Project description:Hypertension, which directly threatens quality of life, is a major contributor to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Over the past two decades, domestic and foreign scholars have agreed upon various standards in the treatment of hypertension, and considerable progress has been made in the field of antihypertensive drugs. Oral antihypertensive drugs represent a milestone in hypertension therapy. However, the blood pressure standard for patients with hypertension is far from satisfactory. The study of Chinese herbal formulas for treating hypertension has received much research attention. These studies seek to integrate traditional and Western medicine in China. Currently, Chinese herbal formulas are known to have an outstanding advantage with regard to bodily regulation. Research shows that Chinese medicine has many protective mechanisms. This paper addresses the process of the antihypertensive mechanisms in Chinese herbal formulas for treating hypertension. These mechanisms are to be discussed in future research.
Project description:Traditional natural product discovery affords no information about compound structure or pharmacological activities until late in the discovery process, and leads to low probabilities of finding compounds with unique biological properties. By integrating serum pharmacochemistry-based screening with high-resolution metabolomics analysis, we have developed a new platform, termed chinmedomics which is capable of directly discovering the bioactive constituents. In this work, the focus is on ShenQiWan (SQW) treatment of ShenYangXu (SYX, kidney-yang deficiency syndrome) as a case study, as determined by chinmedomics. With serum pharmacochemistry, a total of 34 peaks were tentatively characterised in vivo, 24 of which were parent components and 10 metabolites were detected. The metabolic profiling and potential biomarkers of SYX were also investigated and 23 differential metabolites were found. 20 highly correlated components were screened by the plotting of correlation between marker metabolites and serum constituents and considered as the main active components of SQW. These compounds are imported into a database to predict the action targets: 14 importantly potential targets were found and related to aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption and adrenergic signaling pathways. Our study showed that integrated chinmedomics is a powerful strategy for discovery and screening of effective constituents from herbal medicines.
Project description:Traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM) is widely used in the prevention and treatment of viral infectious diseases. However, the operative mechanisms of TCHM remain largely obscure, mainly because of its complicated nature and the fragmented nature of research. In recent years, systematic methodologies have been developed to discover the active compounds in TCHM and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms. In this review, we summarize recent progress in TCHM-based antiviral research in China and other Asian countries. In particular, this review focuses on progress in targeting key steps in the viral replication cycle and key cellular components of the host defense system. Recent developments in centralized and standardized TCHM screening and databases are also summarized.
Project description:BackgroundSmall cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents approximately 15% of lung cancers, and approximately 70% are diagnosed as extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC). Although ES-SCLC is highly responsive to chemotherapy, patients typically progress rapidly, and there is an urgent need for new therapies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have recently been investigated in SCLC, and this review provides guidance on the use of these agents in ES-SCLC based on phase III evidence.MethodsPublished and presented literature on phase III data addressing use of ICIs in ES-SCLC was identified using the key search terms "small cell lung cancer" AND "checkpoint inhibitors" (OR respective aliases). Directed searches of eligible studies were periodically performed to ensure capture of the most recent data.ResultsSix phase III trials were identified, with four assessing the benefits of ICIs plus chemotherapy first-line, one evaluating ICIs as first-line therapy maintenance, and one assessing ICI monotherapy after progression on platinum-based chemotherapy. The addition of ipilimumab or tremelimumab to first-line treatment or as first-line maintenance did not improve survival. Two out of three studies combining PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy demonstrated significant long-lasting survival benefits and improved quality of life with no unexpected safety concerns. PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors as first-line maintenance or in later lines of therapy did not improve survival. Biomarker research is ongoing as well as research into the role of ICIs in combination with radiation therapy in limited-stage SCLC.ConclusionThe addition of atezolizumab or durvalumab to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy for ES-SCLC prolongs survival and improves quality of life.Implications for practicePlatinum-based chemotherapy has been standard of care for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) for more than a decade. Six recent phase III trials investigating immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have clarified the role of these agents in this setting. Although ICIs were assessed first-line, as first-line maintenance, and in later lines of therapy, the additions of atezolizumab or durvalumab to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy were the only interventions that significantly improved overall survival and increased quality of life. These combinations should therefore be considered standard therapy for first-line ES-SCLC. Biomarker research and investigations into the role of ICIs for limited-stage disease are ongoing.
