Chinese Compound Research Articles

A Study on the Word-formation of Chinese Coordinative Compound Words Denoting Kinship

A Study on the Word-formation of Chinese Coordinative Compound Words Denoting Kinship

L1 Orthography in L2 Chinese Morphological Awareness: An Investigation of Alphabetic and Abugida Readers

The current study aimed to explore the effect of first language (L1) orthography on second language (L2) Chinese morphological awareness. One hundred and twenty-nine students (61 L1 English readers and 68 L1 Thai readers) who studied Chinese as a second language participated in this study. They completed four tasks of morphological awareness (morpheme segmentation, morpheme discrimination, compound structure discrimination, compound structure analysis) and two control measures (reading vocabulary tasks). Drawing upon MANCOVA analysis, the study revealed that Thai readers outperformed English readers on compound awareness after the effect of L2 reading vocabulary was accounted for. The study suggests that L1 orthographic differences and similarities (e.g. interword boundary) may affect word identification, thus contributing to morphological processing of Chinese compound words. The study provided empirical evidence to support cross-language influence in morphological processing of a non-alphabetic language.

A Contrastive Study of English and Chinese Synthetic Compounds

The current research compares the distributions of OV/VO patterns in English and Chinese synthetic compounds in a quantitative way and attempts to explain the mechanisms of the two patterns of compounds in English and Chinese. Both English and Chinese adopt SVO as their basic word order. However, the interface of syntax and morphology is more clear-cut in English than in Chinese. VO order prevails in English syntax. But VO order must be transformed into OV order in morphology. VO order is quite unproductive in English morphology. Compared with English, the boundary between morphology and syntax is rather vague in Chinese. The formation of Chinese compounds could be explained by the theory of “syntax-as-morphology”, i.e., the VO order of syntax is directly copied by morphology in Chinese. The mechanism of Chinese synthetic compounds provides evidence for the hypothesis of “syntax as morphology”.

Reverse Screening Methods to Search for the Protein Targets of Chemopreventive Compounds.

This article is a systematic review of reverse screening methods used to search for the protein targets of chemopreventive compounds or drugs. Typical chemopreventive compounds include components of traditional Chinese medicine, natural compounds and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs. Such compounds are somewhat selective but are predisposed to bind multiple protein targets distributed throughout diverse signaling pathways in human cells. In contrast to conventional virtual screening, which identifies the ligands of a targeted protein from a compound database, reverse screening is used to identify the potential targets or unintended targets of a given compound from a large number of receptors by examining their known ligands or crystal structures. This method, also known as in silico or computational target fishing, is highly valuable for discovering the target receptors of query molecules from terrestrial or marine natural products, exploring the molecular mechanisms of chemopreventive compounds, finding alternative indications of existing drugs by drug repositioning, and detecting adverse drug reactions and drug toxicity. Reverse screening can be divided into three major groups: shape screening, pharmacophore screening and reverse docking. Several large software packages, such as Schrödinger and Discovery Studio; typical software/network services such as ChemMapper, PharmMapper, idTarget, and INVDOCK; and practical databases of known target ligands and receptor crystal structures, such as ChEMBL, BindingDB, and the Protein Data Bank (PDB), are available for use in these computational methods. Different programs, online services and databases have different applications and constraints. Here, we conducted a systematic analysis and multilevel classification of the computational programs, online services and compound libraries available for shape screening, pharmacophore screening and reverse docking to enable non-specialist users to quickly learn and grasp the types of calculations used in protein target fishing. In addition, we review the main features of these methods, programs and databases and provide a variety of examples illustrating the application of one or a combination of reverse screening methods for accurate target prediction.

Xiaoyaosan Improves Depressive-Like Behaviors in Mice through Regulating Apelin-APJ System in Hypothalamus.

