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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common type of neurodegenerative disease with the β-amyloid plaques (Aβ) deposition. Previously, Dengzhan Shengmai capsule (DZSM) has been shown to reduce the pathology associated with AD, but the underlying mechanism is unclear., Aim of Study: This study investigated the potential mechanisms of DZSM against AD., Materials and Methods: The six-month-old wild-type male mice and APP/PS1 double transgenic male mice were administered 0.9 % saline or DZSM for 8 weeks by gavage. Open field test, new object recognition test, and Morris Water maze test were used to assess spatial learning and memory. Aβ plaques in brains were visualized using ThT staining. Nissl staining, TUNEL staining, and Western blot analyses were used to detect the neuronal function and apoptosis level. The superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase assay kit (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) kits were performed to assess oxidative stress levels. Then, immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis were applied to evaluate ER stress pathway protein levels. Finally, HT22 cells were treated by Aβ 1-42 with or without DZSM medicated serum. Cell viability was assessed using the CCK-8 assay, and Western blot analysis was applied to evaluate ER stress pathway protein levels., Results: Open filed test, new object recognition test and Morris Water maze test showed that DZSM restored cognitive disorders in APP/PS1 mice. Immunohistochemistry and Thioflavin T staining results indicated that DZSM reduced Aβ plaques in the brain. Deeper and denser Nissl bodies were found in APP/PS1 mice after DZSM administration. Besides, APP/PS1 mice treated with DZSM showed a lower level of TUNEL and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. DZSM improved the acetylcholine (ACh), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity while reducing acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and malondialdehyde (MDA) activity. In addition, the levels of ER stress pathway containing Phospho-PKR-like ER kinase (P-PERK), phosphorylate eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (P-eIF2α), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), glutamine-rich protein 1 (QRICH1), phosphorylate inositol-requiring protein 1α (P-IRE1α), the spliced form of X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1s), activating transcription factor-6 (ATF6) and C/EBP homologous binding protein (CHOP) were decreased by DZSM. CCK-8 results indicated that DZSM medicated serum played cytoprotective effects on Aβ 1-42 -induced HT22 cells. Western blot results suggested DZSM possibly inhibited ER stress pathways in Aβ 1-42 -induced HT22 cells., Conclusion: The potential protective mechanism of DZSM on cognitive impairment in AD might be related to ER stress pathways., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Taohong Siwu Decoction (TSD), a classic traditional Chinese medicine formula, is used for the treatment of vascular diseases, including vascular dementia (VD). However, the mechanisms remain unclear., Aim of Study: This study aimed to investigate whether TSD has a positive effect on cognitive impairment in VD rats and to confirm that the mechanism of action is related to the Endoplasmic Reticulum stress (ERs) and cell apoptosis signaling pathway., Materials and Methods: A total of 40 male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: sham-operated group (Sham), the two-vessel occlusion group (2VO), the 2VO treated with 4.5 g/kg/d TSD group (2VO + TSD-L), the 2VO treated with 13.5 g/kg/d TSD group (2VO + TSD-H). The rats underwent either 2VO surgery or sham surgery. Postoperative TSD treatment was given for 4 consecutive weeks. Behavioral tests were initiated at the end of gastrulation. Open-field test (OFT) was used to detect the activity level. The New Object Recognition test (NOR) was used to test long-term memory. The Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to examine the foundation of spatial learning and memory. As a final step, the hippocampus was taken for molecular testing. The protein levels of GRP78 (Bip), p-PERK, PERK, IRE1α, p-IRE1α, ATF6, eIF2α, p-eIF2α, ATF4, XBP1, Bcl-2 and Bax were determined by Western blot. Immunofluorescence visualizes molecular expression., Results: In the OFT, residence time in the central area was significantly longer in both TSD treatment groups compared to the 2VO group. In the NOR, the recognition index was obviously elevated in both TSD treatment groups. The 2VO group had a significantly longer escape latency and fewer times in crossing the location of the platform compared with the Sham group in MWM. TSD treatment reversed this notion. Pathologically, staining observations confirmed that TSD inhibited hippocampal neuronal loss and alleviated the abnormal reduction of the Nissl body. In parallel, TUNEL staining illustrated that TSD decelerated neuronal apoptosis. Western Blot demonstrated that TSD reduces the expression of ERs and apoptotic proteins., Conclusion: In this study, the significant ameliorative effect on