Effect of the Chinese traditional medicine "Bushen Yinao Pian" on the cerebral gene expression of the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8/ta

The efficacy and safety of Bazi Bushen Capsule in treating premature aging: A randomized, double blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trial

PURPOSE

It is unclear whether traditional Chinese patent medicines can resist premature aging. This prospective study investigated the effects of Bazi Bushen Capsule (BZBS) which is a traditional Chinese patent medicine for tonifying the kidney essence on premature senility symptoms and quality of life, telomerase activity and telomere length.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

It was a parallel, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial. Subjects (n = 530) aged 30-78 years were randomized to receive BZBS or placebo capsules 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the clinical feature of change in kidney deficiency for aging evaluation scale (CFCKD-AES) and tilburg frailty indicator (TFI). The secondary outcomes were SF-36, serum sex hormone level, five times sit-to-stand time (FTSST), 6MWT, motor function test-grip strength, balance test, walking speed, muscle mass measurement, telomerase and telomere length.

RESULTS

After 12 weeks of treatment, the CFCKD-AES and TFI scores in the BZBS group decreased by 13.79 and 1.50 respectively (6.42 and 0.58 in the placebo group, respectively); The SF-36 in the BZBS group increased by 98.38 (23.79 in the placebo group). The FTSST, motor function test grip strength, balance test, walking speed, and muscle mass in the elderly subgroup were all improved in the BZBS group. The telomerase content in the BZBS group increased by 150.04 ng/ml compared to the placebo group. The fever led one patient in the placebo group to discontinue the trial. One patient in the placebo group withdrew from the trial due to pregnancy. None of the serious AEs led to treatment discontinuation, and 3 AEs (1.14%) were assessed as related to BZBS by the primary investigator.

CONCLUSIONS

BZBS can improve premature aging symptoms, frailty scores, and quality of life, as well as improve FTSST, motor function: grip strength, balance test, walking speed, and muscle mass in elderly subgroups of patients, and enhance telomerase activity, but it is not significantly associated with increasing telomere length which is important for healthy aging.

TRIAL REGISTRY

https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=166181.

A clinical guide to rare male sexual disorders

Conditions referred to as 'male sexual dysfunctions' usually include erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory disorders and male hypogonadism. However, some less common male sexual disorders exist, which are under-recognized and under-treated, leading to considerable morbidity, with adverse effects on individuals' sexual health and relationships. Such conditions include post-finasteride syndrome, restless genital syndrome, post-orgasmic illness syndrome, post-selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sexual dysfunction, hard-flaccid syndrome, sleep-related painful erections and post-retinoid sexual dysfunction. Information about these disorders usually originates from case-control trials or small case series; thus, the published literature is scarce. As the aetiology of these diseases has not been fully elucidated, the optimal investigational work-up and therapy are not well defined, and the available options cannot, therefore, adequately address patients' sexual problems and implement appropriate treatment. Thus, larger-scale studies - including prospective trials and comprehensive case registries - are crucial to better understand the aetiology, prevalence and clinical characteristics of these conditions. Furthermore, collaborative efforts among researchers, health-care professionals and patient advocacy groups will be essential in order to develop evidence-based guidelines and novel therapeutic approaches that can effectively address these disorders. By advancing our understanding and refining treatment strategies, we can strive towards improving the quality of life and fostering healthier sexual relationships for individuals suffering from these rare sexual disorders.

Nodes and biological processes identified on the basis of network analysis in the brain of the senescence accelerated mice as an Alzheimer's disease animal model

Harboring the behavioral and histopathological signatures of Alzheimer's disease (AD), senescence accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mice are currently considered a robust model for studying AD. However, the underlying mechanisms, prioritized pathways and genes in SAMP8 mice linked to AD remain unclear. In this study, we provide a biological interpretation of the molecular underpinnings of SAMP8 mice. Our results were derived from differentially expressed genes in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of SAMP8 mice compared to age-matched SAMR1 mice at 2, 6, and 12 months of age using cDNA microarray analysis. On the basis of PPI, MetaCore and the co-expression network, we constructed a distinct genetic sub-network in the brains of SAMP8 mice. Next, we determined that the regulation of synaptic transmission and apoptosis were disrupted in the brains of SAMP8 mice. We found abnormal gene expression of RAF1, MAPT, PTGS2, CDKN2A, CAMK2A, NTRK2, AGER, ADRBK1, MCM3AP, and STUB1, which may have initiated the dysfunction of biological processes in the brains of SAMP8 mice. Specifically, we found microRNAs, including miR-20a, miR-17, miR-34a, miR-155, miR-18a, miR-22, miR-26a, miR-101, miR-106b, and miR-125b, that might regulate the expression of nodes in the sub-network. Taken together, these results provide new insights into the biological and genetic mechanisms of SAMP8 mice and add an important dimension to our understanding of the neuro-pathogenesis in SAMP8 mice from a systems perspective.

TCMGeneDIT: a database for associated traditional Chinese medicine, gene and disease information using text mining

Background

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a complementary and alternative medical system in Western countries, has been used to treat various diseases over thousands of years in East Asian countries. In recent years, many herbal medicines were found to exhibit a variety of effects through regulating a wide range of gene expressions or protein activities. As available TCM data continue to accumulate rapidly, an urgent need for exploring these resources systematically is imperative, so as to effectively utilize the large volume of literature.

Methods

TCM, gene, disease, biological pathway and protein-protein interaction information were collected from public databases. For association discovery, the TCM names, gene names, disease names, TCM ingredients and effects were used to annotate the literature corpus obtained from PubMed. The concept to mine entity associations was based on hypothesis testing and collocation analysis. The annotated corpus was processed with natural language processing tools and rule-based approaches were applied to the sentences for extracting the relations between TCM effecters and effects.

Results

We developed a database, TCMGeneDIT, to provide association information about TCMs, genes, diseases, TCM effects and TCM ingredients mined from vast amount of biomedical literature. Integrated protein-protein interaction and biological pathways information are also available for exploring the regulations of genes associated with TCM curative effects. In addition, the transitive relationships among genes, TCMs and diseases could be inferred through the shared intermediates. Furthermore, TCMGeneDIT is useful in understanding the possible therapeutic mechanisms of TCMs via gene regulations and deducing synergistic or antagonistic contributions of the prescription components to the overall therapeutic effects. The database is now available at .

Conclusion

TCMGeneDIT is a unique database that offers diverse association information on TCMs. This database integrates TCMs with biomedical studies that would facilitate clinical research and elucidate the possible therapeutic mechanisms of TCMs and gene regulations.