Background. Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction (HGWD) has been applied in the treatment of joint pain for more than 1000 years in China. Currently, most physicians use HGWD to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and it has proved to have high efficacy. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the potential mechanism of action of HGWD in RA treatment based on network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. Methods. The active compounds of HGWD were collected, and their targets were identified from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP) and DrugBank database, respectively. The RA-related targets were retrieved by analyzing the differentially expressed genes between RA patients and healthy individuals. Subsequently, the compound-target network of HGWD was constructed and visualized through Cytoscape 3.8.0 software. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to explore the potential mechanisms of HGWD on RA using the plugin BisoGenet of Cytoscape 3.8.0 software. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed in R software (Bioconductor, clusterProfiler). Afterward, molecular docking was used to analyze the binding force of the top 10 active compounds with target proteins of VCAM1, CTNNB1, and JUN. Results. Cumulatively, 790 active compounds and 1006 targets of HGWD were identified. A total of 4570 differentially expressed genes of RA with a p value <0.05 and log 2fold change > 0.5 were collected. Moreover, 739 GO entries of HGWD on RA were identified, and 79 pathways were screened based on GO and KEGG analysis. The core target gene of HGWD in RA treatment was JUN. Other key target genes included FOS, CCND1, IL6, E2F2, and ICAM1. It was confirmed that the TNF signaling pathway and IL-17 signaling pathway are important pathways of HGWD in the treatment of RA. The molecular docking results revealed that the top 10 active compounds of HGWD had a strong binding to the target proteins of VCAM1, CTNNB1, and JUN. Conclusion. HGWD has important active compounds such as quercetin, kaempferol, and beta-sitosterol, which exert its therapeutic effect on multiple targets and multiple pathways.

Background Pentatrichomonas hominis is a flagellated protozoan that inhabits the large intestine of humans. Although several protozoans have been proposed to have a role in cancer progression, little is known about the epidemiology of P. hominis infection in cancer patients. Methods To determine the prevalence of P. hominis in patients with digestive system malignancies, we collected 195 and 142 fecal samples from gastrointestinal cancer patients and residents without any complaints related to the digestive system, respectively. Each sample was detected for the presence of P. hominis by nested PCR amplifying the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and partial 18S rRNA gene. Results A significantly higher prevalence of P. hominis was found in cancer patients than that in the control population (41.54 vs 9.15%, χ 2 = 42.84, df = 1, P < 0.001), resulting in a 6.75-fold risk of gastrointestinal cancers (OR: 6.75, 95% CI: 3.55–12.83, P < 0.001). The highest prevalence of P. hominis infection was detected in small intestine cancer patients (60%, OR: 14.88, 95% CI: 0.82–4.58, P = 0.009) followed by liver (57.14%, χ 2 = 10.82, df = 1, P = 0.001) and stomach cancer patients (45.1%, χ 2 = 31.95, df = 1, P < 0.001). In addition, phylogenetic analysis provided some evidence supporting that human P. hominis infection might derive from animal sources. Conclusions To our knowledge, this study is the first report presenting the high association between P. hominis and gastrointestinal cancers. Nevertheless, whether there is any possible pathological role of P. hominis infection in cancer patients needs to be further elucidated.

A series of LZnX zinc/β‐ketoiminato complexes [L = CH3C(OH)C(CH2CHCH2)C(CH3)NAr (L1), CH3C(OH)C(CH2CH2CN)C(CH3)NAr (L2), CH3C(OH)C(CH2C6H5)C(CH3)NAr (L3), or CH3C(OH)CHC(CH3)NAr (L4); Ar = 2,6‐iPr2C6H3; and initiation group X = alcoholate or acetate (for L1) or alcoholate (for L2–L4)] were synthesized, and their activities toward the copolymerization of carbon dioxide with cyclohexene oxide were determined. The 3‐position substituents on the β‐ketoiminato ligand backbone of the zinc/β‐ketoiminato complexes played an important role not only in the catalytic activity but also in the intrinsic viscosity, chemical composition, and refined microstructure of the resultant copolymers. The order of the catalytic activity of L1ZnX with different initiation groups (X = OMe, OiPr, or OAc) was L1Zn (OiPr) > L1Zn (OMe) > L1Zn (OAc), being the opposite of the order of the leaving ability of the initiation groups. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6243–6251, 2006

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of mesalamine in conjunction with probiotics for ulcerative colitis. Methods. Random controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and VIP (VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals) from inception to October 2019. Methodological quality was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration tool. The quality of evidence was rated by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Data analysis was carried out in Review Manager 5.3. Results. A total of fifteen studies met the criteria for inclusion. Thirteen studies reported the clinical efficacy, three studies provided data on the clinical symptom scores, two trials reported disease activity index, four studies evaluated endoscopic score, and twelve studies reported adverse events. For ulcerative colitis (UC), mesalamine and probiotics had better clinical efficacy than mesalamine alone (≤8 weeks: RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07–1.18, P<0.0001; >8 weeks: RR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.11–1.41, P=0.0003). On the clinical symptom scores, disease activity index, and endoscopic score, UC patients receiving mesalamine and probiotics had significant difference than patients receiving mesalazine alone (MD = −2.02, 95% CI: −3.28 to −0.76, P=0.002; MD = −1.20, 95% CI: −1.76 to −0.65, P<0.001; and MD = −0.42, 95% CI: −0.61 to −0.23, P<0.0001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in adverse events between the two groups (RR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.54 to 1.43, P=0.60). Conclusion. Our meta-analysis results supported that mesalamine and probiotics were effective and safe in treating ulcerative colitis.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is common, chronic mental disorder, which is characterized by recurrent, unwanted, or intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors or mental action. Acupuncture and moxibustion, as a popular form of complementary and alternative therapy, have the advantages of low side effects, high safety, and low cost. The research showed that acupuncture and moxibustion have a good clinical efficacy on obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, there is no literature to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. Thus, this study is aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, providing reliable evidence for clinical application. Methods: Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder will be searched in the databases including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Web of science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), WanFang, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and China biomedical literature database (CBM) from inception to June, 2020. In addition, Baidu, Google Scholar, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and Chinese Clinical Trials Registry will be searched to obtain the gray literature and relevant data that have not yet been published. Two qualified researchers will extract data and assess the risk of bias from included studies dependently. Statistical analysis is performed in RevMan 5.3 software. Results: The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder will be assessed based on the total effective rate, Hamilton Anxiety Scale score, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score, Clinical Global Impression score, side effects, and so on. Conclusions: The proposed systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder is expected to provide reliable evidence for clinical application. Ethics and dissemination: The private information from individuals will not publish. This systematic review also will not involve endangering participant rights. Ethical approval is not required. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences. OSF Registration number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/CDGTW