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Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of risk management in the nursing of critically ill patients on continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Methods. In this retrospective study, 80 critically ill patients on continuous renal replacement therapy in our hospital from February 2020 to February 2021 were recruited. They were randomly assigned to receive either the risk management treatment (risk management group) or the conventional management treatment (conventional management group) via the random number table method. Outcome measurements included the occurrence of adverse events, complications, psychological status, quality of life, treatment compliance, duration of CRRT, and nursing satisfaction. Results. Risk management treatment was associated with lower incidence of adverse events compared to conventional management treatment (P value < 0.05). The risk management group also resulted in a lower incidence of complications compared to the conventional management group (P value < 0.05). Patients who received risk management treatments demonstrated a significantly lower anxiety/depression level and a higher World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) (P value < 0.05). The risk management group resulted in more cases with high compliance and fewer cases with moderate and poor compliance (P < 0.05). Risk management was associated with more cases with a CRRT duration less than 36 hours and 36–48 hours and fewer cases with a duration longer than 48 h (X2 = 2.999, P value < 0.05). Patients who were given a risk management treatment had a higher nursing satisfaction compared to conventional management treatment (X2 = 4.501, P value < 0.05). Conclusion. Risk management treatment in caring of critically ill patients on CRRT shows better efficacy than conventional management treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Safflower is an annual herb used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. It consists of the dried flowers of the Compositae plant safflower. It is found in the central inland areas of Asia and is widely cultivated throughout the country. Its resistance to cold weather and droughts and its tolerance and adaptability to salts and alkalis are strong. Safflower has the effect of activating blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, and relieving pain. A natural pigment named safflower yellow (SY) can be extracted from safflower petals. Chemically, SY is a water-soluble flavonoid and the main active ingredient of safflower. The main chemical constituents, pharmacological properties, and clinical applications of SY are reviewed in this paper, thereby providing a reference for the use of safflower in preventing and treating human diseases. Methods. The literature published in recent years was reviewed, and the main chemical components of SY were identified based on chemical formula and structure. The pharmacological properties of hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), SYA, SYB, and anhydrosafflor yellow B (AHSYB) were reviewed. Results. The main chemical constituents of SY included HSYA, SYA, SYB, and AHSYB. These ingredients have a wide range of pharmacological activities. SY has protective effects on the heart, kidneys, liver, nerves, lungs, and brain. Moreover, its effects include, but are not limited to, improving cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, abirritation, regulating lipids, and treating cancer and diabetic complications. HSYA is widely recognised as an effective ingredient to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Conclusion. SY has a wide range of pharmacological activities, among which improving cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the most significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To analyze the mechanism of LINC00461 regulating the recurrence of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) through microRNA (miR)-411-5p/BCL2 interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) pathway. Methods. DLBCL samples in TCGA and GSE12453 were used for differential analysis to find long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) related to DLBCL recurrence. The 4 DLBCL data with the highest and lowest expression levels of LINC00461 in the TCGA database were selected for GSEA enrichment analysis. The targeting relationships of miR-411-5p with LINC00461 and BNIP3 were verified by the dual luciferase report. Blood samples from DLBCL patients were used to analyze the correlation between miR-411-5p and LINC00461 or BNIP3. LINC00461, miR-411-5p, or BNIP3 was overexpressed or silenced by transfection, and a tumor-bearing nude mice model was constructed to detect their effects on proliferation and apoptosis. Results. The level of LINC00461 in DLBCL was significantly higher than that in normal cases, and the level in recurrence DLBCL was significantly higher than that in nonrecurrence. The enrichment analysis results showed that the function of LINC00461 was closely related to apoptosis. The results shown that miR-411-5p bound to LINC00461 and BNIP3 and was negatively correlated with LINC00461 and BNIP3 mRNA in blood of DLBCL patients. Suppressing the level of LINC00461 inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. The inhibition of LINC00461 or overexpression of miR-411-5p reduced the expression of BNIP3 protein, thereby inducing apoptosis at the in vivo and in vitro levels. Conclusion. LINC00461 may induce miR-411-5p to "sponge," thereby increasing the expression of BNIP3 protein, and exerting the function of inhibiting apoptosis and promoting DLBCL recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Golden plaster is the preferred and most commonly used in China for pain reduction in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, there was no evidence-based medical evidence about its effect in relieving pain of knee OA patients. Here, a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of golden plaster for the improvement of pain relief and function's obstacle in patients with knee OA. Methods. 