May 23–25, 2024, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China

Objective: Xiaotan Sanjie recipe (XTSJ), a Chinese herbal compound, exerts a significant inhibitory effect on the GC metastasis. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying the XTSJ-mediated inhibition of GC metastasis is unknown. Our study demonstrated the regulation of XTSJ on the GnT-V-mediated addition of β1,6 GlcNAc branches to E-cadherin and affected GC metastasis in vitro and in vivo.
Methods: The effect (and associated mechanism) of XTSJ on GC metastasis was evaluated in vitro (using GC cell lines) and in vivo (using a GC mouse model) by focusing on the expression of GnT-V (encoded by MGAT5).
Results: We demonstrated that the migration and invasion ability of GC cells decreased significantly after XTSJ administration, which confirmed the efficacy of XTSJ in treating GC in vitro. Moreover, we showed that XTSJ increased the accumulation of E-cadherins at junctions between GC cells, an effect which was reversed by MGAT5 overexpression. XTSJ administration and MGAT5 knockdown alleviated the structural abnormality of the cell-cell junctions, while MGAT5 overexpression had the opposite effect. MGAT5 knockdown and XTSJ treatment also significantly increased the accumulation of proteins associated with the E-cadherin-mediated adherens junction complex. Furthermore, the expression of MGAT5 was significantly lower in the lungs of BGC-823-MGAT5+XTSJ mice than in those of BGC-823-MGAT5+solvent mice, indicating that the ability of gastric tumors to metastasize to the lung was decreased in vivo following XTSJ treatment.
Conclusion: Our study confirmed that XTSJ prevented GC metastasis by inhibiting the GnT-V-mediated E-cadherin glycosylation and promoting E-cadherin accumulation at cell-cell junctions.

Acupuncture is one of the most effective complementary therapies for allergic rhinitis (AR) and has been recommended by several clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for AR. However, these CPGs mentioned acupuncture without making recommendations for clinical implementation and therapeutic protocols, therefore limiting the applicability of acupuncture therapies for AR. Hence, for the benefit of acupuncture practitioners around the world, the World Federation of Acupuncture-moxibustion Societies have initiated a project to develop the CPGs for the use of acupuncture and moxibustion to treat AR. The CPGs were developed according to the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, referring to the principles of the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development. During the development of the CPGs, the guideline development group (GDG) played an important role. The clinical questions, recommendations and therapeutic protocols were all formulated by the GDG using the modified Delphi method. The CPGs contain recommendations for 15 clinical questions about the use of acupuncture and moxibustion interventions. These include one strong recommendation for the intervention based on high-quality evidence, three conditional recommendations for either the intervention or standard care, and 11 conditional recommendations for the intervention based on very low quality of evidence. The CPGs also provide one filiform needle acupuncture protocol and five moxibustion protocols extracted based on the protocols presented in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) reviewed by the GDG.

Background
Some depressed patients receive acupuncture as an adjunct to their conventional medications.

Objective
This review aims to provide evidence on whether acupuncture can enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of antidepressants for treating depression, and explore whether acupuncture can reduce the adverse reactions associated with antidepressants.

Search strategy
English and Chinese databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published until December 1, 2021.

Inclusion criteria
RCTs with a modified Jadad scale score ≥ 4 were included if they compared a group of participants with depression that received acupuncture combined with antidepressants with a control group that received antidepressants alone.

Data extraction and analysis
Meta-analysis was performed, and statistical heterogeneity was assessed based on Cochran’s Q statistic and its related P-value. Primary outcomes were the reduction in the severity of depression and adverse reactions associated with antidepressants, while secondary outcomes included remission rate, treatment response, social functioning, and change in antidepressant dose. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework was used to evaluate the overall quality of evidence in the included studies.

Results
This review included 16 studies (with a total of 1958 participants). Most studies were at high risk of performance bias and at low or unclear risk of selection bias, detection bias, attrition bias, reporting bias, and other bias. Analysis of the 16 RCTs showed that, compared with antidepressants alone, acupuncture along with antidepressants reduced the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HAMD-17) scores (standard mean difference [SMD] ?0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] ?0.55 to ?0.33, P < 0.01; I2 = 14%), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores (SMD ?0.53, 95% CI ?0.84 to ?0.23, P < 0.01; I2 = 79%), and the Side Effect Rating Scale (SERS) scores (SMD ?1.11, 95% CI ?1.56 to ?0.66, P < 0.01; I2 = 89%). Compared with antidepressants alone, acupuncture along with antidepressants improved World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF scores (SMD 0.31, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.44, P < 0.01; I2 = 15%), decreased the number of participants who increased their antidepressant dosages (relative risk [RR] 0.32, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.48, P < 0.01; I2 = 0%), and resulted in significantly higher remission rates (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.83, P < 0.01; I2 = 0%) and treatment responses (RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.47, P < 0.01; I2 = 19%) in terms of HAMD-17 scores. The HAMD-17, SDS and SERS scores were assessed as low quality by GRADE and the other indices as being of moderate quality.

Conclusion
Acupuncture as an adjunct to antidepressants may enhance the therapeutic effectiveness and reduce the adverse drug reactions in patients receiving antidepressants. These findings must be interpreted with caution, as the evidence was of low or moderate quality and there was a lack of comparative data with a placebo control.

Systematic review registration: INPLASY202150008.

Objective

Abnormalities in the gut microbiota and intestinal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels are implicated in the pathogenesis of functional constipation (FC). Electro-acupuncture (EA) has been shown to improve constipation-related symptoms and rebalance the gut microbiota. However, it is currently unknown whether the gut microbiota is a key mechanistic target for EA or how EA promotes gut motility by regulating the gut microbiota and SCFAs. Therefore, we assessed the effects of EA in FC mice and pseudo-germfree (PGF) mice to address these questions.

Methods

Forty female Kunming mice were randomly separated into a normal control group (n = 8), an FC group (n = 8), an FC + EA group (n = 8), a PGF group (n = 8) and a PGF + EA group (n = 8). The FC group and FC + EA group were treated with diphenoxylate to establish the FC model; the PGF group and PGF + EA group were given an antibiotic cocktail to initiate the PGF model. After maintaining the model for 14 d, mice in the FC + EA and PGF + EA groups received EA stimulation at the ST25 and ST37 acupoints, once a day, 5 times per week, for 2 weeks. Fecal parameters and intestinal transit rate were calculated to assess the efficacy of EA on constipation and gastrointestinal motility. Colonic contents were used to quantify gut microbial diversity using 16S rRNA sequencing, and measure SCFA concentrations using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Results

EA significantly shortened the first black stool defecation time (P < 0.05) and increased the intestinal transit rate (P < 0.01), and fecal pellet number (P < 0.05), wet weight (P < 0.05) and water content (P < 0.01) over 8 h, compared with the FC group, showing that EA promoted gut motility and alleviated constipation. However, EA treatment did not reverse slow-transit colonic motility in PGF mice (P > 0.05), demonstrating that the gut microbiota may play a mechanistic role in the EA treatment of constipation. In addition, EA treatment restored the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and significantly increased butyric acid generation in FC mice (P < 0.05), most likely due to the upregulation of Staphylococcaceae microorganisms (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

EA-mediated resolution of constipation occurs through rebalancing the gut microbiota and promoting butyric acid generation.

Background

Filiform needle acupuncture (FNA), the most classical and widely applied acupuncture method based on traditional Chinese medicine theory, has shown a promising effect in the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR).

Objective

We aim to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy, safety, cost-effectiveness, and patient preference of FNA in the treatment of AR by comparing FNA with sham acupuncture, no treatment, and conventional medication.

Search strategy

Eight electronic databases were systematically searched from inception to October 14, 2021. Additional studies were acquired from clinical trial registration platforms and reference lists.

Inclusion criteria

RCTs were included if they compared FNA with either sham acupuncture, no treatment, or conventional medications for AR.

Data extraction and analysis

Two researchers extracted data independently of each other using a predesigned data acquisition form, and results were cross-checked after completion. The primary outcome was symptom score (Total Nasal Symptom Score or Visual Analog Scale), and the secondary outcomes were the AR control questionnaire, quality of life (QoL) score (Different versions of Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaires), medication score (use of rescue medication), mental health score, total IgE, adverse event rate, clinical economic indicators, and patient satisfaction score. Standardized mean difference (SMD) or mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was used to calculate the effect size for continuous data, while risk ratio with 95% Cis was used for dichotomous data.

Results

Thirty studies were included in this review. Compared with sham acupuncture, FNA significantly reduced the symptom score (SMD: –0.29 [–0.43, –0.15]), AR’s impact on QoL (SMD: –0.23 [–0.37, –0.08]) and medication score (SMD: –0.3 [–0.49, –0.11]). Compared with no treatment, FNA dramatically reduced the symptom score (SMD: –0.8 [–1.2, –0.39]) and AR’s impact on QoL (SMD: –0.82 [–1.13, –0.52]). There were no increased rates of adverse event with FNA compared to sham acupuncture and no treatment. FNA increased patient satisfaction and may be cost-effective. Most pieces of evidence from the above two comparisons were of high confidence. Moreover, FNA significantly outperformed conventional medication in reducing the symptom score (SMD: –0.48 [–0.85, –0.1]) and displayed a lower rate of adverse events, but the quality of evidence was very low.