cognitive impairment of TSD has been determined by comparing the behavioral data of the 4 groups of rats. Furthermore, it was confirmed that this effect of TSD was achieved by suppressing the ERs-mediated apoptosis signaling pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing interest There is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: A growing number of people suffer from Alzheimer's disease (AD), but there is currently no effective treatment yet. Taohong Siwu Decoction (TSD) has been proved to take strong neuropharmacological activity on dementia, but the effect and mechanism of TSD against AD are still elusive., Aim of Study: To investigate whether TSD could be effective in ameliorating cognitive deficits through SIRT6/ER stress pathway., Materials and Methods: Herein, the APP/PS1 mice, an AD model, and HT-22 cell lines were utilized. Different dosages of TSD (4.25, 8.50 and 17.00 g/kg/d) were administered to the mice for 10 weeks by gavage. Following the behavioral tests, oxidative stress levels were measured using malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) kits. Nissl staining and Western blot analyses were used to detect the neuronal function. Then, immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis were applied to evaluate silent information regulator 6 (SIRT6) and ER Stress related protein levels in APP/PS1 mice and HT-22 cells., Results: Behavioral tests revealed that APP/PS1 mice administered with TSD orally took more time in the target quadrant, crossed more times in the target quadrant, had a higher recognition coefficient, and spent more time in the central region. In addition, TSD could ameliorate oxidative stress and inhibit neuronal apoptosis in APP/PS1 mice. Furthermore, TSD could up-regulate the SIRT6 protein expression and inhibit ER sensing proteins expressions, such as p-PERK and ATF6, in APP/PS1 mice and Aβ 1-42 -treated HT22 cells., Conclusion: According to the abovementioned findings, TSD could alleviate cognitive dysfunction in AD by modulating the SIRT6/ER stress pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap/electrostatic field orbit trap combined-type mass spectrometry(UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) was used to analyze the main active components of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction(HQGZ). A total of 50 active components were identified from HQGZ and 108 potential targets of the components related to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis were retrieved based on network pharmacology, including 87 key targets, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment of the targets. The result indicated that HQGZ may exert therapeutic effects mainly through the sphingolipid signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor(TNF) signaling pathway, as well as the positive regulation of ribonucleic acid(RNA) polymerase Ⅱ promoter transcription, inflammatory response and other biological processes. At the same time, cell experiment was performed to verify the key proteins in the TNF signaling pathway. The results demonstrated that HQGZ significantly reduced the expression of caspase-3(CASP3), TNF, relaxed(RELA) protein, and IkappaB kinase beta(IKBKB) in fibroblast-like synoviocytes induced by TNF-α. The results of UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS, network pharmacology and cell experiment showed that the active components in HQGZ may inhibit inflammatory response and regulate immune function and cell apoptosis by modulating key proteins in TNF signaling pathway to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Based on the textual research on literature, the key information of Wenjing Decoction were tested and identified, and 15 batches of lyophilized powder samples of Wenjing Decoction were prepared. The specific components, including paeoniflorin, glycyrrhizin, ginsenosides(Rg_1, Re and Rb_1), glycyrrhizic acid, and paeonol, were used as indexes to establish the HPLC method for quantitative evaluation, and the content ranges and transfer rates of these components were determined. The results showed that the contents of paeoniflorin, glycyrrhizin, ginsenosides Rg_1 + Re, ginsenoside Rb_1, glycyrrhizic acid, and paeonol in the 15 batches of samples were 0.62%-0.86%, 0.25%-0.76%, 0.14%-0.30%, 0.07%-0.21%, 0.63%-1.16%, and 0.09%-0.25%, respectively, and their transfer rates from the decoction pieces to the reference materials were 14.99%-19.42%, 28.11%-40.93%, 25.92%-61.88%, 25.03%-64.06%, 23.43%-35.53%, and 5.34%-10.44%, respectively. The consistency of the transfer rates between batches indicated that the preparation process was stable. It is suggested that the contents of paeoniflorin, glycyrrhizin, ginsenosides Rg_1 + Re, ginsenoside Rb_1, glycyrrhizic acid, and paeonol in Wenjing Decoction should not be less than 0.52%, 0.35%, 0.15%, 0.10%, 0.63%, and 0.12%, respectively. In this study, we determined the contents and analyzed the quantity transfer process of the index components in Wenjing Decoction, which can provide a basis for the follow-up development of Wenjing Decoction and the quality control of related preparations.