320 patients with knee OA were enrolled at four hospitals and randomly divided into the treatment group and the control group with 160 subjects in each group. Patients in treatment group were treated with golden plaster, and those in control group with placebo plaster. The study cycle in both groups was 21 days. Patient visits were documented before treatment and 7-, 14-, and 21-day follow-ups after treatment. The outcomes included VAS score, WOMAC score, and adverse events. Results. Compared to the control group, the VAS score in the treatment group was significantly decreased after treatment with golden plaster for 7 days, 14 days, and 21 days. Compared to the control group, the WOMAC score in the treatment group was significantly decreased 14 days and 21 days. The incidence rate of adverse events had no statistical difference between both the groups. Conclusions. In conclusion, our study, for the first time by carrying on the double-blind and placebo-controlled randomized trial, showed that golden plaster can effectively alleviate the pain of knee and improve the physical function in the patients with knee OA. This trial is registered with ChiCTR-TRC-13003418. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of grading rehabilitation nursing mode on limb function, speech function, and QOL of stroke patients. Methods. From January 2018 to April 2019, the stroke patients who received treatment in our hospital were selected as the study participants. Based on the random number table, they were assigned to CG (n = 60) and OG (n = 60). The routine rehabilitation nursing mode was used in the CG, and the grading rehabilitation nursing mode was used in the OG. The limb function, speech function, QOL, and nursing satisfaction were evaluated in both the groups, and the survival curve was analyzed after 12 months of follow-up. Results. The motor function of upper and lower limbs in OG was significantly higher than that in CG, and the total effective rate of speech function recovery in OG was 95.00%, which was obviously higher than 81.67% in CG (P < 0.05); the total QOL score in OG was (80.72 ± 7.15), which was significantly higher than (69.53 ± 6.42) in CG. The nursing satisfaction of the OG was higher (P < 0.05). The Kaplan–Meier curve analysis revealed that the difference of 12-month survival rate between CG and OG was statistically significant (χ2 = 4.710, P = 0.030). Conclusion. The application of grading rehabilitation nursing mode in stroke patients can effectively facilitate the recovery of extremity function and speech function, ameliorate the QOL and nursing satisfaction of patients, reduce the death and disability of patients, and prolong the survival time of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a common malignant tumor, the morbidity and mortality of lung cancer have been rising in recent years. The concept of "premetastatic niche" may lead to a revolutionary change in antitumor metastasis therapeutic strategies. Traditional Chinese medicine with multitargets and lower poisonous agents may be a potentially effective means to intervene in the "premetastatic niche (PMN)" to prevent and treat tumor metastasis. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) is a substance with strong immune activity in Astragalus membranaceus that has excellent biological activities such as immunomodulation, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor. In this study, we constructed a tumor lung metastasis animal model to explore the intervention mechanism of APS on the premetastatic niche. We found that APS inhibited the formation of the lung premetastatic niche and inhibited the recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the lung. Mechanistically, we showed that the proteins and gene expression of S1PR1, STAT3, and p-STAT3 in the S1PR1/STAT3 signaling pathway were suppressed by APS. In line with the above findings, our results confirmed that APS may inhibit the accumulation of MDSCs in the premetastatic niche through the intervention of the S1PR1-STAT3 signaling pathway to achieve the antitumor effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postcontrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) is directly caused by the use of contrast, indicating a clear causal relationship between the contrast and the injury. Salvianolic acid B (Sal B), a water-soluble compound of Salvia miltiorrhiza, has a potent anti-inflammatory effect. We conducted a study to explore whether the protective effect of Sal B on iopromide-induced injury in human proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) is related to inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway. The results showed that 100 μmol/L Sal B counteracted the decrease in cell viability, the increase of ROS and the number of apoptotic cells, and the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) induced by iopromide. Molecular docking analysis showed that Sal B binds TLR4 and NLRP3 proteins. Moreover, 100 μmol/L Sal B also decreased the expression of TLR4, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, IL-18, IL-1β, TNF-α, p-NF-κB, cleaved caspase-3, and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 induced by iopromide. TAK-242, a TLR4 antagonist, was added to further explore the mechanism of Sal B. However, the cotreatment group with TAK-242 and Sal B had no significant difference in cell viability and apoptosis rate compared to the treatment group with TAK-242 or Sal B alone. These results indicated that Sal B can inhibit the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway, resulting in the alleviation of iopromide-induced HK-2 cell injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common autoimmune disease and affects multiple joints. Previous studies have shown that total saponins of Radix clematidis (TSC) have a clear therapeutic effect on RA, but the specific mechanism has not yet been clarified. Literature screening and previous research suggest that the lncRNA OIP5-AS1/miR-410-3p/Wnt7b signaling pathway exerts a regulatory effect on the pathogenesis of RA. In this study, we examined whether the TSC treatment of RA affects the lncRNA OIP5-AS1/miR-410-3p/Wnt7b pathway. Materials and Methods. Freund's