Background: The apelin-APJ system has been considered to play a crucial role in HPA axis function, and how the traditional Chinese compound prescription Xiaoyaosan regulates the apelin-APJ system as a supplement to treat depressive disorders. Objective: To investigate the depression-like behaviors and expression of apelin and APJ in hypothalamus of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice and study whether these changes related to the regulation of Xiaoyaosan. Methods: 60 adult C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups, including control group, CUMS group, Xiaoyaosan treatment group and fluoxetine treatment group. Mice in the control group and CUMS group received 0.5 mL physiological saline once a day by intragastric administration. Mice in two treatment groups received Xiaoyaosan (0.25 g/kg/d) and fluoxetine (2.6 mg/kg/d), respectively. After 21 days of modeling with CUMS, the expression of apelin and APJ in hypothalamus were measured by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, western blot and immunohistochemical staining. The physical condition, body weight, food intake and behavior tests such as open field test, sucrose preference test and force swimming test were measured to evaluate depressive-like behaviors. Results: In this study, significant behavioral changes were found in CUMS-induced mice, meanwhile the expressions of apelin and APJ in the hypothalamus were changed after modeling. The body weight, food-intake and depressive-like behaviors in CUMS-induced mice could be improved by Xiaoyaosan treatment which is similar with the efficacy of fluoxetine, while the expressions of apelin and APJ in hypothalamus were modified by Xiaoyaosan. Conclusions: The data suggest that apelin-APJ system changes in the hypothalamus may be a target of depressive disorders, and the beneficial effects of Chinese compound prescription Xiaoyaosan on depressive-like behaviors may be mediated by the apelin-APJ system.

Blood metabolism study on protection of residual renal function of hemodialysis patients by traditional Chinese medicine Kidney Flaccidity Compound

In recent years, metabolomics using high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) has been used to study the metabolic profiles in plasma, urine, stool and tissue in animal model of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In the previous work, we found that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) "Kidney Flaccidity Compound" (KFC) based on "kidney flaccidity theory" can improve renal function and quality of life of patients with kidney disease. This study aimed to investigate the metabolic profiles in peripheral blood of hemodialysis patients administrated by KFC for 1.5 and 3 months and explore the potential metabolic mechanism using UPLC. Results showed that 121 metabolites were different between KFC 3-months group and untreated control, of which 75 were significantly upregulated and 46 were significantly downregulated. In the 1.5-months treatment group, there were 365 metabolites, of which 164 were significantly upregulated and 192 downregulated. There were 6 metabolites and 15 metabolites upregulated 3-fold in 3-months and 1.5-months KFC treatment group, respectively. In addition, more than 60 new metabolites were identified in the peripheral blood in KFC treated patients, including two potential diagnostic markers MGDG 30:8 and 2-(hydroxymethyl)-6-[[(1R,4S) -2,2,4-trimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-5-yl]oxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol. The pathway enrichment analysis showed thce differential metabolites mainly enriched in Arginine and proline metabolism, Urea cycle, Tyrosine metabolism, Methionine metabolism, Tricarboxylicacid cycle, and Androgen and estrogen metabolism. The findings are helpful to reveal the mechanism of KFC protects CKD, and to provide a new strategy for recovery renal function in hemodialysis patients.

Number of Meanings and Number of Senses: An ERP Study of Sublexical Ambiguities in Reading Chinese Disyllabic Compounds.

In English, an extensive body of work in both behavioral and neuropsychological domains has produced strong evidence that homonymy (words with many distinct meanings) and polysemy (many related senses) are represented, retrieved, and processed differently in the human brain. In Chinese, most words are compounds, and the constituent characters within a compound word can have different meanings and/or related senses on their own. Thus, in order to resolve lexical ambiguity in Chinese, one has to consider the composition of constituent characters, as well as how they contribute to whole word reading, known as “sublexical ambiguity.” This study investigates how two types of sublexical ambiguity affect Chinese word processing. The number of meanings (NOM) and the number of senses (NOS) corresponding to the first character of Chinese compounds were manipulated in a lexical decision task. The interactions between NOM and NOS were observed in both behavioral results and N400s, in which NOM disadvantage effect was found for words with few-senses only. On the other hand, the NOS facilitation effect was significant for words with multiple-meanings (NOM > 1) only. The sublexical ambiguity disadvantage suggested that semantically unrelated morphemes are represented as separate entries. For characters with multiple meanings, one orthographic form is associated with more than one morphemic representation. In contrast, the sublexical sense advantage supported the idea that semantically related senses that shared a morphological root are represented within a single entry. The more senses listed in a morphological root, the stronger representation will be formed. These results suggest that two types of sublexical ambiguities are represented and processed differently in Chinese word recognition models and also demonstrate that how they interact with each other in the mental lexicon.