Objective: To explore the change of intestinal microecology in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) and correlation with disease activity, and also discuss the therapy effect of Yangyin Yiqi Huoxue Recipe (, YYHD)., Methods: Sixteen pSS patients were enrolled in the present study, who received 3-month treatment of YYHR, 200 mL orally twice daily. Their pre-and post-test ESSDAI scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels were measured respectively. The 16SrDNA metagenomic sequencing was used to detect and analyze the abundance and diversity of intestinal bacteria flora and the proportion of bacteria at the levels of phylum, family, and genus, in comparision with those of 6 healthy subjects in the control group., Results: The abundance and diversity of intestinal bacteria flora in pSS patients were lower than those of healthy subjects (P<0.05). After the treatment with YYHD, patients' ESSDAI score and levels of IgG and ESR have decreased significantly (P<0.05). At the phylum level, the proportions of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria and Proteobacteria have reduced sharply, while the proportions of Bacteroidetes, Teneriquetes and Candidate-division-TM7 have increased significantly by treatment (all P<0.05). At the classification level, such treatment has caused a significant decrease in the proportions of Bacteroidaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Veillonellaceae, and Enterobacteriacea (all P<0.05), but a significant increase in the proportion of Lachnospiraceae (P<0.05). At the genus level, the treatment has significantly decreased the proportions of Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Escherichia-Shigella, Faecalibacterium and Prevotella (all P<0.05), but significantly increased the proportion of Clostridia (P<0.05), close to the levels of healthy subjects (P>0.05)., Conclusions: There exists an imbalance of intestinal microecology in pSS patients, which can be improved through the treatment with YYHD. Besides, such treatment can also improve the disease activity and adjust the diversity of intestinal bacteria flora, the composition and the abundance of intestinal flora.

