Ethnopharmacological relevance: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease among old adults. As a traditional Chinese medicine, the herbal decoction Tian-Si-Yin consists of Morinda officinalis How. and Cuscuta chinensis Lam., which has been widely used to nourish kidney. Interestingly, Tian-Si-Yin has also been used to treat dementia, depression and other neurological conditions. However, its therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Aim of the study: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of the herbal formula Tian-Si-Yin against AD and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Materials and methods: The N2a cells treated with amyloid beta (A beta) peptide or overexpressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) were used to establish cellular models of AD. The in vivo anti-AD effects were evaluated by using Caenorhabditis elegans and 3 x Tg-AD mouse models. Tian-Si-Yin was orally administered to the mice for 8 weeks at a dose of 10, 15 or 20 mg/kg/day, respectively. Its protective role on memory deficits of mice was examined using the Morris water maze and fear conditioning tests. Network pharmacology, proteomic analysis and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) were used to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms, which were further investigated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results: Tian-Si-Yin was shown to improve cell viability of A beta-treated N2a cells and APP-expressing N2a-APP cells. Tian-Si-Yin was also found to reduce ROS level and extend lifespan of transgenic AD-like C. elegans model. Oral administration of Tian-Si-Yin at medium dose was able to effectively rescue memory impairment in 3 x Tg mice. Tian-Si-Yin was further shown to suppress neuroinflammation by inhibition of glia cell activation and downregulation of inflammatory cytokines, diminishing tau phosphoralytion and A beta deposition in the mice. Using UHPLC-MS/MS and network pharmacology technologies, 17 phytochemicals from 68 components of TianSi-Yin were identified as potential anti-AD components. MAPK1, BRAF, TTR and Fyn were identified as anti-AD targets of Tian-Si-Yin from network pharmacology and mass spectrum.

Aging is a complex and inevitable biological process affected by a combination of external environmental and genetic factors. Humans are currently living longer than ever before, accompanied with aging-related alterations such as diminished autophagy, decreased immunological function, mitochondrial malfunction, stem cell failure, accumulation of somatic and mitochondrial DNA mutations, loss of telomere, and altered nutrient metabolism. Aging leads to a decline in body functions and age-related diseases, for example, Alzheimer's disease, which adversely affects human health and longevity. The quality of life of the elderly is greatly diminished by the increase in their life expectancy rather than healthy life expectancy. With the rise in the age of the global population, aging and related diseases have become the focus of attention worldwide. In this review, we discuss several major mechanisms of aging, including DNA damage and repair, free radical oxidation, telomeres and telomerase, mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and their role in neurodegenerative diseases to provide a reference for the prevention of aging and its related diseases.

Objective: To explore the gender differences of the association between sensory impairment(SI) and the risk of cognitive decline and possible cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND). Method: Data were drawn from three waves of the nationally representative survey of China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) between 2011/12-2018 surveys, involving 6138 participants aged 65 years or older who had no CIND at the baseline. Multivariate linear or logistic regression models were employed to examine the effect of SI on cognitive decline and CIND risk by gender stratification, respectively. Results: Hearing impairment and visual impairment were associated with a lower MMSE scores, and the strength of the association was stronger in men than in women. Hearing impairment was related to an elevated risk of CIND both in men and women (Man: OR = 2.46; 95%CI =1.81, 3.35; Women: OR =1.43; 95% CI =1.09, 1.88). However, the effect of visual impairment on CIND was statistically significant only in men (OR=1.43; 95%CI =1.09, 1.88). The risk of cognitive decline and CIND were significantly higher with single and dual SI than those without SI, except for women with single visual impairment. Conclusion: SI is independently associated with cognitive decline and CIND risk, and the association differed by gender. Further research should clarify the mechanism between SI and cognitive function among older adults, especially for gender differences.