Yi Shen Juan Bi Pill Ameliorates Bone Loss and Destruction Induced by Arthritis Through Modulating the Balance of Cytokines Released by Different Subpopulations of T Cells.

The Yi Shen Juan Bi Pill (YSJB), a traditional Chinese compound herbal drug, has been used as an anti-rheumatic drug in clinical practice. Cartilage and bone destruction of inflamed joints is the hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our previous study suggested that YSJB had a protective effect on joint damage in collagen-induced (CIA) rats. However, the role and the mechanism of YSJB in inflammation-induced bone loss are unavailable. The current study aimed to further evaluate the effect of YSJB on the joint destruction and the systemic bone loss, and to clarify the potential mechanism. CIA model was generated by using collagen II and incomplete Freund's adjuvant in Sprague-Dawley rats. After 4 weeks treatment, arthritic index, tissue pathology, micro-computed tomography scanning (μ-CT), and bone mineral density (BMD) analysis were performed. YSJB decreased arthritic scores and bone destruction; improved the BMD of lumbar vertebrae and bone volume fraction of inflamed joints. Moreover, YSJB significantly decreased the production of serum bone resorption markers, including Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase (TRACP), N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen. Meanwhile, it increased the level of serum bone formation marker type I collagen N-terminal propeptide. These results revealed that YSJB ameliorated bone destruction and reduced bone loss induced by arthritis. We have previously showed that Tregs inhibited osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption in vitro. Furthermore, others suggested that abnormality of Th1, Th17 may contribute to bone destruction. Here, we showed YSJB significantly up-regulated the percentage of Tregs, while also down-regulated the percentage of Th1 and Th17 cells. Our findings provide the evidence that YSJB ameliorates the severity of disease and joint degradation, and reduces systemic bone loss induced by arthritis. We propose YSJB modulates the balance of T cell phenotype, which affects the activation and differentiation of osteoclasts.

Effects of Grammatical Structure of Compound Words on Word Recognition in Chinese

Two lexical priming experiments were conducted to examine effects of grammatical structure of Chinese two-constituent compounds on their recognition. The target compound words conformed to two types of grammatical structure: subordinate and coordinative compounds. Subordinate compounds follow a structure where the first constituent modifies the second constituent (e.g., , meaning snowball); here the meaning of the second constituent (head) is modified by the first constituent (modifier). On the other hand, in coordinative compounds both constituents contribute equally to the word meaning (e.g., , wind and rain, meaning storm where the two constituent equally contribute to the word meaning). In Experiment 1 that was a replication attempt of Liu and McBride-Chang (2010), possible priming effects of word structure and semantic relatedness were examined. In lexical decision latencies only a semantic priming effect was observed. In Experiment 2, compound word structure and individual constituents were primed by the prime and target sharing either the first or second constituent. A structure priming effect was obtained in lexical decision times for subordinate compounds when the prime and target compound shared the same constituent. This suggests that a compound word constituent (either the modifier or the head) has to be simultaneously active with the structure information in order for the structure information to exert an effect on compound word recognition in Chinese. For the coordinative compounds the structure priming effect was non-significant. When the meaning of the whole word was primed (Experiment 1), no structure effect was observable. The pattern of results suggests that effects of structure priming are constituent-specific and no general structure priming was observable.

A Chinese Compound Prescription Ding Xin Recipe Combined with Amiodarone for Treating Premature Ventricular Complexes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ding Xin Recipe (DXR) combined with amiodarone in patients with PVCs. Methods A total of 360 patients with PVCs across 7 centers in China were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive up to 8 weeks of amiodarone combined with DXR placebo (amiodarone group), DXR combined with amiodarone placebo (DXR group), or DXR combined with amiodarone (DCA group) from July 2012 to December 2013. Randomization was conducted according to a centralized randomization schedule prepared by an independent steering committee. Staff and patients at all sites were masked to treatment allocation. All patients received best-evidence advice. The primary outcome was the efficacy for treating PVCs, with efficacy assessed by the reduction of premature ventricular contractions. Other outcome measures included PVCs-related symptom scores. All data were analyzed by intention to treat. Results The efficacy for treating PVCs in the DCA group (90.7%) significantly increased compared with that in the amiodarone group (72.3%) and the DXR group (73.9%). The frequency, the degree, and the duration per week of heart palpitations, chest tightness, shortness of breath and fatigue improved significantly in the DCA group in comparison with the amiodarone group and the DXR group (P 0.05). With regard to laboratory parameters for safety, there were no clinically relevant changes in the three groups. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that DXR combined with amiodarone is significantly more effective than DXR or amiodarone alone for treating PVCs.