National-level famous traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) doctor Professor Fan Yong-sheng has high-level accomplishments in the treatment of arthralgia. According to clinical diagnosis and dialectic,TCM with appropriate medicinal properties were flexibly applied,with a remarkable efficacy. Especially in the application of insect drugs,he has accumulated abundant clinical experience.According to the main syndromes of arthralgia and pathogenic site,patient' s constitution,Scorpio,Scolopendra,Pheretima,Vespae Nidus,Bombyx Batryticatus,Manis Squama,Bungarus Parvus,Zaocys,Agkistrodon,Cicadae Periostracum,Aspongopus,Eupolyphaga Steleophaga,Silkworm Sand were properly selected. Attention was also paid to the compatibility between insect drugs and antirheumatic drugs,blood-activating drugs and tonifying drugs. In the premise of safe and effective application in the treatment of arthralgia,insect drugs show such efficacies as antipyretic,activating collaterals and relieving pain.

Gastrointestinal failure is a kind of severe systemic inflammatory response, and often complicated with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine have a better curative effect in treating it. This study collected the famous veteran TCM physician Yu Guoyou's 175 prescriptions for treating 89 cases of gastrointestinal failure, calculated the frequency of traditional Chinese medicines and their categories, and analyzed the medication regularity with system clustering method, so as to summarize Yu's frequently used drugs and prescriptions. The results showed the top three most frequently used drugs aremagnolia bark, bitter orange, and rhubarb, which are components of Xiaochengqi decoction; Among the traditional Chinese medicines, medicines of tonifying deficiency, regulating qi, clearing heat, eliminating phlegm and dissipating dampness are most commonly used. Among the tonic medicines, those for tonifying Qi accounted for 2/3, which was the largest proportion; At the same time, some new prescriptions and new drug combinations were excavated and could be used as the reference for clinical medication. According to the findings, when differentiating syndromes of gastrointestinal failure, Yu regards the spleen and stomach Qi deficiency as the root cause and the heat toxin, blood stasis, Qi stagnation and dampness as the symptoms. In the treatment of gastrointestinal function failure, Yu gives priority to strengthening spleen, regulating Qi and purgation, prescribes medicines for dissolving blood stasis and detoxication, dissipating dampness, clearing heat and eliminating phlegm according to syndrome types. In other words, the treatment is based on syndrome differentiation, and the prescription is modified according to symptoms. In particular, Yu attaches importance to stomach-Qi recuperation and gastrointestinal function recovery in the process of treatment., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

With the average life span of humans on the rise, aging in the world has drawn considerable attentions. The monoamine neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors in brain areas are involved in learning and memory processes and are an essential part of normal synaptic neurotransmission and plasticity. In the present study, the effect of Zhuang Jing Decoction (ZJD) on the learning and memory ability in aging rats was examined in vivo using Morris water maze. Furthermore, the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors in brain were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. These data showed that oral administration with ZJD at the dose of 30 g·kg(-1) exerted an improved effect on learning and memory ability in aging rats. The results revealed that ZJD could effectively adjust the monoamine neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors, restore the balance of the level of monoamine neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors in brain, and finally attenuate the degeneration of learning and memory ability. These findings suggested that ZJD might be a potential agent as cognitive-enhancing drug in improving learning and memory ability. It may exert through regulating the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors in brain, which demonstrated that ZJD had certain antiaging effects.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Chinese herbal medicines for nourishing yin, supplementing qi, and activating blood on the reproductive endocrine-immune network and its mechanisms in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS)., Methods: Seventy pSS patients were randomly assigned to two groups using a randomized digital table: the integrative therapy group (36 cases) and the control group (34 cases). Thirty healthy subjects were taken as a normal group. The control group was treated with hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets alone, and the integrative therapy group was treated by Chinese herbal medicines for nourishing yin, supplementing qi, and activating blood combined with hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets. The treatment course was 6 months for both groups. Before and after treatment, serum estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL) by radioimmunoassay and immunoglobulin (IgG) by immunodiffusion, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) by Westergren, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay were determined., Results: E2 and T levels in all patients were lower than those of normal subjects before treatment (P<0.05) and were increased significantly after 6-month treatment (P<0.05). ESR, FSH, LH, IgG, IFN - γ, IL - 4 and ratios of E2/T, and IFN -γ/IL in the patients were higher than those of normal subjects before the treatments (P<0.05), and were reduced significantly after the treatments (P<0.05). The T and IFN - γ levels and E2/T ratio in the patients treated with integrative therapy were reduced significantly compared with the control group (P<0.05). However, the PRL levels before and after treatment were not significantly changed in the two groups (P>0.05). The ratios of E2/T and IFN -γ/IL-4, and levels of IgG and ESR were positively correlated before and after treatment (P<0.05)., Conclusions: The ratios of E2/T and IFN -γ/IL-4 might be used as indicators of pSS activity. Chinese herbal medicines for nourishing yin, supplementing qi, and activating blood combined with Western medicine could improve the therapeutic effect by regulating the reproductive endocrine-immune network in pSS patients.

