Meta-analysis of probiotics efficacy in the treatment of minimum hepatic encephalopathy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in treating minimum hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across three major databases: PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang. The search period spanned from the inception of each database to 9 March 2023. The objective was to identify all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) examining the efficacy of probiotic preparations in treating MHE. The search terms included 'probiotics' along with other clinically relevant terms to comprehensively capture all pertinent studies. RESULTS: A total of 18 RCTs were included. The meta-analysis showed that probiotic treatment outperformed control groups in reducing blood ammonia levels (standard mean difference [MD] = -2.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -3.90 to -1.46, p < .0001), improving the remission rate of MHE (risk ratio [RR] = 2.79, 95% CI: 1.23-6.35, p = .01) and lowering alanine aminotransferase levels (MD = -11.10, 95% CI: -16.17 to -6.03, p < .0001). It also significantly reduced the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores (MD = -2.55, 95% CI: -3.56 to -1.54, p < .00001) and the incidence of MHE (RR = .18, 95% CI: .09-.34, p < .00001). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that probiotics effectively improve blood ammonia levels, liver function and cognitive function in patients with MHE. They significantly enhance the remission rate of MHE and effectively reduce its incidence, providing solid new evidence for treating MHE with probiotics.

Urolithin A promotes atherosclerotic plaque stability by limiting inflammation and hypercholesteremia in Apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Urolithin A (UroA), a dietary phytochemical, is produced by gut bacteria from fruits rich in natural polyphenols ellagitannins (ETs). The efficiency of ETs metabolism to UroA in humans depends on gut microbiota. UroA has shown a variety of pharmacological activities. In this study we investigated the effects of UroA on atherosclerotic lesion development and stability. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice were fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet for 3 months to establish atherosclerosis model. Meanwhile the mice were administered UroA (50 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.). We showed that UroA administration significantly decreased diet-induced atherosclerotic lesions in brachiocephalic arteries, macrophage content in plaques, expression of endothelial adhesion molecules, intraplaque hemorrhage and size of necrotic core, while increased the expression of smooth muscle actin and the thickness of fibrous cap, implying features of plaque stabilization. The underlying mechanisms were elucidated using TNF-α-stimulated human endothelial cells. Pretreatment with UroA (10, 25, 50 µM) dose-dependently inhibited TNF-α-induced endothelial cell activation and monocyte adhesion. However, the anti-inflammatory effects of UroA in TNF-α-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were independent of NF-κB p65 pathway. We conducted RNA-sequencing profiling analysis to identify the differential expression of genes (DEGs) associated with vascular function, inflammatory responses, cell adhesion and thrombosis in UroA-pretreated HUVECs. Human disease enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were significantly correlated with cardiovascular diseases. We demonstrated that UroA pretreatment mitigated endothelial inflammation by promoting NO production and decreasing YAP/TAZ protein expression and TEAD transcriptional activity in TNF-α-stimulated HUVECs. On the other hand, we found that UroA administration modulated the transcription and cleavage of lipogenic transcription factors SREBP1/2 in the liver to ameliorate cholesterol metabolism in ApoE-/- mice. This study provides an experimental basis for new dietary therapeutic option to prevent atherosclerosis.

The effect evaluation of continuous nursing intervention in patients with type 2 diabetic retinopathy.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the application effect of continuous nursing intervention in type 2 diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: Patients with type 2 DR were selected and divided into intervention group and control group by random. The control group received routine nursing intervention, and the intervention group received continuous nursing intervention on the basis of the control group. The clinical effects of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: After 1 and 2 years of intervention, the intervention group compared to the control group. The rate of visual acuity decrease was significantly lower (p < 0.05). Fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin were significantly lower (p < 0.05). The self-management ability and satisfaction were significantly higher, and the readmission rate was significantly lower (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The continuous nursing intervention model has a good clinical effect on the visual acuity of patients with type 2 DR.

Meeting report of the chief editorial board meeting for World Journal of Diabetes 2021.