Conclusion

FNA is an effective and safe intervention for AR and can help with symptom relief, QoL improvement, reducing medication usage, and increasing patient satisfaction. Further studies are needed to verify its cost-effectiveness and superiority over conventional medication and the best therapeutic strategies.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common problem worldwide. It has a major impact on the physical and social activities and interpersonal relationships. UI is common in women, but is under-reported and under-treated. It affects the quality of life in female patients severely and is known as a “nonlethally social cancer.” Acupuncture and moxibustion has been proposed as a potentially effective intervention for female UI. Hence, for the benefit of acupuncture practitioners around the world, the World Federation of Acupuncture-moxibustion Societies have initiated a project to develop the clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the use of acupuncture and moxibustion to treat female UI. The CPG was developed according to the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, referring to the principles of the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development. During the development of the CPGs, the guideline development group (GDG) played an important role. The clinical questions, recommendations and therapeutic protocols were all formulated by GDG using the modified Delphi method. The CPGs contain ten recommendations about the use of acupuncture and moxibustion interventions for ten clinical questions, which include nine conditional recommendations for the intervention, one conditional recommendations for either the intervention or the comparison. The CPG also provide one conventional filiform needle therapy protocol, two deep puncturing stimulation on lumbosacral acupoints therapy protocols, and four moxibustion therapy protocols, based on the protocols presented in RCTs reviews by the GDG.

Background
Patients commonly develop postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Acupuncture-related techniques and low-level laser therapy could be beneficial for pain management for older individuals.

Objective
To examine the effect of low-level laser acupuncture (LA) in reducing postoperative pain, pain-related interference in daily life, morphine consumption, and morphine-related side effects in older patients with knee osteoarthritis who underwent TKA.

Design, setting, participants and intervention
A single-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Patients (N = 82) were recruited and randomly assigned via a computer-generated list to the LA group or a placebo group. The LA group received low-level laser therapy at Sanyinjiao (SP6), Taixi (KI3), Kunlun (BL60), Fengshi (GB31), Futu (ST32) and Neiguan (PC6) after TKA, while the placebo acupuncture group received the same treatment procedure without laser energy output.

Main outcome measures
The primary outcome was postoperative pain intensity, and it was measured at baseline and hours 2, 6, 10, 24, 48 and 72 after TKA. The secondary outcomes, including relative pain, postoperative pain-related interference in daily life and morphine consumption, were measured at hours 24, 48 and 72 after TKA.

Results
Generalized estimating equations revealed significant between-group differences in pain intensity (P = 0.01), and trend differences in pain intensity for the LA group starting at hours 10 to 72 (P < 0.05) and morphine consumption at hours 48 and 72 (P < 0.05). The changes in pain-related interference in daily life were significant (P < 0.05) at 72 h, with the exception of the parameters for worst pain, mood, and sleep. Nausea and vomiting side effects from morphine had significant between-group differences at hours 10 and 24 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Low-level LA gradually reduced older patients’ postoperative pain intensity and morphine consumption within the first 72 h after their TKA for osteoarthritis. Low-level LA may have benefits as an adjuvant pain management technique for clinical care.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov registration number NCT03995446.

Objective: Salvadora persica (SP) is used as a food additive and is a common ingredient in folk medicine. This study investigates the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and beneficial effects of SP against cyclophosphamide (CYP) toxicity in rats.
Methods: In a 10-day study, 32 male rats were equally allocated into 4 groups (8 rats/group) as follows: the normal control (NC group), normal rats that only received oral aqueous extract of SP (100 mg/[kg·d]; SP group), animals treated with intraperitoneal CYP injections (30 mg/[kg·d]; CYP group), and the CYP + SP group that concurrently received CYP with SP aqueous extract. Serum samples were collected to measure the liver and renal biochemical profiles, as well as antioxidant and oxidative stress markers and the concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and adenosine 5’-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Hepatic and renal tissues were also harvested for histopathology and to measure apoptosis using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling technique, alongside tissue levels of oxidative stress markers.
Results: Liver enzymes, total bilirubin, creatinine and urea, as well as serum IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and NF-κB increased significantly, whilst total protein, albumin, calcium, IL-10 and AMPK declined in serum of the CYP group relative to the NC group. The hepatorenal concentrations of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and catalase declined markedly in the CYP group, whereas malondialdehyde, protein adducts, and apoptosis index increased compared with the NC group. By contrast, the hepatorenal biochemistry and apoptosis index of the SP group were comparable to the NC group. Interestingly, the CYP + SP group had significant improvements in the liver and renal biochemical parameters, enhanced anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, and marked declines in hepatic and renal apoptosis relative to the CYP group. Moreover, all monitored parameters were statistically indistinguishable between the CYP + SP group and the NC group.
Conclusion: This study suggests that the aqueous extract of SP could be a potential remedy against CYP-induced hepatorenal damage and may act by modulating the AMPK/NF-κB signaling pathway and promoting anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities.

Background
Treatment duration of wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) is uncertain for post-thyroidectomy pain relief.

Objective
This study evaluated the effect of different WAA treatment duration on post-operative pain relief and other discomforts associated with thyroidectomy.

Design, setting, participants and intervention
This randomized controlled trial was conducted at a single research site in Guangzhou, China. A total of 132 patients receiving thyroidectomy were randomly divided into the control group (sham WAA, 30 min) and three intervention groups (group 1: WAA, 30 min; group 2: WAA, 45 min; group 3: WAA, 60 min), with group allocation ratio of 1:1:1:1. Acupuncture was administered within 1 hour of leaving the operating room.

Outcomes and measures
Primary outcome was patients’ pain at the surgical site assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) at the moment after acupuncture treatment (post-intervention). Secondary outcomes included the patients’ pain VAS scores at 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after the thyroidectomy, the 40-item Quality of Recovery (QoR-40) score, the grade of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and the use of additional analgesic therapy.

Results
The adjusted mean difference (AMD) in VAS scores from baseline to post-intervention in group 1 was –0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], –1.02 to –0.76). The decrease in VAS score at post-intervention was statistically significant in group 1 compared to the control group (AMD, –0.43; 95% CI, –0.58 to –0.28; P < 0.001), and in groups 2 and 3 compared to group 1 (group 2 vs group 1: AMD, –0.65; 95% CI, –0.81 to –0.48; P < 0.001; group 3 vs group 1: AMD, –0.66; 95% CI, –0.86 to –0.47; P < 0.001). The VAS scores in the four groups converged beyond 24 h after the operation. Fewer patients in group 2 and group 3 experienced PONV in the first 24 h after operation. No statistical differences were measured in QoR-40 score and the number of patients with additional analgesic therapy.

Conclusion
Compared with the 30 min intervention, WAA treatment with longer needle retention time (45 or 60 min) had an advantage in pain relief within 6 h after surgery. WAA’s analgesic effect lasted for 6–12 h post-operatively.

Objective: Qili Qiangxin (QLQX), a compound herbal medicine formula, is used effectively to treat congestive heart failure in China. However, the molecular mechanisms of the cardioprotective effect are still unclear. This study explores the cardioprotective effect and mechanism of QLQX using the hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R)-induced myocardial injury model.
Methods: The main chemical constituents of QLQX were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light-scattering detection. The model of H/R-induced myocardial injury in H9c2 cells was developed to simulate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Apoptosis, autophagy, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured to assess the protective effect of QLQX. Proteins related to autophagy, apoptosis and signalling pathways were detected using Western blotting.
Results: Apoptosis, autophagy and the excessive production of ROS induced by H/R were significantly reduced after treating the H9c2 cells with QLQX. QLQX treatment at concentrations of 50 and 250 μg/mL caused significant reduction in the levels of LC3II and p62 degradation (P < 0.05), and also suppressed the AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway. Furthermore, the AMPK inhibitor Compound C (at 0.5 μmol/L), and QLQX (250 μg/mL) significantly inhibited H/R-induced autophagy and apoptosis (P < 0.01), while AICAR (an AMPK activator, at 0.5 mmol/L) increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophagy and abolished the anti-apoptotic effect of QLQX. Similar phenomena were also observed on the expressions of apoptotic and autophagic proteins, demonstrating that QLQX reduced the apoptosis and auotophagy in the H/R-induced injury model via inhibiting the AMPK/mTOR pathway. Moreover, ROS scavenger, N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC, at 2.5 mmol/L), significantly reduced H/R-triggered cell apoptosis and autophagy (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, NAC treatment down-regulated the ratio of phosphorylation of AMPK/AMPK (P < 0.01), which showed a similar effect to QLQX.
Conclusion: QLQX plays a cardioprotective role by alleviating apoptotic and autophagic cell death through inhibition of the ROS/AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway.

Background
As one of the most common musculoskeletal ailments, chronic nonspecific low-back pain (CNLBP) causes persistent disability and substantial medical expenses. Epidemiological evidence shows that the incidence rate of CNLBP in young and middle-aged people who are demanded rapidly recovery and social contribution is rising. Recent guidelines indicate a reduced role for medicines in the management of CNLBP.

Objective
The present study investigates the short-term effects of cupping and scraping therapy using a medicated balm, compared to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with a capsaicin plaster, in the treatment of CNLBP.

Design, setting, participants and interventions
We designed a prospective multicenter randomized clinical trial enrolling patients from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. A total of 156 patients with CNLBP were randomized into two parallel groups. Diclofenac sodium-sustained release tablets were administered orally to participants in the control group for one week while a capsaicin plaster was applied externally. Patients in the test group were treated with cupping and scraping using a medical device and medicated balm.

Main outcome measures
Primary outcome was pain recorded using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Two secondary outcomes were recorded using the Japanese Orthopedic Association low-back pain scale (JOA) and the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome integral scale (TCMS) as assessment tools.

Results
Between baseline and postintervention, all changes in outcome metric scales were statistically significant (P < 0.001). Compared to the control group, patients in the test group had a significantly greater treatment effect in all outcome variables, as indicated by lower VAS and TCMS scores and higher JOA scores, after the one-week intervention period (P < 0.001). Further, according to the findings of multivariate linear regression analysis, the participants’ pain (VAS score) was related to their marital status, age, smoking habits and body mass index. No adverse reactions were reported for any participants in this trial.