The ralationship between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and intestinal microecology is increasingly being given more and more attention. Combined with the devolopment of intestinal microecology disciplines, effects of TCM on regulation of intestinal microecology have been gradually explained. Both clinical studies and animal experiments have confirmed that TCM can maintain the balance of intestinal microecology and regulate the intestinal flora. The author arrangemented the documents related to Chinese herbal compound adjusting intestinal flora in the recent ten years, summarized that the Chinese herbal compound which can strength spleen and replenish Qi, relax bowels and regulate Qi, dissipate dampness and check diarrhea, clear away heat and toxic materials, promote digestion and relieve stasis had certain regulation effects on intestinal microecology, providing basis for revealing the TCM essence of intestinal microecology.

Objective: To observe the effect of Yangyin Yiqi Huoxue Recipe (YYHR) on expression of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and immune balance of Th1/Th2 in serum and submaxillary glands of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with Sjogren's syndrome (SS), and to explore its mechanisms., Methods: Totally 32 NOD mice were randomly into 4 groups, i.e., the model group, the Chinese medicine group [CM, administered with YYHR at the dose of 0.4 mL by gavage (100 g/kg)], the Western medicine group [WM group, administered with hydroxychloroquine 0.4 mL by gavage (60 mg/kg)], and the combined group [administered with YYHR (50 g/kg) and hydroxychloroquine (60 mg/kg) 0.4 mL by gavage], 8 mice in each group. Eight Balb/C mice were recruited as the normal control group. Mice were sacrificed to withdraw blood after 8 weeks. The submaxillary gland was excised. Serum levels of IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 were detected by ELISA. Protein expression of IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 in submaxillary glands was detected by SP method., Results: Compared with the normal group, levels of IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 in serum and submaxillary glands all increased in the model group (P < 0.05). Levels of IFN-gamma and IL-10 in serum in the CM group and the combined group were lower than those of the WM group (P < 0.05). Serum levels of IFN-gamma and IL-2 in submaxillary glands in combined group were lower than those of the WM group (P < 0.05). The ratio of IFN-gamma/IL-4 in serum and submaxillary glands in the model group were higher than that of the rest groups (P < 0.05). Besides, it was the nearest to that of the normal group., Conclusions: YYHR could decrease the levels of Th1 and Th2 related cytokines and the ratio of IFN-gamma/IL-4 in serum and submaxillary glands of NOD mice with SS. It could achieve therapeutic effects through adjusting immune balance of Th1/Th2 in SS mice.

Objective: To observe the effect of Chinese herbal medicine for nourishing yin, supplementing qi, and activating blood on the expression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ)/interleukin-4 (IL-4) in peripheral blood and disease activity in primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) patients, and to study the relationship between the immune balance of Th1/Th2 and the disease activity., Methods: A total of 66 pSS patients were randomized with tossing coins method into two groups: the integrative therapy group (34 cases) and the control group (32 cases); and 28 healthy subjects were taken as the normal group. The integrative therapy group was treated by Chinese herbal medicines for nourishing yin, supplementing qi, and activating blood combined with hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets and the control group was treated with hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets. The treatment course was 3 months for both groups. The levels of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), IFN-γ and IL-4 in peripheral blood were measured before and after treatment., Results: Compared with the normal group, the levels of IgG, ESR, IFN-γ and IL-4 were significantly increased in pSS patients (P<0.05). Remarkably, after 3 months of treatment, these levels were dramatically decreased in both the integrative therapy group and the control group, although still higher than the normal group. The levels of IgG, ESR, IFN-γ and IL-4 in the integrative therapy group were lower than the control group and the same group before treatment (P<0.05). The ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4 also significantly decreased after treatment. Moreover, the level of IFN-γ and the ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4 in the integrative therapy group were significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05). For all patients the ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4 before and after treatment was positive correlated with the levels of IgG and ESR., Conclusion: Chinese herbal medicine for nourishing yin, supplementing qi, and activating blood can alleviate the disease activity of pSS by regulating the immune balance of Th1/Th2.