The 2021 online editorial board meeting of the World Journal of Diabetes (WJD) was held on November 9, 2021. Jin-Lei Wang, General Manager on behalf of the Baishideng Publishing Group, and Professor Islam, one of the Editors-in-Chiefs (EiCs) of the WJD, organized the meeting. Three EiCs and 18 Baishideng Publishing Group staff attended the meeting. The meeting goal was to brief the EiCs on the journal's performance, discuss the issues of concern of the EiCs, and gather ideas for the journal's development in 2022. As of November 8, the WJD had received 287 manuscripts since the year's start, among which 122 met the criteria for publication. These numbers represent an increase of 117.4% for submissions and 110.3% for publications compared to those in 2020. However, how to effectively control the academic quality of manuscripts and attract high-quality original article submissions remain a challenge. The EiCs provided feedback and suggestions centered on three topics: (1) Who should and how to control the academic quality of the manuscripts; (2) How the EiCs perform their responsibilities; and (3) The distinctive and shared responsibilities of the publisher and the EiCs.

Microbial bioconversion of the chemical components in dark tea.

Dark tea is a unique fermented tea produced by solid-state fermentation of tea leaves (Camellia sinensis). It includes ripe Pu-erh tea, Fu brick tea, Liupao tea, and other teas. Microbial fermentation is considered to be the key factor controlling the quality of dark tea. It involves a series of reactions that modify the chemical constituents of tea leaves. These chemical conversions during microbial fermentation of dark tea are associated with a variety of functional core microorganisms. Further, Multi-omics approaches have been used to reveal the microbial impact on the conversion of the chemical components in dark tea. In the present review, we provide an overview of the most recent advances in the knowledge of the microbial bioconversion of the chemical components in dark tea, including the chemical composition of dark tea, microbial community composition and dynamics during the fermentation process, and the role of microorganisms in biotransformation of chemical constituents.

Ficus virens proanthocyanidins induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells concomitantly ameliorated 5-fluorouracil induced intestinal mucositis in rats.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent for breast cancer. However, its use often leads to drug resistance and mucositis. This study aimed to investigate whether proanthocyanidins from Ficus virens possessed anti-breast cancer and anti-mucositis activities. The results showed that the cytotoxic effects of the proanthocyanidins against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells were in the order of stem barks proanthocyanidins (SPAs) > leaves proanthocyanidins > fruits proanthocyanidins. Moreover, SPAs induced apoptosis in both cell lines which were accompanied with an increase in loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, production of reactive oxygen species, Bax to Bcl-2 protein expression ratio, and activated caspase 3. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of 5-FU (150 mg/kg body weight) resulted in body weight loss and jejunal injury in the rats while administration of SPAs (100 mg/kg body weight) counteracted these changes. Collectively, our study demonstrated that SPAs induced apoptosis cell death in breast cancer cells while ameliorating the symptoms of intestinal mucositis in rats.Therefore, SPAs merits further exploration as a potential therapeutic agent for breast cancer and chemotherapy-induced mucositis.

Proanthocyanidins from Uncaria rhynchophylla induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells while enhancing cytotoxic effects of 5-fluorouracil.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Current treatments often result in systematic toxicity and drug resistance. Combinational use of non-toxic phytochemicals with chemotherapeutic agents to enhance the efficacy and reduce toxicity would be one promising approach. In this study, bioactive proanthocyanidins from Uncaria rhynchophylla (UPAs) were isolated and their anti-breast cancer effects alone and in combination with 5- fluorouracil (5-FU) were investigated in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The results showed that UPAs significantly inhibited cell viability and migration ability in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, UPAs induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner which was associated with increased cellular reactive oxygen species production, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, increases of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and levels of cleaved caspase 3. Treatments of the cells with UPAs resulted in an increase in G2/M cell cycle arrest. Cytotoxic effects of 5-FU against MDA-MB-231 cells were enhanced by UPAs. The combination treatment of UPAs and 5-FU for 48 h elicited a synergistic cytotoxic effect on MDA-MB-231 cells. Altogether, these data suggest that UPAs are potential therapeutic agents for breast cancer.

A review on the structure-function relationship aspect of polysaccharides from tea materials.