Conclusion
The effectiveness of TCM combined with the new physiotherapy tool is superior to that of NSAID combined with topical plasters, regarding to pain intensity, TCM symptoms and quality of life. The TCM plus physiotherapy also showed more stable and long-lasting therapeutic effects.

Trial registration

This study was registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200055655).

Background

Pain associated with cancer is one of the greatest causes of reduced quality of life in patients. Acupuncture is one of the treatments used to address this issue, with the great advantage of having little or no side effects, especially when compared with pharmacological pain-killers.

Objective

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the current evidence regarding the efficacy of acupuncture for cancer pain.

Search strategy

Six electronic databases (PubMed, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Scielo, b-On and Scopus) were searched for relevant articles about pain relief in cancer patients from their beginning until 2022 using MeSH terms such as “acupuncture,” “electroacupuncture,” “ear acupuncture,” “acupuncture analgesia,” ‘‘oncological pain,” and “cancer pain.”

Inclusion criteria

Studies included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) where acupuncture was compared with no treatment, placebo acupuncture or usual care.

Data extraction and analysis

Three independent reviewers participated in data extraction and evaluation of risk of bias, and a meta-analysis was conducted. The primary outcome was pain intensity, measured with the visual analog scale, numeric rating scale, or brief pain inventory. Secondary outcomes also assessed were quality of life, functionality, xerostomia, pain interference, and analgesic consumption. Results were expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). 

Results

Sixteen RCTs with a total of 1124 participants were included in the meta-analysis, with the majority of the studies presenting a low or unclear risk of bias. Acupuncture was more effective in reducing pain than no treatment (SMD = –0.90, 95% CI [–1.68, –0.12]), sham acupuncture (SMD = –1.10, 95% CI [–1.59, –0.61]) or usual care (SMD = –1.16, 95% CI [–1.38, –0.93]).

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that acupuncture may be an effective intervention to reduce pain associated with cancer. Despite some limitations due to the low quality and small sample size of some included studies, as well as the different types and stages of cancer, acupuncture might provide an effective and safe treatment to reduce cancer pain.

Objective
The efficacy of medications for Parkinson's disease (PD) tend to decline over time, which has a serious impact on patients' health and quality of life. To some extent, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can resolve the distressing problem of ineffective dopaminergic medication in PD patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitude, acceptance, and independent predictors of TCM in PD patients admitted to the outpatient department of a tertiary hospital.

Methods
A cross-sectional study of PD patients was conducted in the outpatient department of a large tertiary hospital in Beijing from March 2022 to June 2023. A self-report questionnaire was developed to investigate PD patients' attitudes and acceptance of TCM based on the questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were also performed to further clarify the independent predictors influencing patients' adoption of TCM therapy.

Results
A total of 397 patients completed the questionnaire, of which 78.09% were willing to be treated with TCM and 21.91% indicated that they were not willing to use TCM. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that several parameters were correlated with a patient's willingness to include TCM in their therapeutic regime. These included education level of a bachelor's degree (odds ratio [OR) = 8.554; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.112–17.794; P < 0.001, vs junior high school education), living in an urban setting (OR = 8.022; 95% CI: 4.577–14.060; P < 0.001, vs rural), having other underlying diseases (OR = 5.126; 95% CI: 3.078–8.537; P < 0.001, vs none), having previously used TCM (OR = 3.083; 95% CI: 1.852–5.134; P < 0.001, vs not used), believing that TCM therapy is safe (OR = 3.530; 95% CI: 1.446–8.616; P = 0.006, vs not thought), believing that TCM therapy is effective (OR = 3.859; 95% CI: 1.482–10.047; P = 0.006, vs not understood), and being willing to discuss ongoing TCM therapy with an attending physician (OR = 62.468; 95% CI: 30.350–128.574; P < 0.001, vs not informed).

Conclusion
This study initially investigated the acceptance, attitude, and independent predictors of TCM use among PD patients. To expand the prevalence of TCM use among patients with PD, we recommend to broadening the public outreach for TCM via contemporary means of Internet and broadcast communication, enhancing access to TCM services in rural communities, and strengthening the communication between doctors and patients.

As one of the key components of clinical trials, blinding, if successfully implemented, can help to mitigate the risks of implementation bias and measurement bias, consequently improving the validity and reliability of the trial results. However, successful blinding in clinical trials of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is hard to achieve, and the evaluation of blinding success through blinding assessment lacks established guidelines. Taking into account the challenges associated with blinding in the TCM field, here we present a framework for assessing blinding. Further, this study proposes a blinding assessment protocol for TCM clinical trials, building upon the framework and the existing methods. An assessment report checklist and an approach for evaluating the assessment results are presented based on the proposed protocol. It is anticipated that these improvements to blinding assessment will generate greater awareness among researchers, facilitate the standardization of blinding, and augment the blinding effectiveness. The use of this blinding assessment may further advance the quality and precision of TCM clinical trials and improve the accuracy of the trial results. The blinding assessment protocol will undergo continued optimization and refinement, drawing upon expert consensus and experience derived from clinical trials.

Objective

Melittin and its derivatives have been characterized to establish effective gene delivery systems. Their capability of facilitating endosomal release enhances the nanoparticles-based gene delivery. Nevertheless, little investigation has been conducted to explore its potential application in the context of viral vectors.

Methods

Various melittin-derived peptides were inserted into the loop VIII of the capsid proteins of recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors. These vectors carrying either gfp or fluc genes were subjected to qPCR assays and transduction assays of HEK293T cells to investigate the efficiency of vector production and gene delivery. In addition, the ability of a specific p5RHH-rAAV vector to deliver genes was examined through in vitro transduction of different cultured cells and in vivo tail vein administration to C57BL/6 mice. Finally, the intricate details of the vector-mediated transduction mechanisms were revealed by specific pharmacological inhibitors of every stage of the rAAV2 intracellular life cycle.

Results

A total of 76 melittin-related peptides were compiled from existing literature. Among them, cMA2, Melt13, p5RHH and aAR3 were found to significantly enhance the gene delivery efficiency of rAAV2 vectors. The p5RHH-rAAV2 vectors efficiently transduced not only rAAV-potent cell lines but also cell lines previously considered resistant to rAAV. Mechanistically, bafilomycin A1, a vacuolar endosome acidification inhibitor, completely inhibited the transgene expression mediated by the p5RHH-rAAV2 vectors. Most importantly, p5RHH-rAAV8 vectors also demonstrated increased hepatic transduction in vivo in C57BL/6 mice.

Conclusion

The incorporation of melittin analogues into the rAAV capsids results in a significant improvement in rAAV-mediated transgene expression. While further modifications remain an area of interest, our studies have substantially broadened the pharmacological prospects of melittin in the context of viral vector-mediated gene delivery.

Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread worldwide. Integrated Chinese and Western medicine have had some successes in treating COVID-19.

Objective
This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of three traditional Chinese medicine drugs and three herbal formulas (3-drugs-3-formulas) in patients with COVID-19.

Search strategy

Relevant studies were identified from 12 electronic databases searched from their establishment to April 7, 2022.

Inclusion criteria

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs and cohort studies that evaluated the effects of 3-drugs-3-formulas for COVID-19. The treatment group was treated with one of the 3-drugs-3-formulas plus conventional treatment. The control group was treated with conventional treatment.

Data extraction and analysis

Two evaluators screened and selected literature independently, then extracted basic information and assessed risk of bias. The treatment outcome measures were duration of main symptoms, hospitalization time, aggravation rate and mortality. RevMan 5.4 was used to analyze the pooled results reported as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for continuous data and risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI for dichotomous data.

Results
Forty-one studies with a total of 13,260 participants were identified. Our analysis suggests that compared with conventional treatment, the combination of 3-drugs-3-formulas might shorten duration of fever (MD = –1.39; 95% CI: –2.19 to –0.59; P < 0.05), cough (MD = –1.57; 95% CI: –2.16 to –0.98; P < 0.05) and fatigue (MD = –1.36; 95% CI: –2.21 to –0.51; P < 0.05), decrease length of hospital stay (MD = –2.62; 95% CI –3.52 to –1.72; P < 0.05), the time for nucleic acid conversion (MD = –2.92; 95% CI: –4.26 to –1.59; P < 0.05), aggravation rate (RR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.38 to 0.64; P < 0.05) and mortality (RR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.62; P < 0.05), and increase the recovery rate of chest CT manifestations (RR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.3; P < 0.05) and total effectiveness (RR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.42; P < 0.05).

Conclusion
The 3-drugs-3-formulas can play an active role in treating all stages of COVID-19. No severe adverse events related to 3-drugs-3-formulas were observed. Hence, 3-drugs-3-formulas combined with conventional therapies have effective therapeutic value for COVID-19 patients. Further long-term high-quality studies are essential to demonstrate the clinical benefits of each formula.

Background

Ginkgo biloba L. preparations (GBLPs) are a class of Chinese herbal medicine used in the adjuvant treatment of ischemic stroke (IS). Recently, several systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of GBLPs for IS have been published.

Objective

This overview aims to assess the quality of related SRs and MAs.

Search strategy

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Biological Medicine, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Chinese Science and Technology Journals databases were searched from their inception to December 31, 2022.

Inclusion criteria

SRs and MAs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that explored the efficacy of GBLPs for patients with IS were included.

Data extraction and analysis

Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the methodological quality, risk of bias (ROB), reporting quality, and credibility of evidence of the included SRs and MAs using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2), Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS), the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), respectively. Additionally, descriptive analysis and data synthesis were conducted.

