Inspired by the coating properties of red wine on various surfaces, tannic acid hardened KH561 (TA561) copolymer was fabricated for wound dressings. The synthetic route was facile, robust and the related raw material was low-cost.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disease of the colonic mucosa. Herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM) treatment has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of UC. However, there is still a lack of high-quality evidence to support the effectiveness and safety of HPM on patients with UC. This study will aim to systematically explore the efficacy of HPM for the treatment of UC. Methods: We will search the electronic databases of Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials, China national knowledge infrastructure database (CNKI), Wan fang database, Chongqing VIP information, and SinoMed from their inception to June 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of HPM for the treatment of UC will be included. RevMan 5.3 software (The Nordic Cochrane Center, The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark) will be applied for statistical analysis. Results: The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: The conclusion of our systematic review will provide more appropriate evidence-based decisions to assist clinicians during the decision-making process when dealing with UC.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still spreading around the world. Moxibustion, as a significant therapy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been widely used to treat COVID-19, especially in recovery period. The study will aim to assess the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for COVID-19 convalescence. Methods: We will systematically search the relevant randomized controlled trials in the 7 databases from inception to February 2021, including PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Clinical Trials Database, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. No language and publication status restrictions will be applied. Two reviewers will independently conduct and screen all included studies and the meta-analysis will be performed with RevMan V5.3 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, England). Results: The study will provide a high-quality convincing assessment of the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for the treatment of COVID-19 convalescence, which will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: Our study will give more comprehensive evidence of the effectiveness of moxibustion for COVID-19 convalescence. Trial registration number: CRD42021230364.

Background Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been extensively used for neoplasm treatment and has provided many promising therapeutic candidates. We previously found that Centipeda minima (C. minima), a Chinese medicinal herb, showed anti-cancer effects in lung cancer. However, the active components and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we used network pharmacology to evaluate C. minima active compounds and molecular mechanisms in lung cancer. Methods We screened the TCMSP database for bioactive compounds and their corresponding potential targets. Lung cancer-associated targets were collected from Genecards, OMIM, and Drugbank databases. We then established a drug-ingredients-gene symbols-disease (D-I-G-D) network and a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network using Cytoscape software, and we performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses using R software. To verify the network pharmacology results, we then performed survival analysis, molecular docking analysis, as well as in vitro and in vivo experiments. Results We identified a total of 21 C. minima bioactive compounds and 179 corresponding targets. We screened 804 targets related to lung cancer, 60 of which overlapped with C. minima. The top three candidate ingredients identified by D-I-G-D network analysis were quercetin, nobiletin, and beta-sitosterol. PPI network and core target analyses suggested that TP53, AKT1, and MYC are potential therapeutic targets. Moreover, molecular docking analysis confirmed that quercetin, nobiletin, and beta-sitosterol, combined well with TP53, AKT1, and MYC respectively. In vitro experiments verified that quercetin induced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell death in a dose-dependent manner. GO and KEGG analyses found 1771 enriched GO terms and 144 enriched KEGG pathways, including a variety of cancer related pathways, the IL-17 signaling pathway, the platinum drug resistance pathway, and apoptosis pathways. Our in vivo experimental results confirmed that a C. minima ethanol extract (ECM) enhanced cisplatin (CDDP) induced cell apoptosis in NSCLC xenografts. Conclusions This study revealed the key C. minima active ingredients and molecular mechanisms in the treatment of lung cancer, providing a molecular basis for further C. minima therapeutic investigation.

Background: COVID-9 has become a global pandemic with severe health issues around the world. However, there is still no effective drug to treat the disease, and many studies have shown that moxibustion plays a positive role in adjuvant treatment of COVID-19. Therefore, this meta-analysis is designed to evaluate the efficacy of moxibustion for COVID-19. Methods: The relevant randomized controlled trials will be systematically retrieved from the electronic database, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Clinical Trials Database, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, without restrictions on publication status and language. Two reviewers will independently review all included studies and assess the risk of bias. Two reviewers will independently extract data from the included studies based on a pre-designed standardized form. Any disagreements will be resolved by consensus. The meta-analysis will be performed with RevMan (V5.3.5) software. Result: The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: This ongoing meta-analysis will provide up-to-date evidence of the efficacy of moxibustion for patients with COVID-19. Registration: The meta-analysis has been prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020211910).