Tea (Camellia sinensis) has a long history of medicinal use in the world. The chemical components of tea mainly consist of polyphenols (TPP), proteins, polysaccharides (TPS), chlorophyll, alkaloids, and so on. Great advances have been made in chemical and bioactive studies of catechins and TPP from tea in recent decades. However, the TPS from tea materials have received much less consideration than that of TPP. The number of relevant publications on the TPS from tea leaves and flowers has increased rapidly in recent years. This mini-review summarizes the structure-function relationship of TPS from tea leaves and flowers. The application of purified TPS from tea material as functional or nutritional foods was still little. It will help to develop the function foods with tea TPS and better understand the structure-bioactivity relationship of tea TPS.

Comparison of protective effects of safflor injection and extract of Ginkgo biloba on lung ischemia/reperfusion injury in rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective effects of safflor Injection (SI) and extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGB) on lung ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI) and investigate its mechanism. METHODS: In vivo rabbit model of LIRI was reconstructed. Forty rabbits were randomly and equally divided into four groups: sham-operation group (sham group), ischemia-reperfusion group (model group), ischemia-reperfusion plus SI group (safflor group) and ischemia-reperfusion plus EGB injection group (EGB group). Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and xanthine oxidase (XO) activity in serum were measured. The wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) of the lung tissue and activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) were also tested. Ultrastructure change of the lung tissue was observed by the electron microscope. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: In the model group, MDA and XO increased and SOD decreased in serum compared with the sham group (P<0.01). The values of W/D, MPO and ICAM-1 of the model group were higher than those of the sham group (P<0.01), but those of the safflor group and EGB group were significantly lower than those of the model group (P<0.01). The IHC demonstrated that ICAM-1 expression in lung tissue of the model group was significantly higher than those of the safflor group (P<0.01). Compared with safflor group, in the EGB group MDA, XO, MPO decreased, SOD and ICAM-1 expression increased (P<0.05), but the change of W/D was not statistically significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SI and EGB may attenuate LIRI through antioxidation, inhibition of neutrophil aggregation and down-regulation of ICAM-1 expression. But EGB had more effect on the antioxidation, while SI did better on regulating ICAM-1 expression.

Noncovalent interaction of dietary polyphenols with bovine hemoglobin in vitro: molecular structure/property-affinity relationship aspects.

The relationship between the structural properties of selected dietary polyphenols and their affinities for bovine hemoglobin (bHB) was investigated by fluorescence analysis. The presence of an additional methoxy group on flavonoids weakened the affinities for bHB by 1.15-13.80 times. Hydroxylation on rings A, B, and C also significantly affected the affinity for bHB. The glycosylation of flavonoids decreased the affinities for bHB by 1 order of magnitude depending on the conjugation site and the class of sugar moiety. Hydrogenation of the C2═C3 double bond also decreased the binding affinity. The galloylated catechins exhibited higher binding affinities for bHB than nongalloylated. The glycosylation of resveratrol increased its affinity for bHB. The binding process with bHB was strongly influenced by the structural differences of dietary polyphenols. The affinities for bHB increased with increasing partition coefficients and decreased with increasing hydrogen bond donor and acceptor numbers of polyphenols, which suggested that the binding interaction was mainly caused by the hydrophobic force.

Which model based on fluorescence quenching is suitable to study the interaction between trans-resveratrol and BSA?

There are several models by means of quenching fluorescence of BSA to determine the binding parameters. The binding parameters obtained from different models are quite different from each other. Which model is suitable to study the interaction between trans-resveratrol and BSA? Herein, twelve models based fluorescence quenching of BSA were compared. The number of binding sites increasing with increased binding constant for similar compounds binding to BSA maybe one approach to resolve this question. For example, here eleven flavonoids were tested to illustrate that the double logarithm regression curve is suitable to study binding polyphenols to BSA.

Analysis of anions in alkaline solutions by ion chromatography after solid-phase extraction.

