPa. The particle size of MSNs was(97.47±3.92) nm, the PDI was(0.380±0.016), and Young's modulus value was(306.019±8.822) MPa. The stiffness of PLGA-NPs was significantly lower than that of MSNs. After bEnd.3 cells were treated by PLGA-NPs and MSNs separately, the cells showed fine pores on the cell surface, increased roughness, decreased Young's modulus, blurred and broken F-actin bands, and reduced mean gray value. Compared with PLGA-NPs alone, PLGA-NPs combined with menthol or curcumol could allow deepened and densely distributed surface pores of bEnd.3 cells, increase roughness, reduce Young's modulus, aggravate F-actin band breakage, and diminish mean gray value. Compared with MSNs alone, MSNs combined with menthol could allow deepened and densely distributed surface pores of bEnd.3 cells, increase roughness, reduce Young's modulus, aggravate F-actin band breakage, and diminish mean gray value, while no significant difference was observed in combination with curcumol. Therefore, it is inferred that the aromatic components can increase the intracellular uptake and transport of nanoparticles by altering the biomechanical properties of bEnd.3 cells.
Animals ; Mice ; Menthol/pharmacology* ; Actins/metabolism* ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Nanoparticles/chemistry*

Hepatic fibrosis is present in most chronic liver disease processes, and there are no ideal anti-fibrotic drugs available. Astragalus has a long history of medicinal use, and its anti-fibrotic effects have been confirmed by modern studies. In this study we have searched the literature to identify the signaling pathways and mechanisms of action of Astragalus and its active ingredients on hepatic fibrosis in recent years, so as to provide the basis and ideas for the development of anti-fibrotic drugs and mechanisms of Astragalus. It is showed that the active ingredients of Astragalus act through regulating p38MAPK, TGF-pl/Smads,NF-

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the Hodgkin lymphoma (HL)-2013 regimen in the treatment of children with HL, and to investigate the prognostic factors of childhood HL. Methods: Clinical data of 145 children (aged ≤18 years) with newly diagnosed HL, treated with HL-2013 regimen in 8 tertiary referral centers for childhood cancer from August 2011 to April 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. All the diagnosis were confirmed by histopathological morphology and immunohistochemical examination. The clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were summarized, and the patients were divided into different groups according to clinical characteristics. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and the comparison of survival rates between groups was performed with Log-rank test. Results: Of the 145 cases, there were 115 males and 30 females, the age at diagnosis was 7.9 (5.8, 10.6) years. Cervical lymph node enlargement (114 cases, 78.6%) was the common symptom of the disease, and 57 patients (39.3%) were accompanied by large masses. The most common pathological classification was mixed cell type (93 cases, 64.1%). According to the Ann Arbor staging system, there were 9 cases of stage Ⅰ, 62 cases of stage Ⅱ, 45 cases of stage Ⅲ, 29 cases of stage Ⅳ. According to the risk stratification: there were 14 cases of low-risk group, 76 cases of medium-risk group and 55 cases of high-risk group. Of all patients, 68 cases (46.9%) achieved an early complete remission (CR) after 2 courses of chemotherapy, and the CR rate was 93.8% (136/145) after first-line treatment. Disease recurrence or progression occurred in 22 cases (15.2%). Of all patients, 125 cases survived, 6 cases died and 14 cases were lost to follow-up. Among the survived cases, 123 cases were continuously at CR state,and the follow-up time was 55 (40, 76) months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) rates were (95.3±1.9)% and (84.2±3.0)% for the entire group, respectively. 5-year OS and EFS rates for patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ were both lower than those for patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (χ²=6.28 and 7.58, both P<0.05), the 5-year OS and EFS rates for patients in high-risk group were both lower than those for patients in low-risk and medium-risk group (χ²=10.93, 7.79, both P<0.05). The 5-year OS rates for the patient with early CR and without early CR were 100.0% and (90.9±3.6)% (χ²=5.77, P=0.016). EFS rates for the patient with early CR (68 cases) and without early CR (77 cases) were (93.8±3.0)% and (75.8±5.0)% (χ²=8.78, P=0.003). Conclusions: HL-2013 regimen is significantly effective in the treatment of pediatric HL. However, the patients in high-risk group and those without early CR are prone to disease recurrence or progression. Stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ and without early CR were associated with worse prognosis.
Child ; Female ; Male ; Humans ; Hodgkin Disease ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; China ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Prognosis ; Disease-Free Survival

