Fructus Jujubae cooperated with water-expelling members in Shizao decoction alleviated intestinal injury and malignant ascites by modulating gut microbiota and metabolic homeostasis.

Background: Shizao decoction (SZD) consisted of Euphorbia kansui (EK), Euphorbia pekinensis (EP), Daphne genkwa (DG), and Fructus Jujubae (FJ) is a classic Chinese herbal medicine formula for treating malignant ascites, which is closely related to the modulation of gut microbiota by our previous study. For water-expelling members (WEM) including EK, EP, and DG may have side effects on the intestine, FJ is employed for detoxification and effectivity enhancement of WEM. However, the underlying mechanism for the compatibility of WEM and FJ is still unknown.

Leech extract alleviates idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Leech, as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of blood circulation and blood stasis, was also widely used to cure pulmonary fibrosis in China. In clinical practice, some traditional Chinese medicine preparation such as Shui Zhi Xuan Bi Hua Xian Tang and Shui Zhi Tong Luo Capsule composed of leech, could improve the clinical symptoms and pulmonary function in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, the material basis of the leech in the treatment of IPF were not yet clear.

Clinical characteristics of 68 children with atypical hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by coxsackievirus A6: a single-center retrospective analysis.

Background: Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) has become prevalent in many parts of the world. It is commonly referred to as atypical HFMD which more likely to present as bullous lesions. Compared with traditional HFMD, its misdiagnosis rate is relatively high, which brings difficulties to clinical diagnosis.

Metformin's Mechanisms in Attenuating Hallmarks of Aging and Age-Related Disease.

Aging is a major global challenge, and there is growing demand for new strategies to address the burden of aging. The intensive search for antiaging agents has led to the discovery of a variety of drugs that promote the extension of healthspan and/or life. Metformin is a safe, effective, and globally affordable antihyperglycemic agent that has gained much attention in recent years as a potential antiaging treatment.

Effective Enrichment of Low-Concentration Rare-Earth Ions by Three-Dimensional Thiostannate KSnS.

Rare-earth elements (REEs) in industrial wastewaters have great value for recycling and reuse, but their characteristic of low concentration poses a challenge to an efficient enrichment from wastewaters. In recent years, thiometallates featuring two-dimensional layers have shown great potential in the enrichment of REEs via the ion-exchange process. However, investigations on thiometallates featuring three-dimensional anionic frameworks for the recovery of REEs have not been reported.

The toxicity mechanism of toxic compounds from Euphorbiae pekinensis Radix on zebrafish embryos.

Euphorbiae pekinensis Radix (EP) is effective in treating various diseases, but it's toxicity is a major obstacle in use in clinical. Although EP was processed with vinegar to reduce it's toxicity, the detailed mechanism of toxicity in EP have not been clearly delineated. This study investigate the toxicity attenuation-mechanism of Euphorbiae pekinensis after being processed with vinegar (VEP) and the toxic mechanism of four compounds from EP on zebrafish embryos.

Two Series of Main-Group Heterometallic Selenides Synthesized in Two Different Types of Ionic Liquids.

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids have been widely applied in the synthesis of organic hybrid chalcogenidometalates, while the other types of ionic liquids are rarely tried. Reported here is the first application of a pyridinium-based ionic liquid in the preparation of two main-group heterometallic selenides featuring isomorphic three-dimensional frameworks. Of particular interest is that three gallium-tin selenides possessing another type of three-dimensional framework have been prepared by replacing the pyridinium-based ionic liquid with imidalolium-based ionic liquids under the same reaction conditions.

Multifunctional titanium phosphate carriers for enhancing drug delivery and evaluating real-time therapeutic efficacy of a hydrophobic drug component in Euphorbia kansui.

Nanoparticles are often used to serve as drug delivery systems to improve the therapeutic efficacy of some hydrophobic drugs. In this work, PEG and peptide-modified titanium phosphate nanoparticles (TiP-PEG/peptide) were synthesized to enhance the drug delivery efficacy of tirucalla-8,24-diene-3β,11β-diol-7-one (KS-01), a major bioactive and hydrophobic component extracted from Euphorbia kansui. This drug delivery system with a loading efficiency of about 29.