Results

Twenty-nine SRs/MAs involving 119 outcomes were included in this review. The overall methodological quality of all SRs/MAs was critically low based on AMSTAR 2, and 28 had a high ROB based on the ROBIS. According to the PRISMA statement, the reporting items of the included SRs/MAs are relatively complete. The results based on GRADE showed that of the 119 outcomes, 8 were rated as moderate quality, 24 as low quality, and 87 as very low quality. Based on the data synthesis, GBLPs used in conjunction with conventional treatment were superior to conventional treatment alone for decreasing neurological function scores.

Conclusion

GBLPs can be considered a beneficial supplemental therapy for IS. However, because of the low quality of the existing evidence, high-quality RCTs and SRs/MAs are warranted to further evaluate the benefits of GBLPs for treating IS.

This document is the revised edition of the previously issued Shanghai Expert Consensus on Clinical Protocol for Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment of COVID-19 among the Elderly Population. Based on the clinical experience and the Protocol for Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19 (Trial 9th Edition), this revised edition provides treatment approaches and recommendations to proactively cope with Omicron variant and increase the therapeutic efficacy for coronavirus disease 2019 among the elderly population in Shanghai, China.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a worldwide epidemic caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Newer medicines for eliminating the viral reservoir and eradicating the virus are urgently needed. Attempts to locate relatively safe and non-toxic medications from natural resources are ongoing now. Natural-product-based antiviral candidates have been exploited to a limited extent. However, antiviral research is inadequate to counteract for the resistant patterns. Plant-derived bioactive compounds hold promise as powerful pharmacophore scaffolds, which have shown anti-HIV potential. This review focuses on a consideration of the virus, various possible HIV-controlling methods and the recent progress in alternative natural compounds with anti-HIV activity, with a particular emphasis on recent results from natural sources of anti-HIV agents.

Objective

AP2/ERF (APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor) superfamily is one of the largest gene families in plants and has been reported to participate in various biological processes, such as the regulation of biosynthesis of active lignan. However, few studies have investigated the genome-wide role of the AP2/ERF superfamily in Isatis indigotica. This study establishes a complete picture of the AP2/ERF superfamily in I. indigotica and contributes valuable information for further functional characterization of IiAP2/ERF genes and supports further metabolic engineering.

Methods

To identify the IiAP2/ERF superfamily genes, the AP2/ERF sequences from Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa were used as query sequences in the basic local alignment search tool. Bioinformatic analyses were conducted to investigate the protein structure, motif composition, chromosome location, phylogenetic relationship, and interaction network of the IiAP2/ERF superfamily genes. The accuracy of omics data was verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and heatmap analyses.

Results

One hundred and twenty-six putative IiAP2/ERF genes in total were identified from the I. indigotica genome database in this study. By sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, the IiAP2/ERF genes were classified into 5 groups including AP2, ERF, DREB (dehydration-responsive element-binding factor), Soloist and RAV (related to abscisic acid insensitive 3/viviparous 1) subfamilies. Among which, 122 members were unevenly distributed across seven chromosomes. Sequence alignment showed that I. indigotica and A. thaliana had 30 pairs of orthologous genes, and we constructed their interaction network. The comprehensive analysis of gene expression pattern in different tissues suggested that these genes may play a significant role in organ growth and development of I. indigotica. Members that may regulate lignan biosynthesis in roots were also preliminarily identified. Ribonucleic acid sequencing analysis revealed that the expression of 76 IiAP2/ERF genes were up- or down-regulated under salt or drought treatment, among which, 33 IiAP2/ERF genes were regulated by both stresses.

Conclusion

This study undertook a genome-wide characterization of the AP2/ERF superfamily in I. indigotica, providing valuable information for further functional characterization of IiAP2/ERF genes and discovery of genetic targets for metabolic engineering.

Objective
To investigate the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) on ghrelin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (PI3K/Akt/eNOS) signaling pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).
Methods
Eight Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as the healthy blood pressure (BP) control (normal group), and 32 SHRs were randomized into model group, EA group, EA plus ghrelin group (EA + G group), and EA plus PF04628935 group (a potent ghrelin receptor blocker; EA + P group) using a random number table. Rats in the normal group and model group did not receive treatment, but were immobilized for 20 min per day, 5 times a week, for 4 continuous weeks. SHRs in the EA group, EA + G group and EA + P group were immobilized and given EA treatment in 20 min sessions, 5 times per week, for 4 weeks. Additionally, 1 h before EA, SHRs in the EA + G group and EA + P group were intraperitoneally injected with ghrelin or PF04628935, respectively, for 4 weeks. The tail-cuff method was used to measure BP. After the 4-week intervention, the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and pathological morphology of the abdominal aorta was observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of ghrelin, nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) in the serum. Isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment was performed to evaluate vasorelaxation. Western blot was used to measure the expression of PI3K, Akt, phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and eNOS proteins in the abdominal aorta. Further, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to measure the relative levels of mRNA expression for PI3K, Akt and eNOS in the abdominal aorta.
Results
EA significantly reduced the systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) (P < 0.05). HE staining showed that EA improved the morphology of the vascular endothelium to some extent. Results of ELISA indicated that higher concentrations of ghrelin and NO, and lower concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 were present in the EA group (P < 0.05). The isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment demonstrated that the vasodilation capacity of the thoracic aorta increased in the EA group. Results of Western blot and qRT-PCR showed that EA increased the abundance of PI3K, p-Akt/Akt and eNOS proteins, as well as expression levels of PI3K, Akt and eNOS mRNAs (P < 0.05). In the EA + G group, SBP and DBP decreased (P < 0.05), ghrelin concentrations increased (P < 0.05), and the concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 decreased (P < 0.05), relative to the EA group. In addition, the levels of PI3K and eNOS proteins, the p-Akt/Akt ratio, and the expression of PI3K, Akt and eNOS mRNAs increased significantly in the EA + G group (P < 0.05), while PF04628935 reversed these effects.
Conclusion
EA effectively reduced BP and protected the vascular endothelium, and these effects may be linked to promoting the release of ghrelin and activation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.

Objective
Appraisal of treatment outcomes in integrative medicine is a challenge due to a gap between the concepts of Western medicine (WM) disease and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome. This study presents an approach for the appraisal of integrative medicine that is based on targeted metabolomics. We use non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with spleen deficiency syndrome as a test case.

Methods
A patient-reported outcome (PRO) scale was developed based on literature review, Delphi consensus survey, and reliability and validity test, to quantitatively evaluate spleen deficiency syndrome. Then, a metabonomic foundation for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with spleen deficiency syndrome was identified via a longitudinal interventional trial and targeted metabolomics. Finally, an integrated appraisal model was established by identifying metabolites that responded in the treatment of WM disease and TCM syndrome as positive outcomes and using other aspects of the metabonomic foundation as independent variables.

Results
Ten symptoms and signs were included in the spleen deficiency PRO scale. The internal reliability, content validity, discriminative validity and structural validity of the scale were all qualified. Based on treatment responses to treatments for WM disease (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance) or TCM syndrome (spleen deficiency PRO scale score) from a previous randomized controlled trial, two cohorts comprised of 30 participants each were established for targeted metabolomics detection. Twenty-five metabolites were found to be involved in successful treatment outcomes to both WM and TCM, following quantitative comparison and multivariate analysis. Finally, the model of the integrated appraisal system was exploratively established using binary logistic regression; it included 9 core metabolites and had the prediction probability of 83.3%.

Conclusion
This study presented a new and comprehensive research route for integrative appraisal of treatment outcomes for WM disease and TCM syndrome. Critical research techniques used in this research included the development of a TCM syndrome assessment tool, a longitudinal interventional trial with verified TCM treatment, identification of homogeneous metabolites, and statistical modeling.

Traditional Chinese medicine, as a complementary and alternative medicine, has been practiced for thousands of years in China and possesses remarkable clinical efficacy. Thus, systematic analysis and examination of the mechanistic links between Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and the complex human body can benefit contemporary understandings by carrying out qualitative and quantitative analysis. With increasing attention, the approach of network pharmacology has begun to unveil the mystery of CHM by constructing the heterogeneous network relationship of “herb-compound-target-pathway,” which corresponds to the holistic mechanisms of CHM. By integrating computational techniques into network pharmacology, the efficiency and accuracy of active compound screening and target fishing have been improved at an unprecedented pace. This review dissects the core innovations to the network pharmacology approach that were developed in the years since 2015 and highlights how this tool has been applied to understanding the coronavirus disease 2019 and refining the clinical use of CHM to combat it.

Objectives

Ziyin Huatan recipe (ZYHT), a traditional Chinese medicine comprised of Lilii Bulbus, Pinelliae Rhizoma, and Hedyotis Diffusa, has shown promise in treating gastric cancer (GC) in the clinic. However, its potential mechanism in treating GC has not yet been clearly addressed. This study aimed to predict targets and molecular mechanisms of ZYHT by network pharmacology analysis and to explore the role of ZYHT in GC both in vitro and in vivo.

Methods

Targets and molecular mechanisms of ZYHT were predicted via network pharmacology analysis. The effects of ZYHT on the expression of metastasis-associated targets were further validated by western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. To explore the specific molecular mechanisms of ZYHT on migration and invasion, the runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) gene was knocked out by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9, and lentiviral vectors were transfected into SGC-7901 cells. Then lung metastasis model of gastric cancer in nude mice was established to explore the anti-metastasis effect of ZYHT. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to explore the impact of ZYHT on the expression of metastasis-related proteins with or without RUNX3 gene.