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy by using domestic recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) before or after 131I therapy. Methods:From May 2019 to November 2020, a total of 24 patients with DTC (5 males, 19 females, median age 41 years) in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Zhengzhou University were enrolled into the open-label, dose escalation phase Ⅰ study. All patients were divided into 4 domestic rhTSH dose groups: 0.9 mg×1 d (group A), 0.9 mg×2 d (group B), 1.8 mg×1 d (group C), 1.8 mg×2 d (group D) in succession, with 6 patients in each group. Each patient underwent rhTSH phase and thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) phase. The end point included safety, tolerability, the quality of life (hypothyroidism symptom and sign score (Billewicz score), profile of mood states (POMS)), effectiveness (thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroglobulin (Tg) levels, diagnostic whole-body scan (Dx-WBS)) and pharmacokinetic characteristics (peak time, peak concentration) of rhTSH. Paired t test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for statistical analysis. Results:There were no dose-limiting toxicities, serious adverse events, or no grade ≥3 adverse events reported. The quality of life in rhTSH phase was significantly better than those in THW phase, including the lower Billewicz score (-53.00(-53.00, -53.00) vs -39.50(-47.00, -23.00); S=119.50, P<0.001) and the lower POMS score (91.92±12.06 vs 99.67±19.13; t=0.95, P=0.025). Serum TSH level was increased from 0.04(0.02, 0.11) mU/L (baseline) to 150.00(105.20, 173.31) mU/L 24 h after the last rhTSH administration, which was increased along with the elevation of rhTSH doses. In the THW phase, patients′ TSH levels were≥30 mU/L after 23 d (median) of THW, with the median of 73.51(57.22, 106.22) mU/L. Median Tg level of baseline was 0.10(0.10, 0.41) μg/L, which reached a peak of 0.85(0.12, 3.01) μg/L at 48 h after rhTSH administration. The peak Tg level in the THW phase was 0.88(0.15, 8.04) μg/L. The Dx-WBS consistency rate between rhTSH and THW phase was 95.8%(23/24). Conclusion:rhTSH is a safe and effective method to stimulate the serum Tg level and radioiodine uptake in patients undergoing post-operation or post- 131I assessment for DTC, as well as maintain a higher quality of life in comparison to THW phase.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effect of excretory-secretory proteins from Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae (Ts-MES) on sepsis-induced myocardial injury in mice. METHODS: Eighty male BALB/C mice were randomized equally into sham-operated group, myocardial injury group, Ts-MES treatment group and dexamethasone treatment group. In the latter 3 groups, sepsis-induced myocardial injury models were established by cecal ligation and perforation; the sham operation was performed by exposure of the cecum without ligation or perforation. Forty minutes after the operation, the mice were given intraperitoneal injections 150 μL PBS, 20 μg TS-MES or 0.3 mg/kg dexamethasone as indicated. At 12 h after the operation, 6 mice were randomly selected from each group for echocardiography, and 8 mice were used for observing the survival rate within 72 h. The remaining 6 mice were examined for myocardial pathologies with HE staining and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI with ELISA; the expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and TGF-β in the serum and myocardial tissue were detected using ELISA and qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operated mice, the septic mice showed significantly decreased cardiac function indexes (LVEF, LVFS, and E/A) with lowered survival rate within 72 h (P < 0.001) and significantly higher myocardial injury scores and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI (P < 0.01). Treatment with TS-MES significantly improved the cardiac function and 72-h survival rate (P < 0.05) and lowered the myocardial injury scores and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI (P < 0.05) in the septic mice. Compared with the sham-operated mice, the septic mice had obviously increased TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the serum and myocardial tissue (P < 0.001), which were significantly lowered by treatment with TS-MES (P < 0.05). TS-MES and dexamethasone both increased the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β in the septic mice, but the changes were significant only in TS-MES-treated mice (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Ts-MES are capable of protecting against myocardial injury in septic mice by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and enhancing the levels of regulatory cytokines.
Animals ; Cytokines ; Dexamethasone ; Heart Injuries ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-6 ; Larva ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Myocardium ; Sepsis ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Trichinella spiralis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

BACKGROUND: The neoadjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly used in advanced gastric cancer, but the effects on safety and survival are still controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the overall survival and short-term surgical outcomes between neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery (NACS) and surgery alone (SA) for locally advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: Databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar) were explored for relative studies from January 2000 to January 2021. The quality of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies was evaluated using the modified Jadad scoring system and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale, respectively. The Review Manager software (version 5.3) was used to perform this meta-analysis. The overall survival was evaluated as the primary outcome, while perioperative indicators and post-operative complications were evaluated as the secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty studies, including 1420 NACS cases and 1942 SA cases, were enrolled. The results showed that there were no significant differences in overall survival (P = 0.240), harvested lymph nodes (P = 0.200), total complications (P = 0.080), and 30-day post-operative mortality (P = 0.490) between the NACS and SA groups. However, the NACS group was associated with a longer operation time (P < 0.0001), a higher R0 resection rate (P = 0.003), less reoperation (P = 0.030), and less anastomotic leakage (P = 0.007) compared with SA group. CONCLUSIONS Compared with SA, NACS was considered safe and feasible for improved R0 resection rate as well as decreased reoperation and anastomotic leakage. While unbenefited overall survival indicated a less important effect of NACS on long-term oncological outcomes.
Humans ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Stomach Neoplasms/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

Ecological agriculture is a crucial way for agriculture of Chinese materia medica, which emphasizes the application of ecological principles in the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine. While long-term intensive farming and modern chemical agriculture have threatened soil health, the sustainable development of ecological agriculture of Chinese materia medica is constrained. No-til-lage can reduce both frequency and intensity of tillage. Compared with conventional agriculture, no-tillage can reduce soil disturbance, maintain no-tillage for a long or permanent period and keep mulching. The application of no-tillage has a long history. More and more studies have shown that no-tillage has many advantages over conventional tillage, and the ecological and economic benefits of no-tillage are particularly outstandingin long-term. The cultivation of Chinese medicinal materials adheres to the principle of not grabbing land from farmland, making full use of the soil resources under forests, mountains and wasteland. Reducing the risk of soil loss and sustai-nable utilization are the core issues in the process of new land cultivation. No-tillage application, which not only inherits the traditional Chinese concept of natural farming, but also integrates the laws of ecological agriculture, will become the core strategies of sustainable development of Chinese materia medica ecological agriculture. This study will introduce the basic concepts and development process of no-tillage, analyze their ecological benefits in ecological agriculture of Chinese materia medica, and put forward their application strategies.
Agriculture ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Materia Medica ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Sustainable Development