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of Chinese herbal medicine for strengthening qi, nourishing yin, and removing stasis on serum osteopontin (OPN) and quality of life (QOL) in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) and to study the correlation between OPN level and the disease., Methods: Sixty-eight pSS patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the treatment group (35 cases) treated by Chinese herbal medicine for strengthening qi, nourishing yin, and removing stasis combined with hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablet (HCQ) and the control group (33 cases) treated by HCQ only. Both were treated for 3 months. Before and after treatment, immunoglobulin G (IgG) level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and OPN level were measured. The QOL in patients was evaluated using the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) before and after treatment. Thirty healthy females were taken as the normal control., Results: Before treatment, levels of IgG, ESR, and OPN in patients were higher than those in the normal control. After 3 months of treatment, those in both treatment groups decreased but were lower in the treatment group than those in the control group (P<0.05). The scores of 8 dimensions of SF-36 were lower in the pSS patients than those in the normal control (P<0.05) and higher in the treatment group than in the control group after treatment (P<0.05). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the levels of OPN and the levels of IgG and ESR, and a negative correlation between OPN levels and the overall score of SF-36 (P<0.05)., Conclusions: Chinese herbal medicine for strengthening qi, nourishing yin, and removing stasis could alleviate pSS disease and improve the QOL. In addition, the OPN level might be used as an evaluating index for pSS disease.

Objective: To observe the clinical combination effect of Jinlong Capsule (JLC) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on the patients with primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) and JLC' s influence on serum osteopontin (OPN) expression and elucidate the correlation between the serum OPN level and curative effect of JLC and TACE., Methods: A total of 98 patients with PHC were observed in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). They were assigned to the Chinese medicine (CM) group (53 patients who were treated with TACE and JLC) and the intervention group (45 patients who were treated with TACE only). The serum OPN levels were measured before and after treatment by quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Forty healthy people were assigned to the control group. The clinical efficacy was observed and Karnofsky score (KPS) was graded., Results: The clinical efficacy of the CM group (60.38%) was better than that of the intervention group (40.00 %), and the KPS (84.35+/-12.19) was higher than the intervention group (69.86+/- 11.58) (P<0.05). The serum OPN levels before and after treatment in the patients with PHC were significantly elevated compared with those in the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, the OPN levels in CM group (117.69 <+/-78.50) were significantly lower compared with those in intervention group (151.09+/-83.90, P<0.05). The OPN levels of responders were remarkably lowered than the non-responders after treatment, and the level of OPN in the CM group was lower than the intervention group (P<0.05)., Conclusions: The short-term clinical efficacy and the quality of life of patients with PHC can be improved by combining JLC with TACE. The serum OPN levels in PHC patients can reflect the curative effect of treatment and the prognosis of the disease.

Objective: To observe the effect of Yangyin Jiedu Huoxue Recipe (YJHR) on the degree of activity integral of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLEDAI) and plasma osteopontin (OPN), and its effect for hormone withdrawal in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)., Methods: Seventy-eight patients were randomly assigned by a randomizing digital table to two groups, 42 patients in the treated group and 36 in the control group, all were treated with conventional Western medical treatment, and YJHR was given additionally to the treated group. Changes of SLEDAI and OPN, as well as the daily dosage of prednisone used were observed after 2 courses of treatment., Results: SLEDAI and OPN were lowered in both groups, but the lowering in the treated group [9.17 +/- 4.12, (117.69 +/- 78.50) microg/L] was more significant than that in the control group [11.60 +/- 4.05, (151.09 +/- 83.90) microg/L, P<0.05]. The two indices were positively correlated. The dosage of prednisone daily used in the treated group (10.03 +/- 4.29) was reduced more than that in the control group (15.14 +/- 6.67, P<0.05). SLEDAI of all the patients before and after treatment had a positive relationship with OPN respectively (r=0.44, 0.39) (P<0.05)., Conclusions: YJHR can suppress the activity of disease and be helpful for early withdrawal of prednisone in treating SLE. Plasma level of OPN is related with the activity of the disease.

