Empowering Exosomes with Aptamers for Precision Theranostics.

As information messengers for cell-to-cell communication, exosomes, typically small membrane vesicles (30-150 nm), play an imperative role in the physiological and pathological processes of living systems. Accumulating studies have demonstrated that exosomes are potential biological candidates for theranostics, including liquid biopsy-based diagnosis and drug delivery. However, their clinical applications are hindered by several issues, especially their unspecific detection and insufficient targeting ability.

[Material basis of stench of animal medicine: a review].

Despite the distinctive characteristics and remarkable efficacy, animal medicine is stenchy, which decreases the comp-liance of patients. At the moment, the research on the method for deodorizing animal medicines lags behind. To be specific, the components related to the odor and the basic properties transformation of the components are unclear and there is a lack of specific deodorizing method.

[Correlation between internal damage due to seven emotions in traditional Chinese medicine and pathogenesis of breast cancer from perspective of psychological stress].

Breast cancer is a major chronic disease threatening women's health. It has topped the global cancers as the diagnosed cases outnumbered lung cancer patients in 2020. Internal damage due to the seven emotions is an important cause of breast cancer and the disorders of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis and endocrine system and the abnormal immune defense mechanism in response to psychological stress all affect the occurrence and development of breast cancer.

The molecular mechanism of chronic stress affecting the occurrence and development of breast cancer and potential drug therapy.

According to the 2020 data released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer as the world's most newly diagnosed first-time cancer. Compared with patients with other types of cancer, those with breast cancer experience greater mental stress and more severe psychological impacts because of the life-threatening diagnosis, physical changes, treatment side effects, and family and social life dysfunctions. These usually manifest as anxiety, depression, nervousness, and insomnia, all of which elicit stress responses.

Screening S protein - ACE2 blockers from natural products: Strategies and advances in the discovery of potential inhibitors of COVID-19.

The Coronavirus disease, 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which poses a major threat to human life and health. Given its continued development, limiting the spread of COVID-19 in the population remains a challenging task. Currently, multiple therapies are being tried around the world to deal with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and a variety of studies have shown that natural products have a significant effect on COVID-19 patients.

[Changes in forms of Indigo Naturalis slices in ancient and modern times: a systematic study on quality of purified Indigo Naturalis and crude Indigo Naturalis].

Indigo Naturalis has a long history of medicinal use with particularity and complexity in its processing. Before the Ming dynasty,Indigo Naturalis was extracted from the top layer of zymotic fluid,called " purified Indigo Naturalis". In modern processing,the precipitate " crude Indigo Naturalis" is dried to produce Indigo Naturalis after impurity removal.

[Microbial community structure and transformation of indoles in soaking and fermentation of Indigo Naturalis].

The soaking and fermentation of Baphicacanthus cusia( Nees),the important intermediate link of Indigo Naturalis processing,facilitates the synthesis of indigo and indirubin precursors and the dissolution of endogenous enzymes and other effective components,while the role of microorganisms in the fermentation is ignored. The present study investigated the changes of microbial community structure in Indigo Naturalis processing based on 16 S amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics. Meanwhile,the contents of indigo,indirubin,isatin,tryptanthrin,indole glycoside,etc.

Exploring the Mechanism of Indigo Naturalis in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis Based on TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Signaling Pathway and Gut Microbiota.

Clinical trials have proven that indigo naturalis is a candidate drug for treating ulcerative colitis (UC), but its therapeutic mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect and mechanism of indigo naturalis to treat mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC. DSS-induced UC mice were treated with indigo naturalis (200 mg/kg), indigo (4.

Fever and Antipyretic Supported by Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Multi-Pathway Regulation.

The coronavirus disease, 2019 (COVID-19), has spread rapidly around the world and become a major public health problem facing the world. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been fully committed to treat COVID-19 in China. It improved the clinical symptoms of patients and reduced the mortality rate.

Progress in research into the role of abnormal glycosylation modification in tumor immunity.

In abnormal glycosylation, molecules of glucose or other carbohydrates in living organisms are inappropriately attached to proteins, which causes protein denaturation. Abnormal glycosylation modification is known to directly or indirectly affect the tumor escape process, but very few studies have been performed on whether protein glycosylation changes the structure and function of immune cells and immune molecules and thereby regulates the occurrence and development of tumor escape. Therefore, this article summarizes the effect of the immune system on tumor escape in association with the abnormal glycosylation process from an immunological perspective.

Research Progress on Main Symptoms of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Improved by Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia has become a major threat to worldwide public health, having rapidly spread to more than 180 countries and infecting over 1.6 billion people. Fever, cough, and fatigue are the most common initial symptoms of COVID-19, while some patients experience diarrhea rather than fever in the early stage.

[Accurate positioning and analysis on health function of high frequency anti-fatigue herbal medicines].