Anxiety in Chinese pediatric medical staff during the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Our study aimed to explore the anxiety levels and possible associated factors in the pediatric medical staff in Jiangsu province during an outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: Pediatric medical staff (n=534) from nine hospitals in Jiangsu province were enrolled. Their anxiety levels and quality of sleep were assessed using the online SAS and PSQI questionnaires.

[Effect of Different Protein Expression and Clinical Features on the Prognosis of Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma].

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of multiple protein expressions and clinical features on the threapeutic effect and prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods: The clinical data of 68 DLBCL patients were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The clinical staging was performed according to Ann Arbor staging; the risk grading was performed by IPI index; the DLBCL typing (germinal center and non-germinal center) was performed according to B cell source; the expression of Ki67，BCL-2, BCL-6, C-MYC, MUM1 and CD10 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry method; the patients were divided into R-CHOP group(50 cases) and CHOP group(18 cases) according to chemotherapy regimen of using rituximab or not; finally, the related factors affecting the prognosis of patients(PFS and OS) were analysed statistically by using SPSS 22.

A review on traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Eclipta prostrata, a traditional herbal medicine, has long been used in Asia and South America for the therapy of hemorrhagic diseases (e.g. hemoptysis, hematemesis, hematuria, epistaxis and uterine bleeding), skin diseases, respiratory disorders, coronary heart disease, hair loss, vitiligo, snake bite and those caused by the deficiency of liver and kidney.

MiR-222-3p in Platelets Serves as a Distinguishing Marker for Early Recognition of Kawasaki Disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis, which leads to 20% of sufferers developing coronary artery aneurysm in children if not appropriately treated. Therefore, the early diagnosis of KD is essential for alleviating the risk of developing heart disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large class of small non-coding RNAs which post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and have been shown to play critical roles in numerous biological processes and diseases.

Structural variation of transition metal-organic frameworks using deep eutectic solvents with different hydrogen bond donors.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have attracted extensive attention in the field of material synthesis as green solvents. They have similar physical and chemical properties to the traditional ionic liquids (ILs) while being much cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Herein, seven transition metal-organic frameworks, namely [NH][Zn(BTC)(NH)]·HO (1), [Cu(PDC)(NH)] (2), [Co(HBTC)(e-urea)]·(e-urea)·1/4HO (3), K(NH)[Mn(PZDC)] (4), [NH][Mn(BTC)(HO)] (5), [CHNH][Mn(HBTC)(BTC)·3HO (6), and [Co(BTC)(urea)]·2HO (7), were synthesized in deep eutectic solvents of choline chloride and urea/e-urea/m-urea (HBTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid; HPDC = 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid; HPZDC = 3,5-pyrazoledicarboxylic acid; e-urea = ethylene urea; m-urea = N,N-dimethylurea).

Radix Kansui Stir-Fried with Vinegar Reduces Radix Kansui-Related Hepatotoxicity in Mice via Mitochondrial Pathway.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of Radix Kansui (RK) stir-fried with vinegar (VRK) decreased hepatotoxicity in mice.

Methods: According to a random number table, 40 mice were randomly divided into negative control group (0.5% carboxymethylcellulose sodium, 20 mL/kg), positive control group (0.

Multifunctional titanium phosphate nanoparticles for site-specific drug delivery and real-time therapeutic efficacy evaluation.

Receptor-targeted delivery systems have been proposed as means of concentrating therapeutic agents to improve therapeutic effects on disease sites and reduce side effects on normal issues. Herein, we synthesized biocompatible folic acid (FA)-functionalized DHE-modified TiP (TiP-PAH-DHE-FA) nanoparticles as a drug delivery system that possessed high drug loading capability and enhanced folate-receptor-mediated cellular uptake. Moreover, it also allowed drug effect evaluation based on the real-time monitoring of the fluorescence intensity of HE molecules that are triggered by intercellular ROS.

