Natural drugs targeting inflammation pathways can be used to treat atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the chronic gradual degradation of arteries in combination with inflammation. Currently, the main research focus has been on interactions between inflammatory cells, inflammatory mediators, and immune mechanisms, while some studies have reported natural drugs were exerting a critical role against AS, whereas the usage of natural drugs was always limited by various factors such as poor penetration across biological barriers, low bioavailability, and unclear mechanisms. Herein, we reviewed the potential targets for inflammation against AS, discussed the underlying mechanisms of natural drugs for AS, particularly highlighted the dilemma of current research, and finally, offered perspectives in this field.

Clinical efficacy and quality of life effect of acetylcysteine plus pirfenidone in patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Objective: To study the clinical efficacy of acetylcysteine combined with pirfenidone in patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

Methods: A total of 114 PF patients admitted from January 2018 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 64 patients treated with acetylcysteine combined with pirfenidone were classified into a research group, and the other 50 treated with acetylcysteine combined with budesonide were assigned into a control group.

LncRNA PCAT7 promotes non-small cell lung cancer progression by activating miR-486-5p/CDK4 axis-mediated cell cycle.

Objective: Lung cancer remains one of the common cancers worldwide. Both LncRNA PCAT7 and miR-486-5p are tightly correlated with NSCLC. However, the relationship between PCAT7 and miR-486-5p and the detailed mechanisms underlying the effect of PCAT7 on NSCLC are not discovered yet.

Cold-hot nature identification based on GC similarity analysis of Chinese herbal medicine ingredients.

The theory of cold-hot nature of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) is the core theory of CHM. It has been found that the volatile oil ingredients in CHMs are closely related to their cold-hot nature. Guided by the scientific hypothesis that "CHMs with similar component substances should have similar medicinal natures", exploration of the intelligent identification of the cold-hot nature of CHMs based on the similarity of their volatile oil ingredients has become a research focus.

Development of pyrazoline-based derivatives as aminopeptidase N inhibitors to overcome cancer invasion and metastasis.

Aminopeptidase N is considered as a promising anti-tumor target due to its role in tumor invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. In this report, a new series of pyrazoline-based derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for biological activities. The structure-activity relationships of these pyrazoline-based derivatives were also discussed in detail.

Q61 mutant-mediated dynamics changes of the GTP-KRAS complex probed by Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics and free energy landscapes.

Understanding the molecular mechanism of the GTP-KRAS binding is significant for improving the target roles of KRAS in cancer treatment. In this work, multiple replica Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (MR-GaMD) simulations were applied to decode the effect of Q61A, Q61H and Q61L on the activity of KRAS. Dynamics analyses based on MR-GaMD trajectory reveal that motion modes and dynamics behavior of the switch domain in KRAS are heavily affected by the three Q61 mutants.

Tannic acid: a crosslinker leading to versatile functional polymeric networks: a review.

With the thriving of mussel-inspired polyphenol chemistry as well as the demand for low-cost analogues to polydopamine in adhesive design, tannic acid has gradually become a research focus because of its wide availability, health benefits and special chemical properties. As a natural building block, tannic acid could be used as a crosslinker either supramolecularly or chemically, ensuring versatile functional polymeric networks for various applications. Up to now, a systematic summary on tannic-acid-based networks has still been waiting for an update and outlook.

[UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS-based rapid identification of chemical components in substance benchmark of Kaixin San].

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field Orbitrap mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS) was used for rapid identification of the chemical components in Kaixin San substance benchmark. The gradient elution was performed through a Waters ACQUITY~(TM) BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×150 mm, 1.

Clinical effect of robot-assisted radical cystectomy in bladder cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) can accelerate recovery, improve pelvic lymph node dissection effects, and reduce serum tumor marker tumor specific growth factor (TSGF) levels in patients with bladder cancer.

Methods: A total of 96 patients with bladder cancer admitted to our hospital were recruited as the research participants. Among them, 43 patients who adopted radical cystectomy were enrolled in the control group (CG), and 53 patients treated with RARC were included in the research group (RG).

Single cell imaging reveals cisplatin regulating interactions between transcription (co)factors and DNA.

Cisplatin is an extremely successful anticancer drug, and is commonly thought to target DNA. However, the way in which cisplatin-induced DNA lesions regulate interactions between transcription factors/cofactors and genomic DNA remains unclear. Herein, we developed a dual-modal microscopy imaging strategy to investigate, , the formation of ternary binding complexes of the transcription cofactor HMGB1 and transcription factor Smad3 with cisplatin crosslinked DNA in single cells.

Core decompression combined with implantation of β-tricalcium phosphate modified by a BMSC affinity cyclic peptide for the treatment of early osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Early intervention of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is very important. At present, the therapeutic effect on early ONFH is not completely satisfactory. D7 peptide has special affinity towards bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC).

Red wine-inspired tannic acid-KH561 copolymer: its adhesive properties and its application in wound healing.

