Astragali Radix: comprehensive review of its botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and clinical application

Ya-Xiao Liu,Xiao-Mei Song,Lin-Wei Dan,Jia-Mei Tang,Yi Jiang,Chong Deng,Dong-Dong Zhang,Yu-Ze Li,Wei Wang 대한약학회 2024 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.47 No.3

Astragali Radix ( A. Radix ) is the dried root of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus (Bge) Hsiao or Astragalusmembranaceus (Fisch.) Bge., belonging to the family Leguminosae, which is mainly distributed in China. A. Radix hasbeen consumed as a tonic in China for more than 2000 years because of its medicinal eff ects of invigorating the spleenand replenishing qi. Currently, more than 400 natural compounds have been isolated and identifi ed from A. Radix , mainlyincluding saponins, fl avonoids, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, and others. Modern pharmacological studies have shown thatA. Radix has anti-tumor, anti-infl ammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-atherosclerotic, cardioprotective, anti-hypertensive,and anti-aging eff ects. It has been clinically used in the treatment of tumors, cardiovascular diseases, and cerebrovascularcomplications associated with diabetes with few side eff ects and high safety. This paper reviewed the progress of researchon its chemical constituents, pharmacological eff ects, clinical applications, developing applications, and toxicology, whichprovides a basis for the better development and utilization of A. Radix .

The Characteristics and Survival Outcomes in Patients Aged 70 Years and Older with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in the Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Era

Ya-Nan Jin,Wang-Jian Zhang,Xiu-Yu Cai,Mei-Su Li,Wayne R. Lawrence,Si-Yang Wang,Dong-Mei Mai,Yu-Yun Du,Dong-Hua Luo,Hao-Yuan Mo 대한암학회 2019 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.51 No.1

Purpose We aim to examine nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) characteristics and survival outcomes in patients aged 70 years and older in the intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) era. Materials and Methods From 2006 to 2013, 126 non-metastatic NPC patients aged  70 years who were treated with IMRT +/ chemotherapy were included. Adult Comorbidity Evaluation 27 (ACE-27) was used to measure patient comorbidities. The overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences were compared using the log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to carry out multivariate analyses. Results For the entire group, only two patients (1.6%) presented stage I disease, and up to 84.1% patients had stage III-IVB disease. All patients had a comorbidity score of 0 in 24 (19.0%), 1 in 45 (35.7%), 2 in 42 (33.3%), and 3 in 15 (11.9%) patients. The main acute grade during radiotherapy was 3-4 adverse events consisting of mucositis (25.4%), bone marrow suppression (16.7%), and dermatitis (8.7%). After treatment, four patients (3.2%) developed temporal lobe injury. Five-year CSS and OS rates were 67.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 58.6% to 77.4%) and 54.0% (95% CI, 45.6% to 63.9%), respectively. Five-year OS was significantly higher for ACE-27 score 0-1 than ACE-27 score 2-3 (72.9% and 39.9%, respectively; p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses showed ACE-27 score 0-1 was significantly associated with superior OS (hazard ratio [HR], 3.02; 95% CI, 1.64 to 5.55; p < 0.001). In addition, the rate of OS was higher for stage I-III than that of stage IV, with borderline significance (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 0.99 to 2.82; p=0.053). But no significant advantage was observed in OS when chemotherapy was used (p > 0.05). Conclusion Our findings suggest IMRT +/– chemotherapy has a manageable toxicity and provides an acceptable survival in patients aged  70 years with NPC. ACE-27 score was significantly associated with survival outcomes in this group population.

Role of Esophageal Mean Nocturnal Baseline Impedance and Post-reflux Swallow-induced Peristaltic Wave Index in Discriminating Chinese Patients with Heartburn

Ya Mei Sun,Yan Gao,Feng Gao 대한소화기 기능성질환∙운동학회 2019 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.25 No.4

Background/Aims Recently, esophageal mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI) and post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic wave (PSPW) index have been proposed, which can increase the diagnostic role of multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH recording (MII/pH) for differentiating patients with heartburn. Therefore, our aim is to investigate the role of esophageal proximal MNBI, distal MNBI, and PSPW index in differentiating Chinese patients with heartburn. Methods Patients with heartburn from the Beijing Anzhen Hospital, who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and 24-hour MII/pH, were enrolled in this study. Results In all, 24 erosive esophagitis (EE), 46 non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), 52 reflux hypersensitivity (RH), and 78 functional heartburn (FH) patients were recruited. The respective median values for the EE, NERD, RH, and FH groups were as follows: proximal MNBI 1858.0, 2147.5, 2374.3, and 2329.0 Ω (P = 0.053); distal MNBI 1243.4, 1506.5, 2451.2, and 2477.3 Ω (P < 0.001); and PSPWI 15.0%, 25.0%, 25.0%, and 45.0% (P < 0.001). Spearman correlation analysis showed that distal MNBI and PSPW index were significantly negatively correlated with acid and bolus exposure time and acid reflux events. Receiver operating characteristic analyses showed that distal MNBI and PSPW index significantly discriminated FH from EE, NERD, and RH (P < 0.001), with cut-off values of 1890.6 Ω and 27.5% and areas under the curve of 0.721 and 0.779, respectively. Conclusion Esophageal distal MNBI and PSPW index could increase the diagnostic role of MII/pH, especially for differentiating Chinese patients with heartburn.