Results

The network pharmacology analysis showed that ZYHT might inhibit focal adhesion, and migration, invasion and metastasis of GC. ZYHT inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells in vitro via regulating the expression of metastasis-associated targets. Knocking out RUNX3 almost completely reversed the cell phenotypes (migration and invasion) and protein expression levels elicited by ZYHT. In vivo studies showed that ZYHT inhibited the metastasis of GC cells to the lung and prolonged the survival time of nude mice. Knocking out RUNX3 partly reversed the metastasis of GC cells to the lung and the protein expression levels elicited by ZYHT.

Conclusion

ZYHT can e?ectively inhibit the invasion and migration of GC in vitro and in vivo, and its molecular mechanism may relate to the upregulation of RUNX3 expression.

Background

Electroacupuncture is often used to treat insomnia.

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for insomnia.

Search strategy

Databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data and VIP Full-text e-Journals Database were searched up to January 15, 2023.

Inclusion criteria

Randomized clinical trials were included if they compared the clinical efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture with sham acupuncture, no treatment or usual care (UC) and general acupuncture.

Data extraction and analysis

The full texts of the studies were reviewed to remove ineligible literature. The extracted data included authors, publication year, diagnostic criteria, sample size, population characteristics, interventions and outcomes. The above steps were performed independently by two reviewers and the data were cross-checked. Stata15.0 software was used to analyze the extracted outcome data. For continuous data (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI] score and Insomnia Severity Index score), weighted mean difference (WMD) was calculated and 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported when the same scale was applied. For dichotomous variables (clinical response rate and adverse events), a meta-analysis was performed using risk ratio (RR) as the effect indicator.

Results

Thirty-one trials with 2226 subjects were included. The meta-analysis suggested that electroacupuncture was more effective in improving insomnia compared with the control group (sham acupuncture, no treatment, UC and general acupuncture) (RR = 1.21; 95% CI: [1.16, 1.27]), significantly reducing the PSQI score in insomnia patients after treatment and at follow-up (WMD = ?3.23; 95% CI: [?4.29, ?2.17]; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the EA and control groups (sham acupuncture and no treatment or UC. RR = 1.48; 95% CI: [0.91, 2.40]; P = 0.117). In addition, the regression results revealed that receiving electroacupuncture for seven to nine weeks provided the best efficacy (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Electroacupuncture can significantly promote better sleep quality in insomnia patients and is suitable for the treatment of various types of insomnia. However, the articles included were single-center trials with small sample sizes, and some articles were of poor quality. Therefore, further research is still needed to confirm these findings.

Objective: This study explores the mechanism of action of Danhongqing formula (DHQ), a compound-based Chinese medicine formula, in the treatment of cholestatic liver fibrosis.
Methods: In vivo experiments were conducted using 8-week-old multidrug resistance protein 2 knockout (Mdr2^-/-) mice as an animal model of cholestatic liver fibrosis. DHQ was administered orally for 8 weeks, and its impact on cholestatic liver fibrosis was evaluated by assessing liver function, liver histopathology, and the expression of liver fibrosis-related proteins. Real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, immunohistochemistry and other methods were used to observe the effects of DHQ on long non-coding RNA H19 (H19) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation in the liver tissue of Mdr2^-/- mice. In addition, cholangiocytes and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were cultured in vitro to measure the effects of bile acids on cholangiocyte injury and H19 expression. Cholangiocytes overexpressing H19 were constructed, and a conditioned medium containing H19 was collected to measure its effects on STAT3 protein expression and cell activation. The intervention effect of DHQ on these processes was also investigated. HSCs overexpressing H19 were constructed to measure the impact of H19 on cell activation and assess the intervention effect of DHQ.
Results: DHQ alleviated liver injury, ductular reaction, and fibrosis in Mdr2^-/- mice, and inhibited H19 expression, STAT3 expression and STAT3 phosphorylation. This formula also reduced hydrophobic bile acid-induced cholangiocyte injury and the upregulation of H19, inhibited the activation of HSCs induced by cholangiocyte-derived conditioned medium, and decreased the expression of activation markers in HSCs. The overexpression of H19 in a human HSC line confirmed that H19 promoted STAT3 phosphorylation and HSC activation, and DHQ was able to successfully inhibit these effects.
Conclusion: DHQ effectively alleviated spontaneous cholestatic liver fibrosis in Mdr2^-/- mice by inhibiting H19 upregulation in cholangiocytes and preventing the inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation in HSC, thereby suppressing cell activation.

Background
Scraping therapy is widely used in treating stage I and II essential hypertension in China. However, there has been no systematic evaluation of the efficacy of scraping therapy on blood pressure and sleep quality in stage I and II essential hypertension.

Search strategy
Seven electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data electronic databases) were searched from inception to December 2022. Based on the principle of combining subject words with text words, the search strategy was constructed around search terms for “scraping therapy,” “scraping,” “Guasha,” “Gua sha,” “hypertension,” and “high blood pressure” during the database searches.

Inclusion criteria
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included if they recruited patients with stage I and II essential hypertension and included a scraping therapy intervention. The intervention group received antihypertensive drugs and scraping therapy, while the control group only took antihypertensive drugs.

Data extraction and analysis
Review Manager 5.4.0 and STATA 15.1 were used to enter all the relevant outcome variables to conduct the meta-analysis. The quality of the selected RCTs was assessed using the PEDro scale. The sensitivity analysis was carried out by iteratively excluding individual studies and repeating the analysis to determine the stability of the findings and identify any studies with greater influence on the outcome. Subgroup analysis was performed to find the source of heterogeneity. Funnel plots were used to evaluate the publication bias of included studies.

Results
Nine RCTs including 765 participants were selected. Meta-analysis showed that scraping therapy combined with medication had an advantage over the use of medication alone in lowering systolic blood pressure (mean difference [MD] = ?5.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] = ?6.50 to ?3.67, P < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (MD = ?2.66, 95% CI = ?3.17 to ?2.14, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that scraping therapy improved sleep quality in middle-aged patients with hypertension, but the efficacy was better in elderly patients (MD = ?7.91, 95% CI = ?8.65 to ?7.16, P < 0.001) than in middle-aged patients (MD = ?2.67, 95% CI = ?4.12 to ?1.21, P = 0.0003).

Conclusion
The available evidence indicates that scraping therapy has significant effects on patients with stage I and II hypertension, and it improves sleep quality for elderly patients with hypertension better than for middle-aged ones. Scraping therapy can be an adjunctive treatment for stage I and II essential hypertension. However, further high-quality studies are needed to verify its effectiveness and the best therapeutic strategies.

Background
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disease characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort associated with altered bowel habits. Several clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion for IBS. Many systematic reviews of acupuncture and moxibustion for IBS have been published in recent years, but their results are not entirely consistent.

Objective
To evaluate the methodological, reporting, and evidence quality of systematic reviews of acupuncture and moxibustion for IBS.

Search strategy
Systematic reviews of acupuncture and moxibustion for IBS published before February 20, 2023 were searched in eight databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, and China Biology Medicine. The keywords used for literature search were acupuncture, moxibustion, systematic review, meta-analysis, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Inclusion criteria
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and moxibustion for IBS were included.

Data extraction and analysis
Relevant information was independently extracted by two investigators. The A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2), Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020), and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) were used to evaluate the methodological quality, reporting quality and evidence quality, respectively.

Results
A total of 342 studies were retrieved and 15 systematic reviews were included. The results of AMSTAR 2 showed low methodological quality in 2 studies and very low methodological quality in the remaining 13 studies, with main issues being failure to register a protocol, incomplete search strategy, not providing a list of excluded studies, incomplete consideration of the risk of bias in the included studies, and a failure to assess the publication bias. The results of PRISMA 2020 showed seriously deficient reporting quality of 2 studies, somewhat deficient reporting quality of 12 studies, and relatively complete reporting quality of 1 study, with the main problems being lack of a complete search strategy, non-availability of a list of excluded studies with justification for their exclusion, not conducting heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses, not evaluating the credibility of the evidence, and not registering the protocol. The results of GRADE showed that the quality of the evidence is low or very low.

Conclusion
Most included systematic reviews interpreted findings to suggest that acupuncture and moxibustion have benefits for IBS. However, there is a need to improve the methodological, reporting and evidence quality of the systematic reviews. Larger, multicenter, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials and high-quality systematic reviews are required to obtain more robust evidence.

Background

Acute gouty arthritis (AGA) is an inflammatory joint disease with a high prevalence. Typical medical interventions, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, colchicine and glucocorticoids, can have serious adverse reactions. Huzhang Granule (HZG), a compound Chinse herbal medicine, has been used to treat AGA for more than 30 years with satisfactory effects and no significant adverse reactions. However, the efficacy and safety of HZG in AGA patients remains unknown.

Objective

The present investigation was designed to examine the efficacy and safety profile of HZG in managing AGA patients.

Design, setting, participants and interventions

The current study was conducted as a noninferiority, randomized controlled clinical trial on 180 eligible enrolled participants. Participants were randomly assigned into the HZG and etoricoxib groups. Treatments were administered for 5 d, during which the HZG group received HZG and placebo etoricoxib, while the etoricoxib group received etoricoxib and placebo HZG in the same ratio (1:1).

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was pain experienced by the patient in the gout-afflicted joint from days 2 to 5 of the treatment window. The pain level was measured via a visual analogue scale, ranging from 0 mm to 100 mm. The secondary outcomes comprised joint tenderness and swelling, reduction of inflammatory biomarkers, and the patient’s and investigator’s global evaluations of therapeutic response.