Effect of Songyu Anshen Fang on expression of hypothalamic GABA and GABA(B) receptor proteins in insomniac rats induced by para-chlorophenylalanine

Purpose : To investigate the effects of the Chinese compound, Songyu Anshen Fang (SYF) on levels of GABA and GABA(B) receptor proteins in insomniac rats induced by para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA). Methods : All rats were randomly separated into either a control group, insomnia group, or a SYF group (at a dose of 8.5 g/kg or 17 g/kg body weight per day). The rat model of insomnia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of PCPA, and SYF was administered intragastrically in suspension. All experimental groups were treated with a corresponding agent for one week. The levels of glutamic acid (Glu) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); mRNA and protein expressions, and GABA(B) receptor levels were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot. Results : SYF treatment with 8.5 or 17 g/kg/day decreased the levels of Glu and Glu/GABA ratios in the hypothalamus following abnormal increase by PCPA. Moreover, GABA(B) receptor, mRNA and protein expression decreased by PCPA in hypothalamus were significantly normalized by SYF. Conclusion : The study indicates that the effects of PCPA-induced insomnia can be alleviated by SYF modulation of neurotransmitter levels and the expression of GABA(B) receptor in the hypothalamus. This suggests that clinical application of SYF to treat insomnia may be feasible. Keywords : Songyu Anshen Fang, Para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), GABA(B) receptor, Insomnia

Gemcitabine and cisplatin combined with the Chinese herbal medicine compound Fuzhenggubenfang improve quality of life and progression-free survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Gemcitabine and cisplatin combined with the Chinese herbal medicine compound Fuzhenggubenfang improve quality of life and progression-free survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The processing of Chinese compound words with ambiguous morphemes in sentence context.

We employed a boundary paradigm to investigate how Chinese two-character compounds (i.e., compound words) are processed during reading. The first character of the compound was an ambiguous morpheme that had a dominant and subordinate meaning. In Experiment 1, there were three previews of the second character: identical to the target character; the preview provided subordinate biasing information (the subordinate condition); the preview provided dominant biasing information (the dominant condition). An invisible boundary was inserted between the two characters. We found that gaze durations and go-past times on the compounds were longer in the subordinate condition than those in the dominant or identical conditions. In Experiment 2, the semantic similarity between target and preview words in the dominant condition was manipulated to determine whether the differences in fixation durations in Experiment 1 resulted from the semantic similarity between the preview and target words. There were significant fixation duration differences on the target word between the dominant and subordinate conditions only when the preview and target words were semantically related. This finding indicated that the whole-word meaning plays an important role in processing Chinese compounds and that the whole-word access route is the principal processing route in reading two-character compounds in Chinese.

Protective Effects of Chinese Traditional Medicine Longhu Rendan against Atherosclerosis via Negative Regulation of LOX-1.

Longhu Rendan (LHRD), a Chinese traditional compound medicine, has a remarkable treatment effect on motion sickness for about half a century. However, the role of LHRD in atherosclerosis treatment is still unclear. In this study, LHRD treatment significantly diminished total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in apolipoprotein E gene-knockout (ApoE−/−) mice fed with high fat and high cholesterol diet (western diet). Besides, LHRD treatment significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesion and plaques formation in both aortic roots and aortic trees. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining in aortic roots demonstrated that LHRD treatment inhibited lectin-like oxidized low-density-lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) expression in atherosclerotic plaques. These results indicated that LHRD ameliorated atherosclerosis via reducing serum levels of TC, TG, and LDL-C as well as LOX-1 expression, subsequently attenuating atherosclerotic lesion and lipid deposition. In conclusion, LHRD could significantly attenuate experimental atherosclerosis and might be a novel potential drug for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Shunaoxin dropping pill, a Chinese herb compound preparation, attenuates memory impairment in d-galactose-induced aging mice.

