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Background: The incidence of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver (NAFL) is increasing year by year, growing evidence suggests that the intestinal flora plays a causative role in NAFL. Huazhi Rougan Granule (HRG) is commonly used in the clinical treatment of NAFL. It is reported that it can reduce lipids and protect the liver, but no research has confirmed whether the drug's effect is related to the intestinal flora. Therefore, we investigated whether the effect of HRG is related to the regulation of intestinal flora to further explore the mechanism of HRG in the treatment of NAFL through intestinal flora. Methods: In this study, C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks, and the high-fat diet plus HRG or polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules were each administered by gavage for 4 weeks. High-throughput sequencing, network pharmacology, and molecular docking were used to explore the mechanism of HRG in the treatment of NAFL through intestinal flora. Results: HRG treatment can reduce body weight gain, lipid accumulation in liver and lipogenesis and reduce serum biochemical indexes in high-fat-fed mice. Analysis of intestinal flora showed that HRG changed the composition of intestinal flora, which was characterized by a decrease in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Moreover, the species distribution was significantly correlated with AKP, HDL-C, and TG. Metagenetic analysis showed that HRG altered the functional composition and functional diversity of microorganisms, which was mainly characterized by an increase in the abundance of metabolic pathways. The network pharmacology results show that the mechanism of HRG in the treatment of NAFL through intestinal flora is mainly reflected in the biological process of gene function and related to infectious diseases, immune systems, and signal transduction pathways, such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Chagas disease, IL-17 signaling pathway and other signaling pathways. Conclusion: These results strongly suggest that HRG may alleviate NAFL by preventing IFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Danhong injection (DHI) is a traditional Chinese medicine preparation commonly used in the clinical treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In this study, the active components of DHI and its mechanism in the treatment of AMI were investigated. Methods: The chemical components of DHI were detected by the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-linear trap quadrupole-orbitrap-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS), and the targets and pathways of DHI in the treatment of AMI were analyzed by systems pharmacology, which was verified by molecular docking and animal experiments. Results: A total of 12 active components of DHI were obtained, and 158 common targets of component and disease were identified by systems pharmacology. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis results showed that DHI is closely related to the calcium signaling pathway in the treatment of AMI. Molecular docking showed that the key target protein has good binding affinity to related compounds. The experimental results showed that compared with the model group, LVAWs, EF, and FS significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the DHI group. The percentage of myocardial infarction significantly (p < 0.01) decreased, both in the ventricular and total cardiac regions, and the pathological damage of myocardial tissue also decreased. In addition, the expression of the protein CaMK II decreased (p < 0.01) and the expression of SERCA significantly increased (p < 0.01). Conclusion: This study revealed that ferulic acid, caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid could inhibit AMI by regulating PLB, CaMK II, SERCA, etc. And mechanistically, calcium signaling pathway was critically involved. Combination of systems pharmacology prediction with experimental validation may provide a scientific basis for in-depth clinical investigation of the material basis of DHI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is one of the most malignant cancers that endanger human health. There is growing evidence that competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks play an important role in various human tumors. However, the complexity and behavioral characteristics of the ceRNA network in STAD are still unclear. In this study, we constructed a ceRNA regulatory network to identify the potential prognostic biomarkers associated with STAD. The expression profile of lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). After performing bioinformatics analysis, the CCDC144NL-AS1/hsa-miR-145-5p/SERPINE1 ceRNA network associated to STAD prognosis of STAD was obtained. The CCDC144NL-AS1/SERPINE1 axis in the ceRNA network was identified by correlation analysis and considered as a clinical prognosis model by Cox regression analysis. In addition, methylation analysis indicated that the abnormal upregulation of CCDC144NL-AS1/SERPINE1 axis might be related to the aberrant methylation of some sites, and immune infiltration analysis suggested that CCDC144NL-AS1/SERPINE1 axis probably influences the alteration of tumor immune microenvironment and the occurrence and development of STAD. In particular, the CCDC144NL-AS1/SERPINE1 axis based on the ceRNA network constructed in the present study might be an important novel factor correlating with the diagnosis and prognosis of STAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) seriously threatens human health, several clinical studies have reported that Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) in combination with and gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) are beneficial. This multidimensional network meta-analysis aimed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of different CHIs in combination with GP against NSCLC. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for the treatment of NSCLC were retrieved from seven electronic databases from inception to April 30, 2020. Study selection and data extraction were based on a priori criteria. Data analysis was performed using Stata 13.0, WinBUGS 14.0 software. Multidimensional cluster analysis was performed using the "scatterplot3d" package in R 3.6.1 software. Results: This network meta-analysis included 71 eligible RCTs and 10 Chinese herbal injections. Delisheng injection and Kangai injection had the highest probability in terms of clinical effectiveness rate (94.60%) and gastrointestinal reactions (82.62%) when combined with GP compared with the other interventions. Compound Kushen injection combined with GP ranked ahead of the other interventions in terms of performance status (73.36%) and abnormal liver function (87.17%). Shenmai injection combined with GP had the highest probability in terms of leukopenia (94.59%) and thrombocytopenia (99.18%). Conclusion: The current evidence revealed that CHIs combined with GP have a better impact on patients with NSCLC than GP alone. Aidi injection, Compound kushen injection, and Kanglaite injection deserve more attention of clinicians when combined with GP in patients with NSCLC. Additionally, due to the limitations of this network meta-analysis, further well-designed, large-sample, multicenter RCTs are required to support our findings adequately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become the main cause of cancer death worldwide. More than half of hepatocellular carcinoma developed from hepatitis B virus infection (HBV). The purpose of this study is to find the key genes in the transformation process of liver inflammation and cancer and to inhibit the development of chronic inflammation and the transformation from disease to cancer. Methods: Two groups of GEO data (including normal/HBV and HBV/HBV-HCC) were selected for differential expression analysis. The differential expression genes of HBV-HCC in TCGA were verified to coincide with the above genes to obtain overlapping genes. Then, functional enrichment analysis, modular analysis, and survival analysis were carried out on the key genes. Results: We identified nine central genes (CDK1, MAD2L1, CCNA2, PTTG1, NEK2) that may be closely related to the transformation of hepatitis B. The survival and prognosis gene markers composed of PTTG1, MAD2L1, RRM2, TPX2, CDK1, NEK2, DEPDC1, and ZWINT were constructed, which performed well in predicting the overall survival rate. Conclusion: The findings of this study have certain guiding significance for further research on the transformation of hepatitis B inflammatory cancer, inhibition of chronic inflammation, and molecular targeted therapy of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Given the wide utilization of Chinese herbal injections in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), this network meta-analysis (NMA) was devised to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of different Chinese herbal injections combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) against NPC. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from seven electronic databases from the date of database establishment to October 5, 2020. Study selection and data extraction conformed to a priori criteria. Focusing on clinical effective rate, performance status, grade ≥3 oral mucositis, nausea and vomiting, leukopenia, and thrombopenia, this NMA was performed with Review Manager 5.3.5, Stata 13.1, WinBUGS 1.4.3, and R 4.0.3 software. Results: Ten inventions from 37 RCTs involving 2,581 participants with NPC that evaluated the clinical effective rate, nausea and vomiting, leukopenia, thrombopenia, and grade ≥3 oral mucositis were included. Compared with CCRT alone, Elemene injection and Compound Kushen injection were associated with significantly improved clinical effective rates, and Elemene injection plus CCRT had the highest probability in terms of clinical effective rate (78.07%) compared with the other interventions. Shenqifuzheng injection, Xiaoaiping injection, and Shenmai injection ranked the best in terms of performance status (79.02%), nausea and vomiting (86.35%), and grade ≥3 oral mucositis (78.14%) when combined with CCRT. Kangai injection combined with CCRT ranked ahead of the other injections in terms of leukopenia (90.80%) and thrombopenia (91.04%), and had a better impact on improving performance status and reducing leukopenia, thrombopenia, grade ≥3 oral mucositis, and nausea and vomiting in the multidimensional cluster analysis. Conclusion: Current clinical evidence indicates that Elemene injection combined with CCRT has the best clinical effective rate and that Kangai injection might have a comprehensively better impact on improving performance status and reducing adverse reactions against NPC. Additionally, due to the limitations of this NMA, more multicenter, high-quality, and head-to-head RCTs are needed to properly support our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) seriously threatens human health, several clinical studies have reported that Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) combined with vinorelbine and cisplatin (NP) are beneficial. This multidimensional network meta-analysis was performed to explore the preferable options among different CHIs for treating NSCLC. Methods: A literature search was performed in several databases to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CHIs in the treatment of NSCLC from inception to January 31, 2019. Final included studies met the eligibility criteria and methodological quality recommendations. Data analysis was performed using Stata 13.0 and WinBUGS 14.0 software. Each outcome was presented as an odds ratio and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve value (SCURA). The "scatterplot3d" package in R 3.6.1 software was used to perform multidimensional cluster analysis. Results: Ultimately, 97 eligible RCTs involving 7,440 patients and 14 CHIs were included in this network meta-analysis. Combined with NP chemotherapy, Kanglaite injection plus NP exhibited a better impact on the clinical effectiveness rate (SCURA probability: 78.34%), and Javanica oil emulsion injection plus NP was better in the performance status (95.44%). Huachansu injection plus NP was dominant in reducing thrombocytopenia (92.67%) and gastrointestinal reactions (92.52%). As to multidimensional cluster analysis, Shenmai injection plus NP was superior considering improving the clinical effectiveness rate, performance status and relieving leukopenia. Conclusions: The combination of CHIs and NP has a better impact on patients with NSCLC than NP alone. Among them, Shenmai injection plus NP, Kanglaite injection plus NP and Javanica oil emulsion injection plus NP were notable. Nevertheless, more multicenter and better designed RCTs are needed to validate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]