Sulforaphane Inhibits the Proliferation of the BIU87 Bladder Cancer Cell Line via IGFBP-3 Elevation

Dang, Ya-Mei,Huang, Gang,Chen, Yi-Rong,Dang, Zhong-Feng,Chen, Cheng,Liu, Feng-Lei,Guo, Ying-Fang,Xie, Xiao-Dong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.4

Aim: To investigate effects of sulforaphane on the BIU87 cell line and underlying mechanisms involving IGFBP-3. Methods: Both BIU87 and IGFBP-3-silenced BIU87 cells were treated with sulforaphane. Cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis were determined via flow cytometry. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were applied to analyze the expression of IGFBP-3 and NF-${\kappa}B$ at both mRNA and protein levels. Results: Sulforaphane (80 ${\mu}M$) treatment could inhibit cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. All these effects could be antagonized by IGFBP-3 silencing. Furthermore, sulforaphane (80 ${\mu}M$) could down-regulate NF-${\kappa}B$ expression while elevating that of IGFBP-3. Conclusions: Sulforaphane could suppress the proliferation of BIU87 cells via enhancing IGFBP-3 expression, which negatively regulating the NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway.

Retrospective Study of Gemcitabine Based Chemotherapy for Unresectable or Recurrent Esophagus Squamous Cell Carcinoma Refractory to First Line Chemotherapy

Wang, Mei,Gu, Jun,Wang, Hai-Xing,Wu, Mei-Hong,Li, Yong-Mei,Wang, Ya-Jie Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy and toxicity of a combination of gemcitabine with nedaplatin (GN) or cisplatin (GC) for patients with unresectable or recurrent esophagus squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: Gemcitabine was administered at 1 g/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8; and nedaplatin or cisplatin were administered at 80 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1. We analyzed the response rate, overall survival time, progression-free survival time, and toxicity in 21 patients treated with GN and 27 patients treated with GC. Results: In patients treated with gemcitabine plus nedaplatin, the ORR was 47.6%, the median progression-free survival time was 4.1 months, and the median survival time was 9.3 months. In patients treated with gemcitabine plus cisplatin, the ORR was 48.2%, the median progression-free survival time was 3.9 months, and the median survival time was 9.1 months, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in ORR, PFS and OS between the two groups. In both, the most commonly observed toxicities were thrombocytopenia and fatigue. Nausea and vomiting was more frequent in the GC group than in the GN group. Conclusion: Gemcitabine based chemotherapy was effective and tolerable for patients with unresectable or recurrent esophagus squamous cell carcinoma refractory to first line chemotherapy.

論中國古典詩歌中的男子作閨音現象

왕아매 ( Ya Mei Wang ) 고려대학교 중국학연구소 2006 中國學論叢 Vol.20 No.-

A Neuroprotective Action of Quercetin and Apigenin through Inhibiting Aggregation of Aβ and Activation of TRKB Signaling in a Cellular Experiment

Chiu Ya-Jen,Teng Yu-Shan,Chen Chiung-Mei,Sun Ying-Chieh,Hsieh-Li Hsiu Mei,Chang Kuo-Hsuan,Lee-Chen Guey-Jen 한국응용약물학회 2023 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.31 No.3