A Novel Integrative Processing Technology for the Preparation of Rehmanniae Radix Slices.

The traditional processing method for the slices preparation of Rehmanniae roots is time- and energy-consuming and is prone to result in loss of active components during twice water-treatment (once for wash and the other for softening) and drying steps. In this study, we firstly explored an integrative processing technique for Rehmanniae Radix by 2x3 factorial experiment based on the contents of catalpol and verbascoside as measured by HPLC. The potential differences between the traditional stepwise processing technique and the integrative processing technique for catalpol and verbascoside in the prepared slices were investigated.

Autophagy induces G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells via GSK3-β/β-catenin pathway.

Background/aims: Menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells (MenSCs) emerge as an ideal source for cell-based treatment in regenerative medicine and immunotherapy. However, the major obstacle is the low survival rate in tissues and the limited expansion number. Autophagy is an intracellular metabolic self-degradative process which plays important roles in normal cellular division and survival, and the present study aimed to explore the related mechanisms between autophagy and survival of MenSCs in vitro and in vivo.

An ultrasensitive electrochemical cytosensor for highly specific detection of HL-60 cancer cells based on metal ion functionalized titanium phosphate nanospheres.

Facile and sensitive detection methods of cancer cells in the early stage are beneficial for monitoring cancers and treating patients in time to reduce the death rate. In this work, an ultrasensitive cytosensor was constructed using aptamers as cell capturers and metal ion-exchanged titanium phosphate nanospheres as electrochemical probes. KH1C12 can specifically recognize HL-60 cells and distinguish them from other cell lines, K562 and CCRF-CEM, to obtain high selectivity.

[Protective effect of different polar fractions of Carbonized Rubiae Radix et Rhizoma (cRRR) against oxidative injury].

The protective effect of different polar fractions of Carbonized Rubiae Radix et Rhizoma (cRRR) against ox-LDL-induced damage to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was investigated by MTT assay, and the components were identified by using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. According to the study, ethyl acetate extract and n-butanol extract could increase cell viability (P<0.01), while petroleum ether extract had no influence, and water extract could even inhibit the cell viability to some degree.

Anti-thrombotic and pro-angiogenic effects of Rubia cordifolia extract in zebrafish.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Rubia cordifolia is a common traditional Chinese medicine that promotes blood circulation and eliminates blood stasis, and has been used to cure diseases related to blood stasis syndrome (BSS) clinically for many years. It has been previously demonstrated that anti-thrombosis and pro-angiogenesis can improve BSS. However, the anti-thrombotic and pro-angiogenic activities of Rubia cordifolia have not been well investigated.

Fluorescent nanoprobes for sensing and imaging of metal ions: recent advances and future perspectives.

Recent advances in nanoscale science and technology have generated nanomaterials with unique optical properties. Over the past decade, numerous fluorescent nanoprobes have been developed for highly sensitive and selective sensing and imaging of metal ions, both and . In this review, we provide an overview of the recent development of the design and optical properties of the different classes of fluorescent nanoprobes based on noble metal nanomaterials, upconversion nanoparticles, semiconductor quantum dots, and carbon-based nanomaterials.

Versatile aptasensor for electrochemical quantification of cell surface glycan and naked-eye tracking glycolytic inhibition in living cells.

Quantifying the glycan expression status on cell surfaces is of vital importance for insight into the glycan function in biological processes and related diseases. Here we developed a versatile aptasensor for electrochemical quantification of cell surface glycan by taking advantage of the cell-specific aptamer, and the lectin-functionalized gold nanoparticles acting as both a glycan recognition unit and a signal amplification probe. To construct the aptasensor, amine-functionalized mucin 1 protein (MUC1) aptamer was first covalently conjugated to carboxylated-magnetic beads (MBs) using the succinimide coupling (EDC-NHS) method.