An Ion Chromatographic (IC) method for the determination of six organic acids and three inorganic anions in alkaline solutions was reported. Formic, acetic, propionic, oxalic, succinic, glutaric acid, F-, Cl-, and SO4(2-) were separated and determined in 33 min. The analytes were removed from Bayer liquor by using an ion-exchange resin column. The chromatographic separation was achieved with only one IonPac AS11-HC column thermostated at 30 degrees C. Organic acids and inorganic anions were detected with a suppressed conductance detector. The precision results' showed that the repeatability and reproducibility were < 2.94 and < 1.37%, respectively. The accuracy of the method was assessed by the recoveries ranging from 86.3 to 105.6%. Under optimum conditions the detection limits ranged from 0.008 to 0.053 mg/l.

Identification of organic acids in bayer liquors by GC-MS: a comparison using butylation and methylation.

Two well known derivatization methods, butylation and methylation, are compared by gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) to identify organic acids in Bayer liquors. These two derivatization methods should be combined together for the determination of the carboxylic acids. Twenty-four organic acids are identified by GC-MS and 13 organic acids are firstly found in Bayer liquors. The retention times and the carbon number of these seven n-dicarboxylic acids (C(4)-C(10)) are fit into the linear relationship in Microsoft Excel.

Use of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide for rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by resonance light scattering.

A rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using resonance light scattering (RLS) on an ordinary fluorescence spectrometer was developed. The viable MRSA reduced 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) to produce insoluble particles which displayed intense resonance scattering light. It showed a linear relationship between the number of viable MRSA and the RLS intensity. Dead MRSA were unable to reduce MTT. MRSA exposed to flavonoids extracted from Marchantia convoluta (MCF) showed a MCF concentration-dependent inhibition of the ability to reduce MTT. The RLS could, in combination with the MTT assay, be a rapid and sensitive detection method for vitro-cultured MRSA.

Supercritical fluid CO2 extraction of essential oil from Marchantia convoluta: global yields and extract chemical composition

The essential oil of Marchantia convoluta was obtained by supercritical (carbon dioxide) extraction using methanol as a modifier. Global yields were determined according to the orthogonal design. The effects of different parameters, such as pressure, temperature, modifier volume and extraction time, on the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of essential oil from M. convoluta were investigated. Maximum global yields were obtained using the following conditions: extraction temperature, 35°C; dynamic time, 35 min; pressure, 15 Mpa and modifier volume, 40 mL. The essential oil extract was analyzed by capillary gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detector (GC-MS). The compounds were identified according to their retention indices and mass spectra (EI, 70 eV). The results from GC-MS and literature were compared.

Rapid separation and analysis of six organic acids in Bayer liquors by RP-HPLC after solid-phase extraction.

A rapid revised phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method for the determination of six organic acids in Bayer liquors is reported. Oxalic, tartaric, acetic, succinic, glutaric and butene dicarboxylic acid were separated and quantified in 10 min. First time repeatability, reproducibility and recoveries were determined out for these acids in Bayer liquors. The organic acids were removed from Bayer liquor by using a solid-phase extraction procedure with anion-exchange cartridges. The chromatographic separation was achieved with only one Kromasil RP-C18 column thermo stated at 25 degrees C. Organic acids were detected with a UV-vis detector (215 nm). The precision results showed that the relative standard deviations of the repeatability and reproducibility were < 2.80% and < 3.74%, respectively. The accuracy of the method was confirmed with an average recovery ranging between 85.2 and 107.3%. Under optimum conditions the detection limits ranged from 50 to 1000 mg/L.

Induction of apoptosis and transient increase of phosphorylated MAPKs by diallyl disulfide treatment in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE2 cells.

This study was undertaken to elucidate the effect of diallyl disulfide (DADS), an oil-soluble organosulfur compound found in garlic, in suppressing human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. A potent increase (of at least 9-fold) in apoptotic cells has accompanied 1) a decrease in cell viability, 2) a increase of the fraction of S-phase cells by up to 63.8%, and 3) a transient increase of the phospho-p38 and phospho-p42/44 (phosphorylated p38 MAPK and phosphorylated p42/44 MAPK) in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. These results indicate that DADS can induce apoptosis in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via, at least partly, S-phase block of the cell cycle, related to a rise in MAPK phosphorylation.