The Shunaoxin dropping pill (SNX) is derived from a traditional recipe. It has been used to treat cerebrovascular diseases in China since 2005 (approval number Z20050041). In this study, we used an in vitro H2O2-induced PC12 cell oxidative damage model and an in vivod-gal-induced mouse memory impairment model to investigate whether SNX had neuroprotective effects. In vitro, prior to exposure to 100 μM H2O2 for 2 h, PC12 cells were pre-treated with SNX 50 μg mL−1 for 24 h. Hoechst 33258 staining was used to confirm the effect of SNX on apoptosis in the PC12 cells. Our results demonstrate that H2O2 suppresses the proliferation of PC12 cells and induces cell death. Pretreatment with SNX attenuates H2O2-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells. In vivo, d-gal was administered (100 mg kg−1, subcutaneously (s.c.)) once daily for 8 weeks to induce memory deficit and neurotoxicity in the brain of an aging mouse. Then, SNX (320 mg kg−1) was simultaneously administered orally. The present study demonstrates that SNX can alleviate aging in the mouse brain induced by d-gal via improving behavioral performance, alleviating oxidative stress, inhibiting neuroinflammation, and reducing brain cell damage in the hippocampus. Overall, these data clearly demonstrate the neuroprotective effect of SNX from the in vitro and in vivo results. SNX may be considered a novel agent for easing aging and/or age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Shenxian-Shengmai Oral Liquid Reduces Myocardial Oxidative Stress and Protects Myocardium from Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Background/Aims: Shenxian-shengmai (SXSM) oral liquid, a Chinese patent compound medicine, has been used to treat sinus bradyarrhythmias induced by mild sick sinus syndrome in clinical practice. Myocardial ischemia, in particular in serious or right coronary-related heart diseases, can cause bradyarrhythmias and cardiac dysfunction. Moreover, reperfusion of ischemic myocardium is associated with additional myocardial damage known as myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of SXSM on bradyarrhythmias and cardiac dysfunction induced by myocardial I/R injury, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Administration of SXSM to adult male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats was achieved orally by gavage and control rats were given equivalent deionized water every day for 14 days. After the last administration, the heart was connected with the Langendorff perfusion apparatus and both groups were subjected to ischemia for 20 min followed by reperfusion for 40 min to induce myocardial I/R injury. Heart rate (HR), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), the maximal increase rate of left ventricular pressure (+dp/dt_max) and the maximal decrease rate of left ventricular pressure (-dp/dt_max) were recorded by a physiological signal acquisition system. The heart treated with ischemic preconditioning (IPC) for 3 times at a range of 5 min/time before ischemia served as a positive control group. The hearts without I/R injury served as control group. After reperfusion, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in the myocardium were determined by appropriate assay kits. Myocardial SOD1 and glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) expression were assessed by western blot analysis. For the in vitro study, SXSM serum was prepared according to the serum pharmacological method and neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were isolated from the heart of new born SD rats. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were pretreated with SXSM serum and subjected to H₂O₂ or anoxia/ reoxygenation (A/R) treatment to induce oxidative damage. Cell viability was evaluated using a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), SOD, GSH and GSH-Px in cardiomyocytes were determined by appropriate assay kits. SOD1 and GCLC expression were assessed by western blot analysis. Buthionine-[S, R]-sulfoximine (BSO), a GCLC inhibitor, and SOD1 siRNA were also used for identifying the cardiac protective targets of SXSM. Results: SXSM and ischemic preconditioning (IPC) significantly increased heart rate during myocardial reperfusion and protected cardiac function against myocardial I/R injury, including an increase in left ventricular diastolic pressure (LVDP), the maximal increase rate of left ventricular pressure (+dp/dt_max) and the maximal decrease rate of left ventricular pressure (-dp/dt_max). We also found that SXSM and IPC improved the expansion of myocardial interstitium, the structural abnormality and morphological changes of cardiomyocytes induced by I/R injury. Meanwhile, SXSM protected cardiomyocytes against the oxidative damage induced by H₂O₂ and A/R injury through reducing intracellular ROS levels. Moreover, SXSM increased SOD activity through enhancing SOD1 expression and increased GSH content through promoting GCLC expression as well as GSH-Px activity. BSO and SOD1 siRNA counteracted anti-arrhythmic and cardiac protective effect of SXSM, suggesting that the therapeutic targets of SXSM might be SOD1 and GCLC. Conclusion: SXSM is effective in protecting the myocardium from I/R injury, with myocardial SOD1 and GCLC being the potential therapeutic targets.

Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction enhances anti-tumor efficacy of cisplatin on lung cancer.

Traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used in cancer treatment in China. Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction is a traditional Chinese compound medicine, composed of 12 traditional Chinese herbs. This study aimed to investigate anti-tumor activity and the underlying mechanisms of Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction combined with cisplatin in the treatment of lung cancer. We established lung cancer model in C57BL/6 mice injected with mouse Lewis lung cancer cells. Our results demonstrated that Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction treatment increased necrotic area in tumor tissue, and significantly enhanced the recruitment of inflammatory cells into the tumor. In addition, Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction treatment enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy of cisplatin and partially recovered mouse body weight loss caused by cisplatin treatment. Mechanistically, we found that Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins p53 and Bax and suppressed the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Combined treatment of Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction and cisplatin further increased p53 and Bax levels and suppressed Bcl-2 level. Taken together, these data suggest that Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction could synergistically enhance the apoptotic signaling in cancer cells during chemotherapy. In addition, it has health improving and immune response enhancing effects. Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction could be a promising adjunct agent for lung cancer chemotherapy.

The role of lexical variables in the visual recognition of two-character Chinese compound words: A megastudy analysis

To examine the effect of lexical variables on two-character Chinese compound word processing, we performed item-level hierarchical regression analyses on lexical decision megastudy data of 18,983 two-character Chinese compound words. The first analysis determined the unique item-level variance explained by orthographic (frequency and stroke count), phonological (consistency, homophonic density), and semantic (transparency) variables. Both character and word variables were considered. Results showed that orthographic and semantic variables, respectively, accounted for more collective variance than phonological variables, suggesting that Chinese skilled readers rely more on orthographic and semantic information than phonological information when processing visually presented words. The second analysis tested interactive effects of lexical variables and showed significant semantic transparency × cumulative character frequency and word frequency × cumulative character frequency interactions. The effect of cumulative character frequency was stronger for transparent words than for opaque words and was stronger for low-frequency words than for high-frequency words. However, there was no semantic transparency × word frequency interaction in reaction time. Implications of the current findings on models of Chinese compound word processing are discussed.

A New Strategy to Uncover the Anticancer Mechanism of Chinese Compound Formula by Integrating Systems Pharmacology and Bioinformatics.

Currently, cancer has become one of the major refractory diseases threatening human health. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has gradually become an alternative choice for patients, which can be attributed to the high cost of leading cancer treatments (including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy) and the severe related adverse effects. As a critical component of CAM, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has increasing application in preventing and treating cancer over the past few decades. Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (HJD), a classical Chinese compound formula, has been recognized to exert a beneficial effect on cancer treatment, with few adverse effects reported. Nevertheless, the precise molecular mechanism remains unclear yet. In this study, we had integrated systems pharmacology and bioinformatics to explore the major active ingredients against cancer, targets for cancer treatment, and the related mechanisms of action. These targets were scrutinized using web-based Gene SeT Analysis Toolkit (WebGestalt), and 10 KEGG pathways were identified by enrichment analysis. Refined analysis of the KEGG pathways indicated that the anticancer effect of HJD showed a functional correlation with the p53 signaling pathway; moreover, HJD had potential therapeutic effect on prostate cancer (PCa) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Afterwards, genetic alterations and survival analysis of key targets for cancer treatment were examined in both PCa and SCLC. Our results suggested that such integrated research strategy might serve as a new paradigm to guide future research on Chinese compound formula. Importantly, such strategy contributes to studying the anticancer effect and the mechanisms of action of Chinese compound formula, which has also laid down the foundation for clinical application.

A new hollow fiber liquid/solid phase microextraction using Al2O3 nanoparticles as the adsorbent for extraction of ginsenosides from an oral liquid

A new hollow fiber-liquid/solid phase microextraction for extraction of ginsenosides from a Chinese compound formula was established using Al2O3 nanoparticles as the adsorbent.