Damaged tissue with an open wound is one of the daily injuries and can have different levels of severity. Inspired by the textile dyeing, coloration and skin care effect of pyrogallol-rich red wine, tannic acid-KH561 (TA561) copolymer was fabricated by phenol-silanol reaction and polycondensation of silane in an aqueous medium under mild conditions. This copolymer could undergo sol-gel transition continuous heating or when simply placed at room temperature, during which liquid TA561 oligomers connected with each other to form solid TA561 as a bulk resin or thin film.

Application of enhanced recovery after surgery in total knee arthroplasty in patients with haemophilia A: A pilot study.

Aim: To identify the effect of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) and rapid rehabilitation concepts on the outcomes of patients with haemophilia A undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Methods: The primary endpoint was postoperative hospital stay.

[Experts consensus statement on Qilong Capsules in clinical practice].

Qilong Capsules is the representative Chinese patent medicine of the theory of " invigorating Qi and activating blood circulation" in traditional Chinese medicine( TCM),with distinct characteristics of TCM in clinical application. Qilong Capsules indication on package insert is ischemic stroke( cerebral infarction),which is a complex disease and has many pathological links. The treatment principles and methods at various stages are different.

IE86 Inhibits the apoptosis and promotes the cell proliferation of glioma cells via the hnRNP A2/B1-mediated alternative splicing of Bcl-x.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a ubiquitous pathogen, can cause severe illness in immunocompromised individuals. Typically, glioma is one of the most common malignant primary brain tumors and originates in the central nervous system. The IE86 gene of HCMV exerts a major role in regulating virus replication.

Synthesis and characterization of tannic acid-PEG hydrogel Mitsunobu polymerization.

Tannic acid (TA) based materials have received significant interest owing to their broad spectrum of chemical and biological properties. Herein, a novel tannic acid based hydrogel, TA-PEG hydrogel, was synthesized Mitsunobu polymerization/polycondensation, in which TA and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were simply crosslinked together by ether linkages. This method was performed in one pot, straightforward, metal free and robust, ignoring the strong ionic/hydrophobic interactions between tannic acid and PEG.

Preparative separation of seven phenolic acids from Xanthii Fructus using pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography combined with semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography.

Phenolic acids represented by caffeoylquinic acids in Xanthii Fructus have various pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, anti-oxidative and anti-allergic effects. In this study, pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography was successfully applied in the segmentation of crude samples and further separation of phenolic acids from Xanthii Fructus. We initially segmented 1.

Chitosan/hydroxyapatite modified carbon/carbon composites: synthesis, characterization and biocompatibility evaluation.

Carbon/carbon composite (C/C), due to its bio-inert property, is prone to cause bone consolidation defects and bacterial infections in clinical applications. Therefore, there is a great demand in practical applications to prevent implant infections and enhance its bone consolidation capability. In this study, we have developed a facile approach to construct a chitosan/hydroxyapatite composite modified layer on C/C surface by electrochemical deposition and a covalent grafting technique, and the modified layer has both the antibacterial activity of chitosan (CS) and the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite (HAP).

Targeted neurotransmitter metabolomics profiling of oleanolic acid in the treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Essential hypertension (EH) is a prevalent chronic medical condition and a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Neurotransmitters are involved in the physiological process of blood pressure regulation in the body. Studies have shown that oleanolic acid (OA) can effectively regulate neurotransmitter-related metabolic disorders caused by EH, but the mechanism is still unclear.

[Current evaluation situation and research strategies on enhanced immune function of health food containing Chinese materia medica].

At present,the function evaluation of health food containing Chinese materia medica is in lack of theoretical support of Chinese medicine,which can't reflect the function characteristics,dose-effect relationship and mechanism of functional food. What' s more,the evaluation technology of health food containing Chinese materia medica is relatively lagging behind and has been abolished now,which seriously restricts the development of health food containing Chinese materia medica industry. The proportion of health food containing Chinese materia medica with enhancing immune function is the highest among approved products,which is up to 30.

Correction: A novel method for the highly efficient biotransformation of genistein from genistin using a high-speed counter-current chromatography bioreactor.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C8RA10629K.].

A novel method for the highly efficient biotransformation of genistein from genistin using a high-speed counter-current chromatography bioreactor.

Genistein, an important soybean isoflavone compound, has gained attention for its significant properties. Compared with the glycone form of genistin, low content of genistein limits the use in food and pharmaceutical fields. In this study, a novel bioreactor with high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was built for the highly efficient biotransformation of genistein from genistin.

Effect of on migration, invasion and prognosis of prostate cancer.

Purpose: The present study was designed to explore the expression of sperm associated antigen 9 () in patients with prostate cancer and estimate the correlation between mRNA expression and prognosis of prostate cancer patients. Moreover, we also investigated the role of in migration and invasion of prostate cancer cell lines.

Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was adopted to detect the expression of mRNA in prostate cancer tissues.

-Butylphthalide Improves Cognitive Function in Rats after Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

Cognitive impairment is the most common neurologic sequelae after carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, and the previous investigations have demonstrated that -Butylphthalide (NBP) could exert a broad spectrum of neuroprotective properties. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of NBP on cognitive dysfunction in rats after acute severe CO poisoning. Rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, a CO poisoning group and a CO+NBP group.