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Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a Chinese patent medicine, Jintiange capsules with the main component of artificial tiger bone powder, combined with alfacalcidol on muscle strength and balance of the lower extremities in patients with primary osteoporosis. Design: A randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, positive-controlled, multicenter clinical trial. Subjects and methods: A total of 400 patients diagnosed with primary osteoporosis or osteopenia were recruited and randomized into the Jintiange or control groups. During the 52-week treatment, the participants in the Jintiange group were treated with Jintiange capsules (1.2 ​g each time, 3 times per day) and calcium carbonate simulant, while those in the control group were treated with calcium carbonate (element calcium 0.3 ​g, twice a day) and a Jintiange capsule simulant. Alfacalcidol (0.25 ​μg/d) was applied in both groups. The timed up and go test (TUG), chair rising test (CRT), and tandem gait test (TGT) were performed to evaluate balance, muscle strength and fall risk of the participants. Results: There were 154 participants in the Jintiange group, and 157 participants in the control group were included in the per-protocol set. Comparing the data at week 52 from those at baseline, the TUG time decreased from 9.60 ​± ​2.25 ​s to 8.53 ​± ​2.06 ​s (p ​

The incidence of cervical cancer is increasing annually worldwide. Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) has been reported to delay tumor progression, but the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we found that low-dose naltrexone could upregulate the expression of OGFr. Additionally, LDN could suppress the abilities of colony formation, migration and invasion in cervical cancer cells. LDN could also inhibit cervical cancer progression in mice model. Moreover, LDN indirectly reduced the expressions of PI3K, pAKT and mTOR in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, LDN may be considered a potential treatment option for cervical cancer.

Background: To investigate the regulation mechanism of hematopoiesis of Siwu paste (SWP) in anemia rats, which is a classic Chinese prescription used for nourishing blood or blood deficiency over 1000 years. Methods: Blood cell and biochemical analysis were used to evaluate the hematopoietic function of SWP in anemia rats. The intestinal microbial composition was analyzed with 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and the metabolites were profiled using UPLC-TripleTOF system nontargeting metabolomics. Results: SWP can improve the levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, platelet, hematocrit value, white blood cells, lymphocyte, EPO, TPO, and GM-CSF in anemia rats, and significantly change the microbial community and its metabolites. The correlation analysis of intestinal microbiota-hematopoietic efficacy shows that 13 kinds of different intestinal flora were related to hematopoietic efficacy, in which Prevotella_1, Prevotella_9, Lactobacillus, and norank_f__Muribaculaceae were significantly positively correlated with hematopoiesis, nine kinds of intestinal flora are negatively correlated with hematopoietic effect. Compared with anemia rats, 218 potential metabolic biomarkers and 36 metabolites with significant differences were identified in the SWP treatment group, and the key metabolites were mainly amino acids and lipids. An in-depth analysis of metabolic pathways showed that SWP mainly affected 7 metabolic pathways, including aminobenzoic acid degradation and tryptophan metabolism. Conclusion: The study provides novel insights into the regulation of hematopoiesis of SWP in anemia rats that were correlated with gut microbiota and the metabolites, which through the restoration of the firmicutes/bacteroidetes ratio.

Background: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been reported to exert reproductive toxicity. Anogenital distance (AGD) is a biomarker of intrauterine androgen exposure and an indicator of genital development. An animal study reported that female neonatal rats exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) during postnatal days 1–5 exhibited a longer AGD, while epidemiological studies have shown inconsistent results. This study aimed to examine the effects of prenatal exposure to PFASs on the AGD in female neonates. Methods: PFAS levels were measured in plasma samples obtained from pregnant women at 12–16 gestational weeks using high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The AGD of each female neonate was measured within 3 days after delivery. The anogenital index (AGI), calculated as AGD divided by weight, was also determined. A total of 362 motherinfant pairs were included in this study. A multivariate linear regression model was used to examine the association between prenatal ln-transformed concentrations of PFASs and AGD/AGI. In addition, weighted quantile sum regression (WQSR) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to assess the overall effects of a mixture of PFASs on the AGD/AGI and to identify important contributors to the overall effect. Results: There was a consistent pattern of association between maternal PFAS concentrations and increased AGDanus to posterior fourchette (AF), AGDanus to clitoris (AC), and AGIAF lengths at birth. Statistical significance was found between maternal ln-transformed concentrations of perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorododecanoic acid, and perfluorotridecanoic acid and AGDAF, with β values (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 0.83 (0.16, 1.51), 0.32 (0.05, 0.59), and 0.25 (0.00, 0.51) mm, respectively; between PFOS and AGDAC, with a β value (95% CI) of 0.63 (0.04, 1.21) mm; and between PFHxS and AGIAF, with a β value (95% CI) of 0.22 (0.02, 0.43) mm/kg. Similarly, the WQSR and BKMR models showed that an increase in the AGDAF/AGIAF at birth was associated with co-exposure to a mixture of PFASs. Conclusion: High maternal concentrations of PFASs were associated with increased AGD in female neonates, indicating that PFASs may impair reproductive development in female offspring in early life.