OBJECTIVE:To explore the gender differences of the association between sensory impairment (SI) and the risk of cognitive decline and possible cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND).METHOD:Data were drawn from three waves of the nationally representative survey of China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) between 2011/12-2018 surveys, involving 6138 participants aged 65 or older who had no CIND at the baseline. Multivariate linear or logistic regression models were employed to examine the effect of SI on cognitive decline and CIND risk by gender stratification, respectively.RESULTS:Hearing impairment and visual impairment were associated with lower MMSE scores, and the strength of the association was stronger in men than in women. Hearing impairment was related to an elevated risk of CIND both in men and women (Men: OR=2.46; 95% CI=1.81, 3.35; Women: OR=1.43; 95% CI=1.09, 1.88). However, the effect of visual impairment on CIND was statistically significant only in men (OR=1.43; 95% CI=1.09, 1.88). The risk of cognitive decline and CIND were significantly higher with single and dual SI than those without SI, except for women with single visual impairment.CONCLUSION:SI is independently associated with cognitive decline and CIND risk, and the association differed by gender. Further researches should clarify the mechanism between SI and cognitive function among older adults, especially for gender differences.

Myocardial infarction promotes cardiac remodeling and myocardial fibrosis, thus leading to cardiac dysfunction or heart failure. Peiminine has been regarded as a traditional anti-fibrotic Chinese medicine in pulmonary fibrosis. However, the role of peiminine in myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and fibrosis remained elusive. Firstly, rat model of myocardial infarction was established using ligation of the left coronary artery, which were then intraperitoneally injected with 2 or 5 mg/kg peiminine once a day for 4 weeks. Echocardiography and haemodynamic evaluation results showed that peiminine treatment reduced left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and enhanced maximum rate of increase/decrease of left ventricle pressure (± dP/dt max) and left ventricular systolic pressure, which ameliorate the cardiac function. Secondly, myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and infarct size were also attenuated by peiminine. Moreover, peiminine inhibited myocardial infarction-induced increase of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α production, as well as the myocardial cell apoptosis, in the rats. Thirdly, peiminine also decreased the myocardial fibrosis related protein expression including collagen I and collagen III. Lastly, peiminine reduced the expression of p38 and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in rat model of myocardial infarction. In conclusion, peiminine has a cardioprotective effect against myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and fibrosis, which can be attributed to the inactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

As a country with the fastest population aging rate in the world, China’s existing elderly care and medical resources are not enough to meet the growing and complex needs of elderly care and health services. The Chinese government is actively promoting the integrated development of medical and elderly care institutions, but it has yet to give full play to the inexpensive and existing advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of diseases and rehabilitation of the elderly, by sorting out the advantages of “TCM + intelligent pension” in medical expenses, pension costs, disease prevention, intelligent pension services, and so on. In view of the current problems existing in China’s pension, this paper mainly proposes to solve the pension dilemma in China from several aspects: improving the supervision and evaluation system, increasing capital investment, building a unified digital medical and pension service platform, and strengthening the talent training in the field of traditional Chinese medicine integration. The application of the “TCM + smart elderly care” system into the medical and elderly care service system is promoted to effectively improve the operation efficiency of the whole medical and elderly care service system and the satisfaction of elderly families.