Results

The mean reduction in pain was –51.22 mm (95% confidence interval [CI], [–53.42, –49.03] mm) for the HZG and –52.00 mm (95% CI, [–54.06, –49.94] mm) for the etoricoxib groups. The mean difference between the two groups was 0.78 mm (95% CI, [–2.25, 3.81] mm). All additional efficacy endpoints, covering decreased inflammation and pain relief, yielded compelling proof of noninferiority. Patients in the HZG group exhibited a comparatively lower rate of adverse events compared to those in the etoricoxib group (4.44% vs 13.33%; P ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion

HZG and etoricoxib groups demonstrated similar levels of analgesic effectiveness. The safety and efficacy of HZG indicates that it can be used as a potential therapeutic option for treating AGA.

Trial registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2000036970).

Objective
Aconite is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been found to inhibit the development of liver cancer; however, its exact molecular mechanisms in this process remain unclear. This study explores how aconite aqueous extract (AAE) inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods
An in vivo mouse model of subcutaneous liver cancer was established. After AAE treatment, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to determine the effect of AAE on natural killer (NK) cells. Subsequently, C57BL/6 mice were used to establish the subcutaneous tumor model, and a group of these mice were treated with anti-PK163 antibody to remove NK cells, which was verified by flow cytometry and IHC. The effect of AAE on the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro was determined using cell counting kit-8. The effect of AAE on chemokine production in HCC cells was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The effect of AAE on the migration of NK cells was determined using a transwell assay. Finally, the molecular mechanism was investigated using the Western blotting method.

Results
We demonstrated that the ability of AAE to induce overexpression of the cytokine C–C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) in HCC cells is fundamental to the infiltration of NK cells into the tumor bed. Mechanistically, we found that the upregulation of CCL2 was achieved by the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase but not extracellular regulated protein kinase or p38.

Conclusion
Our findings suggest that AAE can be used as an effective immune adjuvant to enhance antitumor immunity by increasing NK cell infiltration into tumors, which could help to improve the efficacy of HCC treatments.

Background

Many cancer patients seek adjunctive therapies to biomedical cancer treatments at some point of their disease trajectory. While acupuncture is increasingly recommended by leading oncological associations, limited evidence exists concerning the evidence-informed practice and adherence to current guidelines of traditional complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) practitioners treating cancer patients.

Methods

An international online-survey assessed the demographical data, clinical practice, and sources of information used by TCIM practitioners in Austria, Germany, United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Results

 In total, 404 respondents completed the survey, of which 254 (62.9%) treated cancer patients. Most practitioners were acupuncturists and herbalists (57.1%), had (16.8 ± 9.9) years of clinical experience and see a median of 2 (1, 4) cancer patients per week. Breast cancer (61.8%) is the most common cancer type seen in TCIM clinics. Adjunctive TCIM treatments are frequently concurrent with the patient’s cancer specific treatment (39.9%), which is also reflected by the main goal of a TCIM treatment to alleviate side effects (52.4%). However, only 28.0% of the respondents are in contact with the treating oncologist. According to the respondents, pain is most effectively treated using acupuncture, while herbal medicine is best for cancer-related fatigue. TCIM practitioners mostly use certified courses (33.1%) or online databases (28.3%) but often believe that experts are more reliable to inform their practice (37.0%) than research publications (32.7%).

Conclusion

Acupuncturists and herbalists commonly treat cancer patients. Most practitioners use TCIM as an adjunct to biomedicine as supportive care and use it largely in accordance with current oncological guidelines.

Objective
To explore whether the ethanol extract of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall (EHC), a Xizang medicinal plant traditionally used for treating liver diseases, can improve imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation.

Methods
Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining were used to determine the effects of topical EHC use in vivo on the skin pathology of imiquimod-induced psoriasis in mice. The protein levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in mouse skin samples were examined using immunohistochemical staining. In vitro, IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells with or without EHC treatment were used to evaluate the expression of keratinocyte-derived intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and chemokine CXC ligand 9 (CXCL9) using Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and proteasome inhibitor MG132 were utilized to validate the EHC-mediated mechanism underlying degradation of ICAM-1 and CXCL9.

Results
EHC improved inflammation in the imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model and reduced the levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17A in psoriatic lesions. Treatment with EHC also suppressed ICAM-1 and CXCL9 in epidermal keratinocytes. Further mechanistic studies revealed that EHC suppressed keratinocyte-derived ICAM-1 and CXCL9 by promoting ubiquitin–proteasome-mediated protein degradation rather than transcriptional repression. Seven primary compounds including ehletianol C, dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol, herpetrione, herpetin, herpetotriol, herpetetrone and herpetetrol were identified from the EHC using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry.

Conclusion
Topical application of EHC ameliorates psoriasis-like skin symptoms and improves the inflammation at the lesion sites.

Objective

Acute liver failure (ALF) is characterized by severe liver dysfunction, rapid progression and high mortality and is difficult to treat. Studies have found that sulforaphane (SFN), a nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) agonist, has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer effects, and has certain protective effects on neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and liver fibrosis. This paper aimed to explore the protective effect of SFN in ALF and it possible mechanisms of action.

Methods

Lipopolysaccharide and D-galactosamine were used to induce liver injury in vitro and in vivo. NRF2 agonist SFN and histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitor ACY1215 were used to observe the protective effect and possible mechanisms of SFN in ALF, respectively. Cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Fe2+, glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected. The expression of HDAC6, NRF2, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) and solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence.

Results

Our results show that NRF2 was activated by SFN. LDH, Fe2+, MDA and ACSL4 were downregulated, while GSH, GPX4 and SLC7A11 were upregulated by SFN in vitro and in vivo, indicating the inhibitory effect of SFN on ferroptosis. Additionally, HDAC6 expression was decreased in the SFN group, indicating that SFN could downregulate the expression of HDAC6 in ALF. After using the HDAC6 inhibitor, ACY1215, SFN further reduced HDAC6 expression and inhibited ferroptosis, indicating that SFN may inhibit ferroptosis by regulating HDAC6 activity.

Conclusion

SFN has a protective effect on ALF, and the mechanism may include reduction of ferroptosis through the regulation of HDAC6.

Objective
The aim of this study is to identify molecules from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with potential activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants.

Methods
We applied the Apriori algorithm to identify important combinations of herbs in the TCM prescriptions for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Then, we explored the active components and core targets using network pharmacology. In addition, the molecular docking approach was performed to investigate the interaction of these components with the main structural and non-structural proteins, as well as the mutants. Furthermore, their stability in the binding pockets was further evaluated with the molecular dynamics approach.

Results
A combination of Amygdalus Communis Vas., Ephedra Herba and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi was selected as the important herbal combination, and 11 main components and 20 core targets against COVID-19 were obtained. These components, including luteolin, naringenin, stigmasterol, baicalein, and so on, were the potentially active compounds against COVID-19. The binding affinity of these compounds with the potential targets was as high as the positive controls. Among them, baicalein could interfere with multiple targets simultaneously, and it also interfered with the interaction between spike protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. Additionally, almost all the systems reached stability during dynamics simulation.

Conclusion
The combination of Amygdalus Communis Vas., Ephedra Herba and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi was the most important herbal combination for the treatment of COVID-19. Baicalein may be a potential candidate against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.

This report presents the case of a 59-year-old man with severe COVID-19 that gradually progressed to cytokine release syndrome and then acute respiratory distress syndrome; he was successfully treated via integration of therapeutic plasma exchange and traditional Chinese medicine. The patient initially presented with a sore throat, severe muscle aches, productive cough and fever. On the worsening of symptoms, remdesivir was administered. However, as the symptoms continued to worsen and a cytokine release syndrome was suspected, oxygen was provided through a high-flow nasal cannula (50 L/min) and therapeutic plasma exchange was performed to prevent worsening of the acute respiratory distress syndrome. On the same day, a course of traditional Chinese medicine was introduced in consultation with the infectious house staff. The patient’s symptoms gradually improved; the levels of C-reactive protein and D-dimers reduced, and the patient was weaned to a simple oxygen mask and eventually to room air. This is the first reported case of the integration of these treatments. Together, they prevented the patient from requiring intubation, played a role in cytokine management, and also improved the clinical symptoms, including productive purulent sputum, cough, frequent stool passage and intermittent fever, with no adverse effects. As a result, the patient was discharged within two weeks of the integration of these treatments. Therefore, the integration of therapeutic plasma exchange and traditional Chinese medicine is an effective therapy for patients with severe COVID-19.

Objective

Depression and metabolic disorders have overlapping psychosocial and pathophysiological causes. Current research is focused on the possible role of adiponectin in regulating common biological mechanisms. Xiaoyao San (XYS), a classic Chinese medicine compound, has been widely used in the treatment of depression and can alleviate metabolic disorders such as lipid or glucose metabolism disorders. However, the ability of XYS to ameliorate depression-like behavior as well as metabolic dysfunction in mice and the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Methods

An in vivo animal model of depression was established by chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). XYS and fluoxetine were administered by gavage to the drug intervention group. Depression-like behaviors were analyzed by the social interaction test, open field test, forced swim test, and elevated plus maze test. Glucose levels were measured using the oral glucose tolerance test. The involvement of certain molecules was validated by immunofluorescence, histopathology, and Western blotting. In vitro, hypothalamic primary neurons were exposed to high glucose to induce neuronal damage, and the neuroprotective effect of XYS was evaluated by cell counting kit-8 assay. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting were used to evaluate the influences of XYS on adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1), adenosine 5’-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) and other related proteins.

Results

XYS ameliorated CSDS-induced depression-like behaviors and glucose tolerance impairment in mice and increased the level of serum adiponectin. XYS also restored Nissl bodies in hypothalamic neurons in mice that exhibited depression-like behaviors and decreased the degree of neuronal morphological damage. In vivo and in vitro studies indicated that XYS increased the expression of AdipoR1 in hypothalamic neurons.

