Radix Astragali and Its Representative Extracts for Diabetic Nephropathy: Efficacy and Molecular Mechanism.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Radix Astragali (RA), a frequently used Chinese herbal medicine in the Leguminosae family, genus, with its extracts, has been proven to be effective in DN treatment both in clinical practice and experimental studies. RA and its extracts can reduce proteinuria and improve renal function.

Thonningianin A ameliorated renal interstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy mice by modulating gut microbiota dysbiosis and repressing inflammation.

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the potential health benefits of thonningianin A (TA) on renal injury and interstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy (DN) mice.

Methods: In this study, a DN mice model was established using male C57BL/6 mice injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg) intraperitoneally and treated with TA for 12 weeks. Firstly, the therapeutic and anti-fibrotic effects of TA on DN were evaluated.

Association of hyperuricemia with coronary heart disease: Protocol for an updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Introduction: Hyperuricemia, characterized by elevated serum uric acid levels, has garnered significant attention in cardiovascular research due to its potential association with coronary heart disease (CHD). While some studies suggest hyperuricemia as a risk factor of CHD, others present conflicting findings. A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis is warranted to comprehensively summarize the previous studies and determine the association between hyperuricemia and CHD, thereby supporting clinical practice and future studies in this field.

Integrated Network Pharmacology Analysis and Experimental Validation to Elucidate the Mechanism of Acteoside in Treating Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Background: Acteoside, an active ingredient found in various medicinal herbs, is effective in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD); however, the intrinsic pharmacological mechanism of action of acteoside in the treatment of DKD remains unclear. This study utilizes a combined approach of network pharmacology and experimental validation to investigate the potential molecular mechanism systematically.

Methods: First, acteoside potential targets and DKD-associated targets were aggregated from public databases.

The effects of different types of Tai Chi exercises on preventing falls in older adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objectives: Few studies comparing the effects of different types of Tai Chi exercises on preventing falls in older adults. We compared the effects for finding an optimal intervention.

Methods: We searched 12 databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and so on, from their inception to January 13, 2023.

Integrating network pharmacology and experimental validation to decipher the mechanism of the Chinese herbal prescription modified Shen-Yan-Fang-Shuai formula in treating diabetic nephropathy.

Context: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the main cause of end-stage renal disease. Modified Shen-Yan-Fang-Shuai formula (M-SYFSF) has excellent clinical efficacy in treating diabetic kidney disease. However, the potential mechanism of M-SYFSF remains unknown.

Cut-off values of haemoglobin and clinical outcomes in incident peritoneal dialysis: the PDTAP study.

Background: To explore the cut-off values of haemoglobin (Hb) on adverse clinical outcomes in incident peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients based on a national-level database.

Methods: The observational cohort study was from the Peritoneal Dialysis Telemedicine-assisted Platform (PDTAP) dataset. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and modified MACE (MACE+).

The effects of different types of Tai Chi exercises on motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease: A network meta-analysis.

Background: Tai Chi can show improvement in balance and motor ability of elderly patients with PD. However, there were few reports on differences in outcomes associated with different types of Tai Chi on improving exercise capacity in elderly patients with PD. We compared the improvement of motor function in Parkinson's patients with different types of Tai Chi, for finding an optimal intervention.

Baduanjin exercise in the treatment of hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: As a therapy to prevent and treat hypertension, exercise is widely used in clinical practice. But due to the lack of documentary evidence, Baduanjin as a relaxed and convenient mode of exercise is not currently recommended by professional health organizations to treat hypertension. The purpose of this article is to examine the efficacy of Baduanjin as an antihypertensive exercise therapy.

Telemedicine and Clinical Outcomes in Peritoneal Dialysis: A Propensity-Matched Study.

Introduction: Telemedicine (TM) has shown to provide potential benefits on clinical outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease but limited evidences published in the peritoneal dialysis (PD) population. This study aimed to explore the long-term effects of TM on the mortality and technique failure.

Methods: The Peritoneal Dialysis Telemedicine-assisted Platform Cohort Study (PDTAP Study) was conducted prospectively in 27 hospitals in China since 2016.

Ameliorates Renal Hypertensive Injury and Fibrosis Through the Regulation of SIRT1-Mediated Autophagy.