complete adjuvant was used to create an adjuvant arthritis (AA) rat model with rat synovial cells being harvested and cultured. The experiment comprises a normal group, model group, TSC optimal-dose group, TSC optimal-dose group + lncRNA OIP5-AS1siRNA group, lncRNA OIP5-AS1 siRNA group, and lncRNA OIP5-AS1 siRNA + NC group. MMT was used to screen the optimal concentration of TSC. The level of lncRNA OIP5-AS1, miR-410-3p, Wnt7b, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, GSK-3β, and SFRP4 mRNA were detected by real-time-qPCR, the expression of Wnt7b, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, GSK-3β, and p-GSK-3β (Ser9) protein were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot. Results. We found that TSC inhibits the proliferation of RA FLS, TSC significantly reduced lncRNA OIP5-AS1, Wnt7b, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β mRNA/protein expression, whereas the miR-410-3p and SFRP4 mRNA/protein expression levels were significantly upregulated. Our data suggest that TSC can inhibit the excessive proliferation of FLS to treat RA, the mechanism of which may be closely related to regulation of the lncRNA OIP5-AS1/miR-410-3p /Wnt7b signaling axis and the Wnt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cerebral infarction (CI) is a common brain disease in clinical practice, which is mainly due to the pathological environment of ischemia and hypoxia caused by difficult cerebral circulation perfusion function, resulting in ischemic necrosis of local brain tissue and neurological impairment. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, CI is mainly due to blood stasis in the brain. Therefore, blood-activating and stasis-dissipating drugs are often used to treat CI in clinical practice. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SMB) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine with good efficacy in promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and treatment of CI with it is a feasible strategy. Based on the above analysis, we chose network pharmacology to investigate the feasibility of SMB in the treatment of CI and to study the possible molecular mechanisms by providing some reference for the treatment of CI with TCM. Methods. The active ingredients and related targets of SMB were obtained through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database, and CI-related targets were obtained from the GeneCards and DisGeNET databases. The target of SMB for the treatment of CI was obtained using Cytoscape software and visualized. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed based on "clusterProfiler" within R, and the prediction results were validated by molecular docking technique. Results. By constructing a compound-target (C-T) network, it was found that the active components in SMB mainly treated CI by regulating key proteins such as AKT1, IL-6, and EGFR. These key proteins mainly involve in pathways such as immune regulation, cancer and lipid metabolism, such as lipid and atherosclerosis, chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation pathways, and IL-17 signaling pathway. In the GO term, it mainly regulates the response to steroid hormones, membrane rafts, and G protein-amine receptor coupled activity. Eventually, we verified that the luteolin and tanshinone IIA components in SMB have a good possibility of action with AKT1 and IL-6 by in silico techniques, indicating that SMB has some scientificity in the treatment of CI. Conclusion. SMB mainly treats CI by regulating 94 proteins involved in lipid and atherosclerosis, chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation, and IL-17 signaling pathway. Our research strategy provided a template for the drug development of TCM for the treatment of CI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kunxian capsules (KCs), a Chinese patent medicine, have been clinically proven to be effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the chemical profile of KC remains to be characterized, and the mechanism underlying the protective effect against RA is yet to be elucidated. Here, a network pharmacology-based approach was adopted, integrated with the chemical profiling of KC by UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS. As a result, a total of 67 compounds have been identified from KC extract, among which 43 were authenticated by comparison to the mass spectrum of standard chemicals. ADME behaviors of the chemical constituents of KC were predicted, resulting in 35 putative active ingredients. Through target prediction of both active ingredients of KC and RA and PPI analysis, core targets were screened out, followed by biological process and related pathway enrichment. Then, a TCM-herb-ingredient-target-pathway network was constructed and a multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway synergistic mechanism was proposed, providing an information basis for further investigation. The active pharmaceutical ingredients included mainly terpenoids (such as triptolide and celastrol), sesquiterpene pyridines (such as wilforgine and wilforine), and flavonoids (such as icariin, epimedin A, B, and C, and 2″-O-rhamnosylicariside II). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhein, belonging to anthraquinone compounds, is one of the main active components of rhubarb and Polygonum multiflorum. Rhein has a variety of pharmacological effects, such as cardiocerebral protective effect, hepatoprotective effect, nephroprotective effect, anti-inflammation effect, antitumor effect, antidiabetic effect, and others. The mechanism is interrelated and complex, referring to NF-κB, PI3K/Akt/MAPK, p53, mitochondrial-mediated signaling pathway, oxidative stress signaling pathway, and so on. However, to some extent, its clinical application is limited by its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Even more, rhein has potential liver and kidney toxicity. Therefore, in this paper, the pharmacological effects of rhein and its mechanism, pharmacokinetics, and safety studies were reviewed, in order to provide reference for the development and application of rhein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]