Most ReadRecurrent pregnancy loss undermines the physical and mental health of women. Recent randomized controlled trials have reported some effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM); however, whether various TCM methods have different effectiveness remains unclear.
To comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and adverse events of TCM for patients with RPL and to explore whether various TCM methods have different effectiveness.
Ten databases were searched up to May 27, 2024. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB2 tool. The certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tool. Pairwise and network analyses were conducted using Stata 18.0.
A total of 47 randomized controlled trials enrolling 6678 women with RPL were included. Pairwise analysis showed that use of TCM had a significantly lower miscarriage rate (RR 0.50 [95% CI 0.45, 0.55]), lower preterm birth rate (RR 0.81 [95% CI 0.67, 0.98), and lower adverse event rate (RR 0.46 [95% CI 0.37, 0.58]). Moreover, use of TCM was associated with a higher alive-fetus rate (RR 1.21 [95% CI 1.15, 1.26]), live-birth rate (RR 1.20 [95% CI 1.15, 1.25]), and full-term rate (RR 1.37 [95% CI 1.23, 1.53]) compared with nonuse of TCM. Network analysis demonstrated that Bushenshugan combined with conventional Western medicine was ranked the best for the reduction of miscarriage rate.
Use of TCM is more likely to improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce adverse events compared with nonuse of TCM in patients with RPL. Different TCM methods have differences in reducing the miscarriage rate. The Bushenshugan method might be a potential optimal TCM therapy, but more high-quality evidence is needed to further validate and evaluate the efficacy and safety.
Influenza A virus (IAV) is a negative-sense RNA virus of the Orthomyxoviridae family and is the etiological agent of a highly contagious acute respiratory disease that can lead to acute lung injury.
To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of IAV infection, an integrative research approach combining gene expression profiling, multinetwork analysis, and in vivo experimental validations was employed.
First, a series of network-based analyses were performed, including protein-protein interaction network construction, weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and subsequent gene set enrichment analysis, to identify the major underlying mechanisms of IAV infection. Following gene expression analysis, core targets, both direct and indirect regulators, were screened. An IAV (H1N1) strain A/PR/8/34-induced acute lung injury mouse model was constructed for in vivo validations. Batch one included two groups to evaluate findings from the multi-network analysis: Mock (n = 10; 5 males and 5 females) and IAV (n = 10; 5 males and 5 females). Batch two included three groups to assess the role of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in IAV infection: Mock (n = 6; 3 males and 3 females), IAV (n = 6; 3 males and 3 females), and TLR3 inhibitor (n = 6; 3 males and 3 females). Body weight was measured on days 0, 3, and 5 after infection. On day 5, lung tissues were collected to assess viral load and histopathological changes. Key targets were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining, both in sera and lung tissues.
IAV infection was significantly associated with dysregulation of the immune-inflammation system, such as the LTR, nucle-otide-binding oligomerization domain-(NOD) like receptor, retinoic acid-inducible gene I-like receptor, and nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathways. Gene set enrichment analysis further indicated that the TLR and necroptosis signaling pathways played crucial roles in the progression of IAV infection (TLR signaling pathway normalized enrichment score = 2.3941, P = 1.00 × 10−10; necroptosis normalized enrichment score = 1.9421, P = 6.21 × 10−7). Among the core targets, TLR3 and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) may regulate gene expression at the transcriptional level (all P < 0.05). In vivo validation using an IAV (PR8) infected acute lung injury mouse model demonstrated increased viral load and lung index, alveolar structural damage, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Immunofluorescence staining exhibited large gaps in Lamin B1 staining and breaches in Emerin signals following IAV-PR8 infection. Expression levels of TLR3, p-receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 3 (RIPK3)/RIPK3, and p-mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL)/MLKL proteins in lung tissues, as well as proinflammatory factors and mediators in sera, were significantly elevated after IAV infection. Moreover, enhanced neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase) and citrullinated histone H3 (a neutrophil extracellular trap-specific marker), both established indicators of neutrophil extracellular trap formation, were observed. Notably, treatment with a TLR3 inhibitor significantly ameliorated IAV-induced acute lung injury by regulating necroptosis-related targets.
Our study provides network-based in vivo evidence that TLR3-receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 3-MLKL-mediated necroptosis may underlie IAV-induced acute lung injury and could serve as a potential therapeutic target in severe influenza cases.
Chinese herbal pieces are an essential component of traditional Chinese medicine. Accurate identification and classification of these materials are crucial in clinical practice.