Project description:Background"Jinchuang ointment" is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for external incised wounds. This herbal medicine has been successfully used to treat patients with diabetic foot ulcers and pressure sores in Taiwan for several decades. We previously examined its biological activities on cell-based in vitro assay platforms. Because some patients refused to use animal-derived ingredients ointment during our clinical practice, the efficacy of plant oil-based reconstituted "Jinchuang ointment" was also investigated.MethodsA porcine excisional wound model was established and used to evaluate its efficacy in vivo in this study. Besides, an unusual clinical case is also present.ResultsAs judged from the wound appearance of animal studies on day 14 and the results of blood flow flux at the wound sites on day 28, "Jinchuang ointment" accelerated wound closure significantly better than the control group.ConclusionsThe results from clinical treatment, histopathological evaluation, and the animal study showed that "Jinchung ointment" promotes wound healing significantly better than the control group. Also, sesame oil-reconstituted ointment can be a choice for patients who refuse to use lard-containing ointment.
Project description:The carrier-free self-assembly of small molecules opens a new window for the development of nanomaterials. This study is dedicated to developing binary small-molecular self-assemblies derived from phytochemicals in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Among them, Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma are a common pair used in clinics for thousands of years. Here, we found that there were numerous spherical supramolecular nanoparticles (NPs) originated from Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma decoction. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the composition of the supramolecules, and a total of 119 phytochemicals were identified (23 anthraquinones, 31 alkaloids, 24 organic acids, 8 tannins, and other components). Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) showed that the interaction between Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma was a spontaneous exothermic reaction, indicating that their phytochemicals had the property of self-assembly and interacted to form supramolecules in the decocting process. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV, IR, NMR, and ITC were used to verify that rhein and coptisine could self-assemble into nanofibers (Rhe-Cop NFs), while emodin and coptisine could self-assemble into nanoparticles (Emo-Cop NPs). The formation mechanism analysis of the self-assemblies revealed that they were induced by electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and π-π stacking, forming nanospheres of about 50 nm and nanofibers. The current study not only provides an idea of discovering carrier-free self-assemblies from traditional herbal medicine decoction but also supplies a reference for the design of binary self-assembly of small molecules in the future.
Project description:More than 50% of prostate cancer patients have used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Taiwan. However, the long-term clinical efficacy of TCM in prostate cancer patients remains unclear. Here, we investigated the relationship between TCM use and the survival of prostate cancer patients.A retrospective nationwide cohort study of prostate cancer patients was conducted between 1998 and 2003 using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients were classified as TCM users or nonusers, and monitored from the day of prostate cancer diagnosis to death or end of 2012. The association between death risk and TCM use was determined using Cox proportional-hazards models and Kaplan-Meier curves.Of the 1132 selected prostate cancer patients, 730 (64.5%) and 402 (35.5%) were TCM users and nonusers, respectively. The mean follow-up period was 8.38 years, and 292 (25.8%) deaths were reported. TCM users had a decreased mortality rate (21.9%) compared with nonusers (32.8%). A lower death risk was observed with longer TCM use, especially in patients who used TCM for ?200 days (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.44-0.84). TCM users with metastatic prostate cancer had a significant lower HR than nonusers (aHR 0.70, 95% CI 0.51-0.95). Chai-Hu-Jia-Long-Gu-Mu-Li-Tang was the most significant TCM formulae for improving survival in metastatic prostate cancer (aHR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04-0.94).The result suggested that complementary TCM therapy might be associated with a reduced risk of death in metastatic prostate cancer patients.