Hypertensive renal injury is a complication of hypertension. () is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat chronic kidney diseases especially renal fibrosis. Autophagy is described as a cell self-renewal process that requires lysosomal degradation and is utilized for the maintenance of cellular energy homeostasis.

Mechanism of Action of Strychni Semen for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis and Methods for Attenuating the Toxicity.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease, which affects the joints and causes significant pain, impairing patient's quality of life. Strychni semen showed promising results to treat RA. However, there are increasing safety concerns in using strychni semen due to its severe toxicity.

Bone marrow mesenchymal cells: polymorphism associated with transformation of rough endoplasmic reticulum.

To understand the behavior and function of bone-marrow mesenchymal cells (BMMCs), we overviewed the morphological presentation of BMMCs in bone-marrow granules (b-BMMCs), isolated BMMCs (i-BMMCs), and BMMCs (c-BMMCs) cultured in H4434 methylcellulose semisolid and MEM media. All samples were derived from bone-marrow aspirates of 30 patients with hematocytopenia. Light microscopy exhibited b-BMMCs and i-BMMCs characterized by abundant cytoplasm and irregular shape in bone-marrow smears, as well as c-BMMCs in culture conditions.

Kirenol, darutoside and hesperidin contribute to the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of Siegesbeckia pubescens makino by inhibiting COX-2 expression and inflammatory cell infiltration.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The Chinese traditional medicine of Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino (SM), which has the effect of healing rheumatism and promoting joint health, is often used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and ischemic stroke.

Aim Of The Study: To clarify the mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory and analgesic influence of active components in the ethanol extract of Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino (ESM).

Materials And Methods: The active ingredients in the ESM were identified practicing high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD).

Prevents Renal Tubular Epithelial Cell Apoptosis by Regulating the SIRT1/p53 Pathway in Hypertensive Renal Injury.

Hypertensive renal injury is a primary etiology of end-stage renal disease, and satisfactory therapeutic strategies are urgently required. , a traditional Chinese herb, has potential renoprotective benefits and is widely used in the treatment of many kidney diseases. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the renoprotective effect of on hypertensive renal injury, we studied the effect of on tubular epithelial cells (TECs) in a spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model and angiotensin II- (AngII-) cultured primary TECs.

Predictive role of interleukin-6 and CAT score in mechanical ventilation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the acute exacerbation stage in the emergency department.

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the predictive role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) assessment test (CAT) score in mechanical ventilation (MV) in COPD patients at the acute exacerbation stage in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: For a one-year period, among adult patients in the ED who met the criteria of acute exacerbation of COPD, 158 who received MV within 48 hours after admission were compared to 294 who didn't require MV within the same period after admission. IL-6 level and CAT score were compared between the two groups.

Standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of cupping (STRICTOC): extending the CONSORT statement.

Background: The standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of cupping (STRICTOC), in the form of a checklist and explanations for users, were designed to improve reporting of cupping trials, particularly the interventions, and thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication.

Methods: A group of clinical experts, methodologists, epidemiologists, and editors has developed this STRICTOC checklist through a comprehensive process, including registration of this guideline, literature review, solicitation of comments, consensus meeting, revision, and finalization.

Results: The STRICTOC checklist includes 6 items and 16 sub-items, namely cupping rationale, details of cupping, treatment regimen, other components of treatment, treatment provider background, and control or comparator interventions.

Intrinsic and Miniature Postsynaptic Current Changes in Rat Principal Neurons of the Lateral Superior Olive after Unilateral Auditory Deprivation at an Early Age.

Unilateral auditory deprivation results in lateralization changes in the central auditory system, interfering with the integration of binaural information and thereby leading to a decrease in binaural auditory functions such as sound localization. Principal neurons of the lateral superior olive (LSO) are responsible for computing the interaural intensity differences that are critical for sound localization in the horizontal plane. To investigate changes caused by unilateral auditory deprivation, electrophysiological activity was recorded from LSO principal neurons in control rats and rats with unilateral cochlear ablation.

AMPK-ERK/CARM1 Signaling Pathways Affect Autophagy of Hepatic Cells in Samples of Liver Cancer Patients.

Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors, with the death rate ranking fourth among all types of cancer. Over the past few decades, several studies have reported that liver tumorigenesis is associated with dysfunction in autophagy. However, the detailed mechanism remains unclear.