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with progressive memory loss and the cognitive decline. AD is mainly caused by abnormal accumulation of misfolded amyloid β (Aβ), which leads to neurodegeneration via a number of possible mechanisms such as down-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-tropomyosin-related kinase B (BDNF-TRKB) signaling pathway. 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF), a TRKB agonist, has demonstrated potential to enhance BDNF-TRKB pathway in various neurodegenerative diseases. To expand the capacity of flavones as TRKB agonists, two natural flavones quercetin and apigenin, were evaluated. With tryptophan fluorescence quenching assay, we illustrated the direct interaction between quercetin/ apigenin and TRKB extracellular domain. Employing Aβ folding reporter SH-SY5Y cells, we showed that quercetin and apigenin reduced Aβ-aggregation, oxidative stress, caspase-1 and acetylcholinesterase activities, as well as improved the neurite outgrowth. Treatments with quercetin and apigenin increased TRKB Tyr516 and Tyr817 and downstream cAMP-response-element binding protein (CREB) Ser133 to activate transcription of BDNF and BCL2 apoptosis regulator (BCL2), as well as reduced the expression of pro-apoptotic BCL2 associated X protein (BAX). Knockdown of TRKB counteracted the improvement of neurite outgrowth by quercetin and apigenin. Our results demonstrate that quercetin and apigenin are to work likely as a direct agonist on TRKB for their neuroprotective action, strengthening the therapeutic potential of quercetin and apigenin in treating AD.

HIV-negative plasmablastic lymphoma: report of 8 cases and a comprehensive review of 394 published cases

Ya-Jun Li,Ji-Wei Li,Kai-Lin Chen,Jin Li,Mei-Zuo Zhong,Xian-Ling Liu,Ping-Yong Yi,Hui Zhou 대한혈액학회 2020 Blood Research Vol.55 No.1

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare entity of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The clinicopathological features of and optimal treatment for HIV-negative PBL remain largely unknown.MethodsTo gain insight into this distinct lymphoma, we summarized the clinicopathologic charac-teristics of 8 unpublished HIV-negative PBLs and performed a comprehensive review of 394 published cases.ResultsOf the 8 unpublished PBLs, the median patient age was 53.0 years. Four patients pre-sented with stage IV disease. All 8 patients showed a plasma cell-like immunophenotype. Of the six patients who received anthracycline-based chemotherapy, including two who received bortezomib, three patients achieved a continuous complete response, two pa-tients died due to disease progression, and one patient was lost to follow-up. The other two patients achieved continuous complete response after receiving chemotherapy com-bined with radiotherapy and surgery. Of the 402 patients, the majority were male, with a mean age of 58.0 years. EBV infection was detected in 55.7% of the patients. The median survival times of the patients who received CHOP or CHOP-like regimens and intensive regimens were not reached and 23.0 months, respectively, and the intensive regimen did not improve the survival outcome (P=0.981). Multivariate analysis showed that EBER remained the only independent factor affecting overall survival (OS).ConclusionHIV-negative PBL is a distinct entity with a predilection for elderly and immunosup-pressed individuals. Intensive chemotherapy had no apparent survival benefits over the CHOP regimen in terms of OS; the prognosis of this disease is poor with current chemo-therapy methods, and treatment remains a challenge.

Transitional Percentage of Minute Volume as a Novel Predictor of Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Failure

Ya-Ru Liang,Mei-Chen Yang,Yao-Kuang Wu,I-Shiang Tzeng,Pei-Yi Wu,Shiang-Yu Huang,Chou-Chin Lan,Chin-Pyng Wu 한국간호과학회 2020 Asian Nursing Research Vol.14 No.1

Purpose: Some patients with respiratory failure fail initial weaning attempts and need prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV). Prolonged MV is associated with many complications and consumption of heathcare resources. Objective weaning indices help staffs to identify high-potential patients for weaning from the MV. Traditional weaning indices are not reliable in clinical practice. Transitional percentage of minute volume (TMV%) is a new index of the work of breathing. This study aimed to investigate the utility of TMV% in the prediction of weaning potential. Methods: This study was prospectively performed including all patients with prolonged MV. Researchers recorded their demographics, TMV%, respiratory parameters, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and laboratory data upon arrival at the respiratory care center. The factors associated with successful weaning were analyzed. Results: Out of the 120 patients included, 84 (70.0%) were successfully weaned from MV. Traditional weaning indices such as rapid shallow breathing index could not predict the weaning outcome. TMV% was a valuable parameter as patients with a lower TMV%, higher tidal volume, higher hemoglobin, lower blood urea nitrogen, and lower Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores had a higher rate of successful weaning. TMV%, tidal volume, and HCO3- levels were independent predictors of successful weaning, and the area under the curve was .79 in the logistic regression model. Conclusion: TMV% is a novel and effective predictor of successful weaning. Patients with lower TMV% had a higher MV weaning outcome. Once patients with a high potential for successful weaning are identified, they should be aggressively weaned from MV as soon as possible.

Effectiveness of "The First Time Out of Bed" to Post Cranial Surgery Patients in Neurosurgery Ward

Ya-Wen Huang,Hui-Mei Chang,Su-Min Wei 한국간호과학회 2011 한국간호과학회 학술대회 Vol.2011 No.10