Publications by authors named "Menghan Cheng"

Article Synopsis
  • Self-assembly of hydrogels is being researched as a treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) but traditional methods face issues with safety and clinical application due to reliance on high molecular carriers and inactive substances.
  • A novel small molecule hydrogel (GBR-gel) uses compounds from Chinese medicines to deliver drugs without the need for additional inactive components, making it easier and cheaper to produce.
  • GBR-gel shows promise in quickly addressing TBI by improving synapse function and reducing inflammation, offering a new potential treatment strategy for brain injuries.
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Article Synopsis
  • Xuefu Zhuyu decoction (XFZYD) is traditionally used to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI), but its active ingredients and mechanisms were previously unclear.
  • This study outlines a three-step methodology to identify the bioactive compounds in XFZYD and their pharmacological effects, including metabolomics analysis, ingredient screening, and in vivo validation of the top compound.
  • The results indicated that hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) significantly improved neurological functions and reduced neuronal damage in TBI mice by enhancing blood vessel activity.
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Purpose: Many herbs can promote neurological recovery following traumatic brain injury (TBI). There must lie a shared mechanism behind the common effectiveness. We aimed to explore the key therapeutic targets for TBI based on the common effectiveness of the medicinal plants.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The repairment of myelin sheaths is crucial for mitigating neurological impairments of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, the current research on remyelination processes in ICH remains limited. A representative traditional Chinese medicine, Buyang Huanwu decoction (BYHWD), shows a promising therapeutic strategy for ICH treatment.

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Mercury, a pervasive global pollutant, primarily enters the atmosphere through human activities and legacy emissions from the land and oceans. A significant portion of this mercury subsequently settles on land through vegetation uptake. Characterizing mercury storage and distribution within vegetation is essential for comprehending regional and global mercury cycles.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD), as a traditional Chinese medical prescription, has been used to treat intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) for hundreds of years, but the antiapoptotic properties have not yet been studied.

Aim Of The Study: This study aims to elucidate the antiapoptotic mechanism of BYHWD in ICH.

Materials And Methods: The therapeutic effect of BYHWD on ICH was assessed by modified neurological severity scores (mNSS), foot fault, and histopathological staining.

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Background: The oral bioavailability and blood-brain barrier permeability of many herbal products are too low to explain the significant efficacy fully. Gut microbiota and liver can metabolize herbal ingredients to more absorbable forms. The current study aims to evaluate the ability of a novel biotransformation-integrated network pharmacology strategy to discover the therapeutic mechanisms of low-bioavailability herbal products in neurological diseases.

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Seafood is a major source of Hg exposure for humans, and rivers are an important source of Hg for adjacent seas. The Yellow River is an extremely high-sediment river that is heavily influenced by anthropogenic water facilities, especially sediment regulations, which might result in significant intra- and inter- year flux variations on pollutants. Overestimations of Hg flux were found in previous studies on high-sediment rivers, and a comprehensive study of Hg transport along such a river has not yet been attempted.

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Article Synopsis
  • Recent investigations reveal that consuming traditional Tibetan medicines (TTMs), fish, and rice significantly contributes to methylmercury exposure among Tibetans, putting them at risk similar to coastal regions.
  • Younger and wealthier individuals in Tibet may experience higher levels of exposure due to economic growth and cultural exchanges, making it crucial for at-risk populations to be cautious about their consumption of TTMs and fish.
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Exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) has various toxic effects on humans. The evaluation of human MeHg exposure has previously focused on fish consumption. However, in this study, we found that MeHg levels in domestic crabs in China were also relatively high (range: 50-1400 ng/g, dry weight).

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Lake sediments are key materials for mercury deposition and methylation. To understand the mercury concentrations in China's lakes, 100 lake surface sediment samples were collected from 35 lakes in 2014. Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations and the annual Hg burial rates in lake sediments were measured.

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Methylmercury (MeHg) poses health risks to humans worldwide. The investigation of a longer chain of biogeochemical MeHg transport from production to consumption than that addressed in previous studies could provide additional scientific foundation for the reduction of risks. The main objective of this study is to identify the impacts of the interregional food trade along with the age, gender and socioeconomic status of people on human MeHg exposure in a developing megacity.

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Protecting the environment and enhancing food security are among the world's greatest challenges. Fish consumption is widely considered to be the single significant dietary source of methylmercury. Nevertheless, by synthesizing data from the past six decades and using a variety of models, we find that rice could be a significant global dietary source of human methylmercury exposure, especially in South and Southeast Asia.

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Highly elevated concentrations of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) were found in the municipal sewage in Tibet. Material flow analysis supports the hypothesis that these elevated concentrations are related to regular ingestion of Hg-containing Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM). In Tibet in 2015, a total of 3600 kg of THg was released from human body into the terrestrial environment as a result of TTM ingestion, amounting to 45% of the total THg release into the terrestrial environment in Tibet, hence substantially enhancing the environmental Hg burden.

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