Fatigue is a widespread and complex physiological phenomenon. Chronic fatigue can lead to cardiovascular dysfunction, mental disorders and other serious pathological reactions. Therefore, how to relieve fatigue accurately and effectively is an important proposition to implement the concept of "Healthy China" in the new era.

[12]aneN-Based Gemini-Type Amphiphiles with Two-Photon Absorption Properties for Enhanced Nonviral Gene Delivery and Bioimaging.

Although a plethora of nonviral gene vectors have been developed for potential gene therapy, imageable gemini surfactants with stimuli-responsiveness and high transfection efficiency are still scarce for gene delivery. Herein, three gemini amphiphiles () consisting of an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) central fluorophore: 5,6-diphenylpyrazine-2,3-diester (), decorated with triazole-[12]aneN as the hydrophilic moiety and alkyl chains of various lengths as the hydrophobic moiety, were designed and synthesized for trackable gene delivery via optical imaging. All three amphiphiles exhibited ultralow critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) (up to 3.

Macrocyclic polyamine [12]aneN modified triphenylamine-pyrazine derivatives as efficient non-viral gene vectors with AIE and two-photon imaging properties.

With the aim to develop a novel multifunctional gene delivery system that may overcome the common barriers of gene transfection, near-infrared fluorescent triphenylamine-pyrazine was modified with a DNA condensing triazole-[12]aneN3 moiety through different length alkyl ester linkages to afford three new non-viral gene vectors, TDM-A/B/C. All compounds showed prominent solvatochromic fluorescence (Stokes shift of up to 383 nm) and two-photon absorption properties (σ2P to 101 GM), and exhibited strong aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Gel electrophoresis demonstrated that plasmid DNA was completely condensed at a concentration of 10 μM (TDM-A), 14 μM (TDM-B) and 16 μM (TDM-C), and released in esterase and acidic environment.

Tumor Targeting Gene Vector for Visual Tracking of Bcl-2 siRNA Transfection and Anti-Tumor Therapy.

Tumor targeting provided more effective gene therapy. Bcl-2 is an oncogene, and Bcl-2 small interfering RNA (Bcl-2 siRNA) can inhibit its expression. Here, a fluorescent and gene-loading capacity vector , derived from diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP), was developed for Bcl-2 siRNA-targeted delivery and tumor imaging and .

Combination of [12]aneN and Triphenylamine-Benzylideneimidazolone as Nonviral Gene Vectors with Two-Photon and AIE Properties.

Three nonviral gene vectors, //, have been designed and synthesized by the combination of one or two hydrophilic [12]aneN moieties and two-photon fluorescent triphenylamine-benzylideneimidazolone (TPA-BI) units through different ester linkage. Spectroscopic characterization demonstrated that // had strong aggregation-induced emissions (AIE), large Stokes shifts (230, 284, and 263 nm), and large two-photon absorption cross sections (δ) (67, 592, and 80 GM). Gel electrophoresis indicated that the three compounds completely condensed DNA at 15 μM in the presence of DOPE, and showed the lipase- and pH-triggered reversible release of DNA and the fluorescent recognition of the different lengths of ssDNA and dsDNA.

[Effects of irrigation frequency of organic nutrient solution and irrigation amount on yield, quality, fertilizer and water use efficiency of melon in facility].

To investigate the organic cultivation mode for high-yield and high-quality melon, we measured the growth of melon that grown in pots with different conditions of organic nutrient solution and irrigation. There were three irrigation frequencies of organic nutrient solution (8-time application, each time 750 mL per plant, F; 12-time application, each time 500 mL per plant, F; 16-time application, each time 375 mL per plant, F) and two different irrigation amount per single plant (irrigating by 120% daily evapotranspiration (ET) before fruit enlargement, by 140%ET after fruit enlargement, W; irrigating by 140%ET before fruit enlargement, by 160%ET after fruit enlargement, W), following a randomized block trial design. The effects of those treatments on photosynthetic characteristics, yield, quality, fertilizer and water use efficiency of melon were investigated.

Imaging nucleus viscosity and G-quadruplex DNA in living cells using a nucleus-targeting two-photon fluorescent probe.

A two-photon fluorescent probe, TP-2Bz, was designed and synthesized and it exhibited good targeting capabilities toward cell nuclei. In particular, TP-2Bz demonstrated a high selectivity to both G-quadruplex DNA and viscosity inside the nucleus with significant ratiometric enhancement in fluorescence, providing a specific, versatile imaging tool for analyzing the viscosity and G-quadruplex DNA in living cells.

Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), novel biomarker for assessing atrial fibrosis in patients with atrial fibrillation and rheumatic heart disease.

Objective: Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) has been identified as a strong biomarker of cardiovascular diseases; however, no evidence are available concerning the relationship of GDF-15 and atrial fibrosis in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

Methods: Twenty patients with rheumatic heart disease were divided into two groups, 10 cases with AF and 10 cases with sinus rhythm (SR). Clinical data and blood samples were collected; left atrial appendage was taken by the surgeon in the process of valve replacement.