As a new dosage form, TCM injection is commonly used in clinical practice. But the increasing events of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) could even seriously endanger patients' lives. The causes of TCM injection inducing ADRs might be the unstable quality of preparation; the irrational clinical use and operation; the sensitive physique of patient and the change of patients' primary illness, etc. For preventing the occurrence of ADRs, based on guaranteeing the stable quality of product, putting stress on accurate usages and normalized operations in clinical practice, enhancing the monitor on ADRs and the precautionary awareness in medical units are very important.

Objective: To discuss the clinical characteristics and precautionary measures of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) caused by Sedum aizoon., Method: The VOD induced by Sedum aizoon were reports in 41 patients comimg from national medical journals from 1998 to 2007 and their use and dose were analyzed., Result: The results shows that ADR of Sedum aizoon was serious. VOD has relationship with it, s dose use time the age of the patients and individual difference., Conclusion: To avoid of VOD induced by Sedum aizoon, it should be done through strengthening study on pharmacology and toxicology of Sedum aizoon. Enhancing patients of safety awareness, standardizing usage and dosage to guide the clinically rational use of drugs.

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), an important negative regulator of insulin signaling, is thought to be an attractive therapeutic target for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. For the aim of screening PTP1B expression down-regulators, we established the drug screening cellular model based on transcriptional regulation of PTP1B. In this study, the promoter sequences of PTP1B were cloned into pGL3B-neo vector containing luciferase gene and neomycin resistance gene. The recombinant reporter gene vector pGL3B-neo /PTP1B was transfected into CV1 cells and therefore stable cell line, namely SPTP1B, was obtained. With the cell-based reporter gene assay, we detected more than one hundred compounds in microtiter wells. In the screening process, the compound CM107 which had extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs was identified to repress the activity of PTP1B promoter significantly in mode of dose-dependence.

Objective: To observe the effect of Yuquan Pill (YP) on proinflammatory cytokines in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2)., Methods: Ninety patients with DM2 were randomly divided into the treated group and the control group by the ratio of 2:1. Both groups were treated with Glucobay on the base of dietary and exercise therapy for 3 months, with YP, given to the treated group additionally 6 g four times a day. And the changes of proinflammatory cytokines, including C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), etc. were observed., Results: The levels of serum CRP,TNF-alpha and IL-6 significantly lowered after treatment in both groups (P<0.01), and the improvement in the treated group was superior to that in the control group (P<0.01)., Conclusion: YP could reduce the levels of the increased proinflammatory cytokines in patients with DM2.

Objective: To investigate the immuno-regulatory and therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicine for Yiqi Yangyin Quyu (YYQ, supplementing qi, nourishing yin, removing blood stasis) on Sjögren's syndrome (SS)., Methods: Sixty-two patients were randomly divided into the treated group (37 cases) treated with Chinese medicine and prednisone, and the control group (25 cases) treated with prednisone alone, and another 20 healthy persons were taken as the normal control group. Curative effects was observed, and immunoglobulin (Ig) and T lymphocyte subsets were detected before and after 3 months' treatment., Results: Immunoglobulin (IgG, IgM and IgA) before treatment in SS patients were higher, while the proportion of natural killer (NK) cell and CD4 were lower as compared with those in the normal control group. After treatment, IgG, IgM and IgA lowered to normal levels (P < 0.05), the proportion of NK cell and CD4 rose in both groups (P < 0.05), but CD3 in the control group was still lower than that in the treated group (P < 0.05). The total curative effective rate in the treated group was 91.9%, better than that in the control group (76.0%, chi-squared = 3.92, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Chinese herbal medicine for YYQ could improve clinical curative effective rate and regulate immune function in SS patients.