Qiangji Decoction (QJD), a classic formula, has been widely used to treat brain aging–related neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying QJD’s improvement in cognitive impairment of neurodegenerative diseases remain unclear. In this study, we employed D-galactose to establish the model of brain aging by long-term D-galactose subcutaneous injection. Next, we investigated QJD’s effect on cognitive function of the model of brain aging and the mechanisms that QJD suppressing neuroinflammation as well as improving neurodegenerative changes and hippocampal neuron apoptosis. The mice of brain aging were treated with three different dosages of QJD (12.48, 24.96, and 49.92 g/kg/d, respectively) for 4 weeks. Morris water maze was used to determine the learning and memory ability of the mice. HE staining and FJB staining were used to detect the neurodegenerative changes. Nissl staining and TUNEL staining were employed to detect the hippocampal neuron apoptosis. The contents of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the hippocampus were detected by using ELISA. Meanwhile, we employed immunofluorescence staining to examine the levels of GFAP and IBA1 in the hippocampus. Besides, the protein expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, AMPKα, p-AMPKα-Thr172, SIRT1, IκBα, NF-κB p65, p-IκBα-Ser32, and p-NF-κB p65-Ser536 in the hippocampus of different groups were detected by Western blot (WB). Our findings showed that the QJD-treated groups, especially the M-QJD group, mitigated learning and memory impairments of the model of brain aging as well as the improvement of neurodegenerative changes and hippocampal neuron apoptosis. Moreover, the M-QJD markedly attenuated the neuroinflammation by regulating the AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway. Taken together, QJD alleviated neurodegenerative changes and hippocampal neuron apoptosis in the model of brain aging via regulating the AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Recently, Coronavirus disease 2019 is the most frequent public health event in human history, spreads fastest, has the most extensive infection and the most difficult prevention and control, which has been abstracting the most impressive attention of the whole world. China, as the first outbreak place, has suffered seriously from the outbreak of Covid-19. The impact on domestic economy is profound and complex. How to effectively deal with once in a century global pandemic is still a world problem to be solved by the international community. Proceeding from the reality of China’s national conditions, following the objective law of prevention and control of infectious diseases, China has made great efforts to explore a set of effective “Chinese methods” in the control of epidemic situation and treatment of patients. Investigation, detection and monitoring with epidemiological investigation as the core has become the key link to cut off the chain of virus transmission and implement timely treatment for patients. To set up hospitals at different levels and to treat patients with mild, moderate and severe diseases according to their conditions, the combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine has greatly reduced the infection rate and death rate, and improved the cure rate. From the whole industrial chain, the primary industry, the secondary industry, and the tertiary industry are all almost affected. However, some difficulties, opportunities and challenges of Covid-19 should be paid attention to and grasped.

探寻葛根植物中葛根素的纯化工艺并检测纯化物对醉酒小鼠的干预效果.利用葡萄糖凝胶层析法,选取洗脱次数、乙醇体积分数、液料比三个因素,纯化葛根提取物,HPLC分析检测纯化物,并采用气相色谱法(CC)检测急性醉酒小鼠模型中血液酒精含量.最佳纯化条件为:体积分数为65％乙醇,洗脱次数为6次,液料比4∶2 mL/mg葛根素纯化率为70.56％ +0.85％,HPLC(高效液相色谱法)检测葛根纯化物与葛根素标准品一致,GC检测显示葛根纯化物组小鼠血液酒精浓度值较酒精模型组小鼠的低,葛根纯化物组小鼠的酒精平均浓度为3.295 mg/mL(p＜ 0.01),酒精模型组的为4.605 mg/mL.葡萄糖凝胶纯化葛根素的方法简便可行,其纯化物能降低急性醉酒小鼠血液中酒精浓度,对醉酒小鼠具有干预效果.

Background: Human sulfatase-1 (Hsulf-1) is an endosulfatase that selectively removes sulfate groups from heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), altering the binding of several growth factors and cytokines to HSPG to regulate cell proliferation, cell motility, and apoptosis. We investigated the role of combined cancer gene therapy with Hsulf-1 and cytosine deaminase/5-fluorocytosine (CD/5-FC) suicide gene on a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line, HepG2, in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the expression of Hsulf-1 in HCC. Cell apoptosis was observed through flow cytometry instrument and mechanism of Hsulf-1 to enhance the cytotoxicity of 5-FC against HCC was analyzed in HCC by confocal microscopy. We also establish a nude mice model of HCC to address the effect of Hsulf-1 expression on the CD/5-FC suicide gene therapy in vivo. Results: A significant decrease in HepG2 cell proliferation and an increase in HepG2 cell apoptosis were observed when Hsulf-1 expression was combined with the CD/5-FC gene suicide system. A noticeable bystander effect was observed when the Hsulf-1 and CD genes were co-expressed. Intracellular calcium was also increased after HepG2 cells were infected with the Hsulf-1 gene. In vivo studies showed that the suppression of tumor growth was more pronounced in animals treated with the Hsulf-1 plus CD than those treated with either gene therapy alone, and the combined treatment resulted in a significant increase in survival. Conclusions: Hsulf-1 expression combined with the CD/5-FC gene suicide system could be an effective treatment approach for HCC.