Conclusion

Adiponectin may be a key regulator linking depression and metabolic disorders;  regulation of the hypothalamic AdipoR1/AMPK/ACC pathway plays an important role in treatment of depression by XYS.

Objective: Melittin, a cell-penetrating peptide, improves the efficiency of many non-viral gene delivery vectors, yet its application in viral vectors has not been well studied. The non-pathogenic recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector is an ideal in vivo gene delivery vector. However, its full potential will only be achieved after improvement of its transduction efficiency. To improve the transduction efficiency of rAAV2 vectors, we attempted to develop a melittin-based rAAV2 vector delivery strategy.
Methods: The melittin peptide was inserted into the rAAV2 capsid either in the loop VIII of all viral proteins (VPs) or at the N terminus of VP2. Various rAAV2-gfp or -fluc vectors were subjected to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays to determine their titers and integrity of capsid proteins, respectively. Alternatively, the vectors based on wild-type capsid were pre-incubated with melittin, followed by transduction of cultured cells or tail vein administration of the mixture to C57BL/6 and BALB/c nude mice. In vivo bioluminescence imaging was performed to evaluate the transgene expression.
Results: rAAV2 vectors with melittin peptide inserted in the loop VIII of VPs had low transduction efficiency, probably due to dramatically reduced ability to bind to the target cells. Fusing the melittin peptide at the N-terminus of VP2 produced vectors without the VP2 subunit. Interestingly, among the commonly used rAAV vectors, pre-incubation of rAAV2 and rAAV6 vectors with melittin significantly enhanced their transduction efficiency in HEK293 and Huh7 cells in vitro. Melittin also had the ability to increase the rAAV2-mediated transgene expression in mouse liver in vivo. Mechanistically, melittin did not change the vector-receptor interaction. Moreover, cell counting kit-8 assays of cultured cells and serum transaminase levels indicated melittin had little cytotoxicity.
Conclusion: Pre-incubation with melittin, but not insertion of melittin into the rAAV2 capsid, significantly enhanced rAAV2-mediated transgene expression. Although further in vivo evaluations are required, this research not only expands the pharmacological potential of melittin, but also provides a new strategy to improve gene therapy mediated by rAAV vectors.

Psychomotor performance is the coordination of a sensory or ideational (cognitive) process and a motor activity. All sensorimotor processes involved in planning and execution of voluntary movements need oxygen supply and seem to be significantly disrupted in states of hypoxia. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has become a widely used treatment in routine medicine and sport medicine due to its beneficial effects on different aspects of human physiology and performance. This paper presents state-of-the-art data on the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on different aspects of human psychomotor function. The therapy’s influence on musculoskeletal properties and motor abilities as well as the effects of hyperbaric oxygenation on cognitive, myocardial and pulmonary functions are presented. In this review the molecular and physiological processes related to human psychomotor performance in response to hyperbaric oxygen are discussed to contribute to this fast-growing field of research in integrative medicine.

Severe pneumonia is one of the most common infectious diseases and the leading cause of sepsis and septic shock. Preventing infection, balancing the patient’s immune status, and anti-coagulation therapy are all important elements in the treatment of severe pneumonia. As multi-target agents, Xuebijing injection (XBJ) has shown unique advantages in targeting complex conditions and saving the lives of patients with severe pneumonia. This review outlines progress in the understanding of XBJ’s anti-inflammatory, endotoxin antagonism, and anticoagulation effects. From the hundreds of publications released over the past few years, the key results from representative clinical studies of XBJ in the treatment of severe pneumonia were selected and summarized. XBJ was observed to effectively suppress the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, counter the effects of endotoxin, and assert an anticoagulation effect in most clinical trials, which are consistent with experimental studies. Collectively, this evidence suggests that XBJ could play an important and expanding role in clinical medicine, especially for sepsis, septic shock and severe pneumonia.

Background
Electroacupuncture (EA) may reduce the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP) and provide additional pain relief in patients with chronic pancreatitis. However, the ability of EA to relieve pain in patients with AP has not been well documented.

Objective
This study was undertaken to compare the pain-relieving effects of EA and conventional treatment in patients with AP.

Design, setting, participants and interventions

This study was conducted using a randomized, controlled, three-arm, parallel-group and multi-center design. Patients diagnosed with AP were randomly and equally assigned to EA1, EA2 or control groups. All participants received conventional standard-of-care therapy for AP. Local EA alone was administered in EA1, and local plus distal EA was given in EA2. Local EA included two abdominal acupoints, while distal EA included twelve peripheral acupoints. EA groups underwent one session of EA daily for 4 days (days 1–4), or until pain was resolved or discharged.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome measure was the change in the visual analogue scale (VAS; 0–100) pain score between baseline and day 5.

Results
Eighty-nine participants were randomized into EA1, EA2 and control groups, and 88 (EA1, 30; EA2, 29; control, 29) were included in the full-analysis set. VAS score change (median [interquartile range]) on day 5 was (12.3 ± 22.5) in the EA1 group, (10.3 ± 21.5) in the EA2 group, and (8.9 ± 15.2) in the control group. There were not significant differences in the change in VAS score among treatments (P = 0.983). However, time to food intake was significantly shorter in the EA group (EA1 + EA2) than in the control group (median 2.0 days vs 3.0 days), with a hazard ratio of 0.581 (P = 0.022; 95% CI, 0.366–0.924). No significant adverse events occurred.

Conclusion
EA treatment did not significantly reduce pain after 4 days of treatment in patients with AP-associated abdominal pain but significantly reduced time to first food intake.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03173222.

Objective
Acupotomy is a modern acupuncture method that includes modern surgical methods. Since acupotomy is relatively more invasive than filiform acupuncture treatment, it is important to establish the safety profile of this practice. To justify further large-scale prospective observational studies, this preliminary study was performed to assess the feasibility of the approach and investigate the safety profile and factors potentially associated with adverse events (AEs).

Methods
This was a prospective pilot study that assessed the feasibility of a large-scale forthcoming safety study on acupotomy treatment in a real-world setting. The feasibility (call response rate, drop-out rate, response rate for each variable and recruitment per month) and safety profile (incidence, type, severity and causality of AEs, and factors potentially associated with AEs) were measured.

Results
A total of 28 participants joined the study from January to May 2018. A follow-up assessment was achieved in 258 (1185 treatment points) out of 261 sessions (1214 treatment points). The response rate via telephone on the day after treatment was 87.3%. There were 8 systemic AEs in all the sessions (8/258; 3.11%) and 27 local AEs on the total points treated (27/1185; 2.28%). Severe AEs did not occur. Total AE and local AE occurrence were associated with blade width and the number of needle stimulations per treatment point.

Conclusion
The findings suggest that it could be feasible to analyze the safety of acupotomy in a real-world setting. Moreover, the primary data on some relevant AEs could be determined. We are planning large-scale prospective studies based on these findings.

Objective

‘Multi-targeting’ drugs can prove fruitful to combat drug-resistance of multifactorial disease—cervical cancer. This study envisioned to reveal if Thuja homeopathic mother tincture (MT) and its bioactive component could combat human papillomavirus (HPV)-16-infected SiHa cervical cancer cells since it is globally acclaimed for HPV-mediated warts.

Methods

Thuja MT was studied for its antiproliferative and antimigratory properties in SiHa cells followed by microscopic determination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by 2’,7’-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) staining and loss in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) by rhodamine (Rh) 123 staining. Apoptosis and autophagy inductions were studied by acridine orange (AO) ethidium bromide (EB) staining and immunoblot analyses of marker proteins. The bioactive component of Thuja MT detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was studied for antiproliferative and antimigratory properties along with in silico prediction of its cellular targets by molecular docking and oral drug forming competency.

Results 

Thuja MT showed significant antiproliferative and antimigratory potential in SiHa cells at a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) dosage of 17.3 μL/mL. An increase in DCFDA fluorescence and loss in Rh123 fluorescence prove that Thuja MT acted through the burst of ROS and loss in MMP respectively. AO/EB-stained cells under the microscope and immunoblot analyses supported Thuja-induced cellular demise via dual pathways—apoptosis and autophagy. Immunoblots showed cleavage of caspase-3 and poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1) along with upregulation of Beclin-1, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3B)-II, and p62 proteins. Hence, the apoptotic cascade followed a caspase-3-dependent pathway supported by PARP-1 cleavage, while autophagic death was Beclin-1-dependent and mediated by accumulation of LC3BII and p62 proteins. Thujone, detected as the bioactive principle of Thuja MT showed greater anti-proliferative and anti-migratory potential at an IC50 77 μg/mL along with excellent oral drug competency with the ability for gastrointestinal absorption and blood-brain-barrier permeation with nil toxicity. Molecular docking depicted thujone with the strongest affinity for mammalian target of rapamycin, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, and protein kinase B followed by B-cell lymphoma 2, murine double minute 2 and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, which might act as upstream triggers of apoptotic-autophagic crosstalk. 

Conclusion

Robust ‘multi-targeting’ anticancer potential of Thuja drug and thujone for HPV-infected cervical cancer ascertain its therapeutic efficacy for HPV infections. 

Health literacy is critical to improving individual and public health. However, indigenous perceptions of health are largely absent from Western-derived measurements, contributing to disparities in health outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous populations. China is the country with the world’s largest population and only officially introduced the term “health literacy” in 2008. Current measures of health literacy in China are primarily based on Western-derived constructs, which have been shown to have poor comparability to the unique dual medical system in China. Given its significant importance to health management globally, understanding health perceptions from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective is essential. This review explores the concept and core elements of indigenous health literacy, evaluates the existing definitions and measurement tools as applied to the concept, and proposes a new model of traditional Chinese medicine health literacy.