This study aims to enhance the recognition efficiency of Chinese herbal pieces using deep learning technology, while addressing the limitations of traditional manual classification methods in terms of both quality and efficiency.
A comprehensive dataset containing 201 types of Chinese herbal pieces was established. Based on Real-time Detection Transformer (RT-DETR), we designed and integrated a Feature-focused Diffusion Network (FDN), resulting in an improved model termed RT-DETR-FDN. The proposed FDN includes a Feature-focus Module and a feature diffusion mechanism, enabling the model to capture more extensive feature information from Chinese herbal pieces and diffuse it across multiple detection scales.
Experimental results show that RT-DETR-FDN achieved a precision of 0.925, a recall of 0.943, and an mAP50-95 of 0.851. In addition, the model was compared with representative You Only Look Once series models commonly used in object detection. Compared with these models, RT-DETR-FDN achieved higher recognition accuracy while maintaining a lightweight architecture.
This study integrates deep learning with traditional Chinese medicine, providing a more effective solution for the recognition of Chinese herbal pieces.
Traditional Chinese medicine and its bioactive components have garnered increasing attention as potential therapeutic options for allergic asthma. By targeting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway, these natural compounds exhibit unique advantages in multilevel immunomodulation and inflammation suppression compared with single-target synthetic drugs. Accumulating pharmacological evidence supports their capacity to restore pathway homeostasis, positioning them as promising candidates for complementary strategies in asthma management. Allergic asthma, a heterogeneous respiratory disorder affecting approximately 150 million individuals worldwide, arises from a complex interplay of genetic predisposition, environmental exposures, and lifestyle factors. Its pathological progression is marked by aberrant activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling cascade, with the mechanistic target of rapamycin serving as a key downstream regulatory node. This evolutionarily conserved pathway orchestrates fundamental cellular processes that contribute to three hallmark pathological features of allergic asthma: chronic airway inflammation, structural remodeling of the bronchial architecture, and airway hyperresponsiveness. This review has 3 primary objectives: (1) to evaluate the role of the PI3K/AKT pathway in allergic asthma pathogenesis, (2) to analyze the molecular mechanisms of representative traditional Chinese medicine preparations and their active ingredients, and (3) to identify novel bioactive inhibitors derived from natural products. Collectively, these investigations provide a conceptual framework for the development of next-generation targeted therapies and for optimizing clinical management strategies for allergic asthma.
Osteoporosis is a systemic disease, and epidemiological projections indicate that by 2050, approximately 23.43% of the Chinese population over 50 years of age will be affected. Given the poor prognosis associated with osteoporosis, the exploration of safe and effective natural products is of considerable significance. Studies investigating the chemical constituents of traditional Chinese medicine in cellular and/or animal models have demonstrated bone-protective effects. Although most of these compounds lack clinical data, they hold considerable potential as lead candidates for drug development. In-depth study of the structure-activity relationship of these natural products not only contributes to elucidating the mechanisms of action but also provides a theoretical basis for the development of novel antiosteoporosis therapies. This review summarizes natural products with potential antiosteoporotic effects reported between 2020 and 2024. Overall, plant-derived natural compounds exhibit antiosteoporotic effects by regulating bone remodeling, inflammation, and oxidative stress, highlighting their promise as multitarget therapeutic candidates.
Abnormal synaptic plasticity is an early pathological feature of Alzheimer disease (AD). Synaptic damage and dysfunction initiate neuronal degeneration and death, ultimately leading to cognitive impairment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can effectively ameliorate cognitive dysfunction through multitarget regulation of synaptic plasticity. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which TCM, including active components, single herbs, and classical formulas, modulates synaptic plasticity, offering new insights for future research and clinical applications. Relevant experimental studies published between 2020 and 2024 were retrieved from major databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the National Science and Technology Library, Wanfang Data, Elsevier, ScienceDirect, PubMed, SpringerLink, and Web of Science. Network pharmacology and bioinformatics approaches were used to predict the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of TCM on AD-related synaptic plasticity. In total, 15 TCM single herbs and 11 TCM formulas were identified as enhancing AD-related synaptic plasticity. Additionally, 15 active ingredients targeting synaptic plasticity in AD were retrieved from TCM databases over the past decade. This review provides novel perspectives and strategic directions for future AD research and therapeutic development.
