Background: Growing evidences have advocated the potential benefits of traditional Chinese exercise (TCE) on symptomatic improvement of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, most of them have been derived from cross-sectional studies or case reports; the effectiveness of TCE therapies has not been fully assessed with a randomized control trial (RCT). In order to evaluate the combined clinical effectiveness of TCE for KOA, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the existing RCTs on KOA. Methods: A systematic search was performed in four electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE from the time of their inception to February 2020. All eligible RCTs were included in which TCE was utilized for treating KOA as compared to a control group. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and evaluated the risk of bias following the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for RCT. The symptoms of KOA evaluated by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were regarded as the primary outcomes in this study. Each outcome measure was pooled by a standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). A meta-analysis was applied with a random or fixed effect model for the collected data to calculate the summary SMD with 95% CI based on different statistical heterogeneity. In addition, subgroup analyses were used to investigate heterogeneity and sensitivity analysis was carried out for the results of the meta-analysis. Egger’s test and the funnel plots were used to examine the potential bias in the RCTs. Results: A total of 14 RCTs involving 815 patients with KOA were included. Compared with a control group; the synthesized data of TCE showed a significant improvement in WOMAC/KOOS pain score (SMD = −0.61; 95% CI: −0.86 to −0.37; p < 0.001), stiffness score (SMD = −0.75; 95% CI: −1.09 to −0.41; p < 0.001), and physical function score (SMD = −0.67; 95% CI: −0.82 to −0.53; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis suggested that TCE may be effective in alleviating pain; relieving stiffness and improving the physical function for patients with KOA. Yet; given the methodological limitations of included RCTs in this meta-analysis; more high-quality RCTs with large sample size and long-term intervention are required to further confirm the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of TCE for treating KOA.

The main pathophysiological abnormalities in type 2 diabetes (T2D) include pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. Due to hyperglycemia, patients receive long-term treatment. However, side effects and drug tolerance usually lead to treatment failure. GuaLouQuMaiWan (GLQMW), a common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has positive effects on controlling blood sugar and improving quality of life, but the mechanism is still unclear. To decipher their molecular mechanisms, we used a novel computational systems pharmacology-based approach consisting of bioinformatics analysis, network pharmacology, and drug similarity comparison. We divided the participants into nondisease (ND), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and type 2 diabetes groups according to the WHO’s recommendations for diabetes. By analyzing the gene expression profile of the ND-IGT-T2D (ND to IGT to T2D) process, we found that the function of downregulated genes in the whole process was mainly related to insulin secretion, while the upregulated genes were related to inflammation. Furthermore, other genes in the ND-IGT (ND to IGT) process are mainly related to inflammation and lipid metabolic disorders. We speculate that 17 genes with a consistent trend may play a key role in the process of ND-IGT-T2D. We further performed target prediction for 50 compounds in GLQMW that met the screening criteria and intersected the differentially expressed genes of the T2D process with the compounds of GLQMW; a total of 18 proteins proved potential targets for GLQMW. Among these, RBP4 is considerably related to insulin resistance. GO/KEGG enrichment analyses of the target genes of GLQMW showed enrichment in inflammation- and T2D therapy-related pathways. Based on the RDKit tool and the DrugBank database, we speculate that (-)-taxifolin, dialoside A_qt, spinasterol, isofucosterol, and 11,14-eicosadienoic acid can be used as potential drugs for T2D via molecular docking and drug similarity comparison.

Parkinson's disease (PD) characterized by inflammation and protein erroneous deposition, whose pathological mechanisms have not been elucidated. NcRNA plays important role in PD, especially when circRNA sponges miRNA, which leads to the breakdown of downstream regulation. The aim of this study is to investigate the dynamic changes between upregulated circRNA and downregulated miRNA during the pathogenesis of PD and their impact on downstream miRNA targets. We conducted bioinformatics on sequencing data of substantia nigra (SN) and striatum, and intersected differentially expressed genes (Degs) to determine core role of circFTO-miR-187-3p-EEF2 axes in the progression of PD. Firstly, therapeutic effect of knock-down circFTO in PD and its impact on EEF2 were determined in mouse, using immunohistochemistry, HE, Nissl, TUNEL staining and Western blot (WB). Targeted binding relationship between circFTO, miR-187-3p, and EEF2 was determined through RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation assays (RIP) and dual luciferase reporter assay. The significance of gene in apoptosis was confirmed through flow cytometry, lentiviral transduction, quantitative real-time PCR, and WB. CircFTO is upregulated and miR-187-3p is downregulated in SN of PD. EEF2 was the core of neural repair related modules in both SN and striatum using Weighted Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI). The binding regulation relationship between circFTO-miR-187-3p-EEF2 was determined through structural analysis, RIP, and dual luciferase reporter assay. After knocking-down circFTO, animals showed alleviated symptoms, decreased levels of oxidative stress and EEF2. Upregulation of miR-187-3p or si-circFTO in SH-SY5Y cells can reduce cell apoptosis, EEF2, and oxidative stress. Moreover, individual interference with EEF2 can partially counteract the induction of 6-OHDA on apoptosis. Excessive circFTO sponging miR-187-3p leads to the inability of miR-187-3p to effectively regulate expression of EEF2, resulting in the progression of PD. Moreover, interference with circFTO can effectively reduce brain inflammation and oxidative stress.

Depression is a common secondary symptom in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) caused by the loss of neurons and glial cells. Recent research focuses on stem cell therapy to replace dead nerve cells, but the low efficiency of stem cell differentiation and short survival time are obstacles limiting the therapy’s effectiveness. Clinically, patients with different diseases cannot obtain the same effect by using the same cell therapy. However, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) often uses syndrome differentiation to determine the treatment plan for NDs. Based on TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment, this article summarizes the advantages of Chinese herbal medicine combined with stem cell therapy, mainly for the effects of various herbs on diseases and stem cells, including prolonging the survival time of stem cells, resisting inflammation, and antidepressant-like effects. In particular, it analyzes the unique pathways of the influence of drugs and acupuncture on different therapies, seeking to clarify the scientific TCM system. This review mainly elaborates on the treatment of secondary depression in TCM and the advantages of a herbal combined stem cell therapy in various methods. We believe it can provide a new clinical concept for secondary depression to obtain good clinical effects and reduce the risks borne by patients.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease with a complex etiology involving environmental and genetic factors. Psoriasis patients often require long-term treatment. Shanyaotianua decoction (STT), a typical traditional Chinese medicine prescription, positively affects psoriasis, although its molecular targets remain unknown. To elucidate its molecular mechanisms, a combination of network pharmacology, bioinformatics analysis, and drug similarity comparisons were employed. Participants were separated into 3 groups: non-lesional (NL), lesions after medication (LM), and psoriasis lesion groups (LS). Based on the Gene Ontology/kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses, the key targets were mainly enriched for biological processes (immuno-inflammatory responses, leukocyte differentiation, lipid metabolic disorders, and viral infection) with the relevant pathways (Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription and adipocytokine signaling and T-helper 17 cell differentiation), thus identifying the possible action mechanism of STT against psoriasis. Target prediction for 18 STT compounds that matched the screening criteria was performed. Then, the STT compounds were intersected with the differentially expressed genes of the psoriatic process, and 5 proteins were potential targets for STT. Based on the open-source toolkit RDKit and DrugBank database, and through molecular docking and drug similarity comparisons, spinasterol, diosgenin, and 24-Methylcholest-5-enyl-3belta-O-glucopyranoside_qt may be potential drugs for psoriasis.