Objective
The main aim of this study is to investigate whether acupuncture could be an effective complementary treatment for reducing the risk of macrovascular complications in diabetic patients currently taking antidiabetic medications using a nationwide population-based database.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the efficacy of acupuncture on cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients using data from patients between 40 and 79 years of age, newly diagnosed with diabetes between 2003 and 2006, found in the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) in Korea. From the data, we identified 21,232 diabetic patients who were taking antidiabetic medication between 2003 and 2006. The selected patients were divided into two groups—those who received acupuncture at least three times and those who received no acupuncture (non-acupuncture) in the year following their diagnosis of diabetes. After 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), each group had 3350 patients, and the observation ceased at the occurrence of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), which was defined as either myocardial infarction, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular cause.

Results
After PSM, the acupuncture group had a lower incidence of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81–0.94; P = 0.0003) and all-cause mortality (HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.70–0.84; P < 0.0001) than the non-acupuncture group; the HRs for stroke-related mortality (HR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.56–1.00; P = 0.0485), ischemic heart disease mortality (HR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.34–0.84; P = 0.006) and circulatory system disease mortality (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.55–0.82; P < 0.0001) were lower in the acupuncture group than in the non-acupuncture group in the secondary analysis.

Conclusion
Our results indicate that diabetic patients receiving acupuncture treatment might have a lower risk of MACE, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. This population-based retrospective study suggests beneficial effects of acupuncture in preventing macrovascular complications associated with diabetes. These findings call for further prospective cohort or experimental studies on acupuncture treatment for cardiovascular complications of diabetes.

Globally, it is evident that glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive malignant cancer with a high mortality rate and no effective treatment options. Glioblastoma is classified as the stage-four progression of a glioma tumor, and its diagnosis results in a shortened life expectancy. Treatment options for GBM include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgical intervention, and conventional pharmacotherapy; however, at best, they extend the patient’s life by a maximum of 5 years. GBMs are considered incurable due to their high recurrence rate, despite various aggressive therapeutic approaches which can have many serious adverse effects. Ceramides, classified as endocannabinoids, offer a promising novel therapeutic approach for GBM. Endocannabinoids may enhance the apoptosis of GBM cells but have no effect on normal healthy neural cells. Cannabinoids promote atypical protein kinase C, deactivate fatty acid amide hydrolase enzymes, and activate transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and TRPV2 to induce pro-apoptotic signaling pathways without increasing endogenous cannabinoids. In previous in vivo studies, endocannabinoids, chemically classified as amide formations of oleic and palmitic acids, have been shown to increase the pro-apoptotic activity of human cancer cells and inhibit cell migration and angiogenesis. This review focuses on the biological synthesis and pharmacology of endogenous cannabinoids for the enhancement of cancer cell apoptosis, which have potential as a novel therapy for GBM.

Objective

JieZe-1 (JZ-1), a Chinese herbal prescription, has an obvious effect on genital herpes, which is mainly caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Our study aimed to address whether HSV-2 induces pyroptosis of VK2/E6E7 cells and to investigate the anti-HSV-2 activity of JZ-1 and the effect of JZ-1 on caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis.

Methods

HSV-2-infected VK2/E6E7 cells and culture supernate were harvested at different time points after the infection. Cells were co-treated with HSV-2 and penciclovir (0.078125 mg/mL) or caspase-1 inhibitor VX-765 (24 h pretreatment with 100 μmol/L) or JZ-1 (0.078125–50 mg/mL). Cell counting kit-8 assay and viral load analysis were used to evaluate the antiviral activity of JZ-1. Inflammasome activation and pyroptosis of VK2/E6E7 cells were analyzed using microscopy, Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide staining, lactate dehydrogenase release assay, gene and protein expression, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

HSV-2 induced pyroptosis of VK2/E6E7 cells, with the most significant increase observed 24 h after the infection. JZ-1 effectively inhibited HSV-2 (the 50% inhibitory concentration = 1.709 mg/mL), with the 6.25 mg/mL dose showing the highest efficacy (95.76%). JZ-1 (6.25 mg/mL) suppressed pyroptosis of VK2/E6E7 cells. It downregulated the inflammasome activation and pyroptosis via inhibiting the expression of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (P < 0.001) and interferon-γ-inducible protein 16 (P < 0.001), and their interactions with apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain, and reducing cleaved caspase-1 p20 (P < 0.01), gasdermin D-N (P < 0.01), interleukin (IL)-1β (P < 0.001), and IL-18 levels (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

JZ-1 exerts an excellent anti-HSV-2 effect in VK2/E6E7 cells, and it inhibits caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis induced by HSV-2 infection. These data enrich our understanding of the pathologic basis of HSV-2 infection and provide experimental evidence for the anti-HSV-2 activity of JZ-1.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of implementing a manual therapy technique (muscle energy technique, MET) protocol in a hospital pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program for patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods

Participants aged 40 years and over, with moderate to severe COPD, were recruited into this 12-week study. The primary outcome measures were feasibility (acceptability of the intervention and attendance/adherence to the trial) and safety (adverse events, AEs). All participants received the MET and PR therapies. Participants and assessors were unblinded. Semi-standardized MET was delivered on 6 occasions (a maximum of once per week) at the hospital directly before a PR session. Participants undertook PR sessions as per the hospital program at a frequency of two days per week for 8 weeks. Participants were contacted 4 weeks after their final MET treatment via a telephone call to assess acceptability of the intervention.

Results

Thirty-three participants were enrolled, with a median age of 74 years (range 45–89 years). The median number of MET sessions that participants attended was 5 (range 0–6) out of a possible 6 sessions (83% attendance). At follow-up, participants overwhelmingly enjoyed the MET treatment with some subjectively reporting improved breathing. There were no major AEs related to the intervention, with the majority of AEs classified as expected events related to COPD exacerbations.

Conclusion

It is feasible to implement a manual therapy protocol using MET as an adjunct to PR in a hospital setting. Recruitment rates were satisfactory and there were no AEs related to the MET component of the intervention.

Background: Hospitalized patients recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may experience disability and suffer from significant physical and mental impairment requiring physical rehabilitation following their discharge. However, to date, no attempt has been made to collate and synthesize literature in this area.

Objective: This systematic review examines the outcomes of different physical rehabilitation interventions tested in COVID-19 patients who were discharged from hospital.

Search strategy: A systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and medRxiv was conducted to identify articles published up to March 2022.

Inclusion criteria: This systematic review included studies of outpatient rehabilitation programs for people recovering from COVID-19 who received physical activity, exercise, or breathing training to enhance or restore functional capacity, pulmonary function, quality of life, and mental health or function.

Data extraction and analysis: Selection of included articles, data extraction, and methodological quality assessments were conducted by two review authors respectively, and consensus was reached through discussion and consultation with a third reviewer. Finally, we review the outcomes of studies based on four categories including: (1) functional capacity, (2) pulmonary function, (3) quality of life, and (4) mental health status.

Results: A total of 7534 titles and abstracts were screened; 10 cohort studies, 4 randomized controlled trials and 13 other prospective studies involving 1583 patients were included in our review. Early physical rehabilitation interventions applied in COVID-19 patients who were discharged from the hospital improved multiple parameters related to functional capacity, pulmonary function, quality of life and mental health status.

Conclusion: Physical rehabilitation interventions may be safe, feasible and effective in COVID-19 patients discharged from the hospital, and can improve a variety of clinically relevant outcomes. Further studies are warranted to determine the underlying mechanisms.

Background
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is becoming a popular complementary approach in pediatric oncology. However, few or no meta-analyses have focused on clinical studies of the use of TCM in pediatric oncology.

Objective
We explored the patterns of TCM use and its efficacy in children with cancer, using a systematic review, meta-analysis and data mining study.

Search strategy
We conducted a search of five English (Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov) and four Chinese databases (Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Database) for clinical studies published before October 2021, using keywords related to “pediatric,” “cancer,” and “TCM.”

Inclusion criteria
We included studies which were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or observational clinical studies, focused on patients aged < 19 years old who had been diagnosed with cancer, and included at least one group of subjects receiving TCM treatment.

Data extraction and analysis
The methodological quality of RCTs and observational studies was assessed using the six-item Jadad scale and the Effective Public Healthcare Panacea Project Quality Assessment Tool, respectively. Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy of combining TCM with chemotherapy. Study outcomes included the treatment response rate and occurrence of cancer-related symptoms. Association rule mining (ARM) was used to investigate the associations among medicinal herbs and patient symptoms.

Results
The fifty-four studies included in this analysis were comprised of RCTs (63.0%) and observational studies (37.0%). Most RCTs focused on hematological malignancies (41.2%). The study outcomes included chemotherapy-induced toxicities (76.5%), infection rate (35.3%), and response, survival or relapse rate (23.5%). The methodological quality of most of the RCTs (82.4%) and observational studies (80.0%) was rated as “moderate.” In studies of leukemia patients, adding TCM to conventional treatment significantly improved the clinical response rate (odds ratio [OR] = 2.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49–4.36), lowered infection rate (OR = 0.23; 95% CI = 0.13–0.40), and reduced nausea and vomiting (OR = 0.13; 95% CI = 0.08–0.23). ARM showed that Radix Astragali, the most commonly used medicinal herb (58.0%), was associated with treating myelosuppression, gastrointestinal complications, and infection.

Conclusion
There is growing evidence that TCM is an effective adjuvant therapy for children with cancer. We proposed a checklist to improve the quality of TCM trials in pediatric oncology. Future work will examine the use of ARM techniques on real-world data to evaluate the efficacy of medicinal herbs and drug-herb interactions in children receiving TCM as a part of integrated cancer therapy.