The study focuses on the concept of multifunctional traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas and aims to evaluate the efficacy of the classical formula Xiaoyao San (逍遥散). Study employs the integrated evidence chain (Eff-iEC) method to organize, integrate, and evaluate its therapeutic efficacy in treating different diseases with the same therapy, and to investigate the feasibility of using Eff-iEC to evaluate the multifunctionality of TCM formulas. The evaluation covered Xiaoyao San's therapeutic effects on depression, premenstrual syndrome, chronic hepatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, and menopausal syndrome. Concurrently, the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used for evaluation, and authoritative medical documents were incorporated to corroborate the recognition of Xiaoyao San within the medical community. Depression and menopausal syndrome received higher ratings than other conditions in the Eff-iEC, GRADE, and Medical Community Recognition assessments. The Eff-iEC evidence grade for Xiaoyao San was rated as "High" or above for chronic hepatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, and menopausal syndrome. Premenstrual syndrome received a "Moderate+" rating. The GRADE evidence level was "Low-〇〇⨁⨁" for depression, premenstrual syndrome, and chronic hepatitis; "Moderate-〇⨁⨁⨁" for dyspepsia and menopausal syndrome; and "Very Low-〇〇〇⨁" for irritable bowel syndrome. Depression and menopausal syndrome had the highest inclusion frequency, appearing in all 4 categories. Premenstrual syndrome, chronic hepatitis, and dyspepsia are not recommended in Western medical guidelines, but they are included in TCM guidelines, the China National Basic Medical Insurance Drug List, and the China National Essential Drug List. Irritable bowel syndrome appears only in the China National Basic Medical Insurance Drug List and China National Essential Drug List. The evaluation results obtained using the Eff-iEC method align with Medical Community Recognition, providing an objective and comprehensive assessment of Xiaoyao San's efficacy. The findings suggest that Xiaoyao San has strong evidence for treating depression and menopausal syndrome. However, further experimental and clinical trials are needed to assess its efficacy in treating premenstrual syndrome, chronic hepatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and dyspepsia. These results support the clinical efficacy and rational use of Xiaoyao San, expand the application scope of the Eff-iEC method, and offer valuable insights and methodological references for the comparative evaluation of multifunctional TCM formulas.
Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is primarily airborne and remains a global health problem, especially in resource-limited countries and regions. The emergence of drug resistance in M. tuberculosis has rendered the existing means ineffective in the treatment of TB. Therefore, research in new therapeutic directions has become imperative. In this review, we outline functional peptides in terms of the mechanisms of action, anti-TB attempts, advantages and disadvantages, and latest advances, aiming to analyze the research progress in anti-TB peptides. Furthermore, we investigate the potential applications of bioactive compounds found in traditional Chinese Medicine within the context of peptides.
Murraya, a genus of shrubs and trees in the Rutaceae family, consists of approximately 9 species in China with significant medicinal and horticultural value. However, the phylogeny and taxonomy of Murraya species remain controversial, particularly with respect to Murraya exotica and M. paniculata.
This study aimed to provide insights into the taxonomy, phylogeny, and identification of Murraya.
In this study, the chloroplast (CP) genomes of 7 Murraya species were sequenced, assembled, and subjected to comparative and phylogenetic analyses.
The CP genomes of Murraya ranged from 158,573 to 160,817 bp in length and encoded 112 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. Similar to other angiosperms, the inverted repeat regions of the CP genomes exhibited lower sequence divergence than the single-copy regions, and coding regions were more conserved than noncoding regions. Comparative analysis identified several highly variable regions (eg, matK, ycf1, ndhI-ndhA, trnH-GUG-psbA, rpl32-trnL) that could serve as molecular markers for species identification in Murraya. Among these, the ycf1 gene was validated as a useful marker for distinguishing M. exotica from M. paniculata. Positive selection was detected in 10 genes, including rbcL, psaJ, ndhD, ndhF, rpl2, rpl20, ycf1, accD, ccsA, and rpl32. Phylogenetic analysis based on CP genomes supported the recognition of M. exotica and M. paniculata as independent species. Moreover, the phylogenetic trees indicated that Murraya is not monophyletic, with sect. Bergera showing a closer relationship to Clausena. Molecular dating results suggested that the diversification of M. paniculata, M. alata, and M. exotica occurred approximately 9.11 Mya (95% highest posterior density: 4.90-13.87 Mya).
These findings provide valuable CP genome data for clarifying the phylogenetic relationships between M. exotica and M. paniculata, and for advancing the study of DNA markers and the evolutionary history of Murraya.
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