[Transformation and attribution of drug properties in Galla Chinesis fermented Baiyaojian based on cold and heat syndrome rats].

To reveal the transformation and attribution of drug properties in Galla Chinesis fermented Baiyaojian by studying the effect of Galla Chinesis and Baiyaojian on cold and heat syndrome rats. Euthyrox was used to induce the hyperthyrosis model,ice water stimulation was used to induce the cold syndrome model,and different concentrations of Galla Chinesis and Baiyaojian water decoction were administrated by gavage for 15 d continuously. Symptom indexes were evaluated,content of pyruvic acid( PA),ATPase activity in liver and contents of DA,T4,cAMP,5-HT,NE,17-OHCS,TRH and TSH in serum were assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and spectrophotometry. The rectal temperature,water consumption and body weight of heat syndrome rats in model group were increased,cAMP,NE,17-OHCS,TRH and PA were increased,TSH,Na-K ATPase and Ca-Mg ATPase were increased significantly( P<0. 01),while 5-HT was decreased,compared with those of the blank group( P< 0. 05),the contents of T4,DA,NE,TSH,TRH,cAMP and 17-OHCS were decreased significantly( P<0. 01),PA and Ca-Mg ATPase in WG and BG groups were decreased compared with those of the model group( P<0. 05),and the Galla Chinesis content of WG group was lower than that of BG group,while the contents of 5-HT in WG and BG groups were increased,and the Galla Chinesis content of WG group was higher than that of BG group,with no significant difference of viscera index between heat syndrome rats in blank group,model group and drug groups. The rectal temperature,water consumption and body weight of cold syndrome rats in model group were decreased,DA,T4,cAMP,NE,17-OHCS,TRH,TSH,PA,Na-K ATPase and Ca-Mg ATPase of rats in model group were decreased,whereas 5-HT was increased compared with those of the blank group( P<0. 05),the indexes of heart,lung and kidney were significantly higher than those in the blank group( P<0. 05). Both Galla Chinesis and Baiyaojian can significantly alleviate the symptoms of heat syndrome rats caused by levothyroxine sodium. Galla Chinesis has a better effect than Baiyaojian,but cannot alleviate the symptoms of cold syndrome caused by ice water stimulation,suggestting that the decoction of Galla Chinesis and Baiyaojian are both cold,but Galla Chinesis is colder than Baiyaojian. Cold property in Galla Chinesis fermented Baiyaojian can be relieved. In clinical application,the property of " slight cold" is more accurate than " neutral property" for Baiyaojian.

Biomimetic Self-Maturation Mineralization System for Enamel Repair.

Enamel repair is crucial for restoring tooth function and halting dental caries. However, contemporary research often overlooks the retention of organic residues within the repair layer, which hinders the growth of dense crystals and compromises the properties of the repaired enamel. During the maturation of natural enamel, the organic matrix undergoes enzymatic processing to facilitate further crystal growth, resulting in a highly mineralized tissue. Inspired by this process, a biomimetic self-maturation mineralization system is developed, comprising ribonucleic acid-stabilized amorphous calcium phosphate (RNA-ACP) and ribonuclease (RNase). The RNA-ACP induces initial mineralization in the form of epitaxial crystal growth, while the RNase present in saliva automatically triggers a biomimetic self-maturation process. The mechanistic study further indicates that RNA degradation prompts conformational rearrangement of the RNA-ACP, effectively excluding the organic matter introduced earlier. This exclusion process promotes lateral crystal growth, resulting in the generation of denser enamel-like apatite crystals that are devoid of organic residues. This strategy of eliminating organic residues from enamel crystals enhances the mechanical and physiochemical properties of the repaired enamel. The present study introduces a conceptual biomimetic mineralization strategy for effective enamel repair in clinical practice and offers potential insights into the mechanisms of biomineral formation.

Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Hydrodissection With 5% Dextrose 4 Weeks After Steroid Injection in Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided nerve hydrodissection (HD) with 5% dextrose (D5W) as add-on therapy after corticosteroid injection in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and provide a novel strategy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients with CTS who received ultrasound-guided nerve HD with D5W as add-on therapy after corticosteroid injection (combination group) were enrolled. Patients who received corticosteroid injection without add-on therapy (steroid group) were recruited as the control group. Ultrasound-guided nerve HD with D5W was performed 4 weeks after corticosteroid injection. Treatment effectiveness were assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) and Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ). The assessment was performed at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after corticosteroid injection. In addition, adverse events were recorded in this study. RESULTS: A total of 49 patients and 62 wrists meeting the criteria were included, with 24 patients and 31 wrists in the steroid group and 25 patients and 31 wrists in the combination group. Compared with baseline data, both groups showed greater improvement in VAS, BCTQs (BCTQ severity), and BCTQf (BCTQ function) at 4, 8, and 12 weeks follow-up. VAS, BCTQs, and BCTQf scores at baseline and week 4 were comparable between steroid group and combination group. Compared with steroid group, combination group exhibited a significant reduction in VAS, BCTQs, and BCTQf at 8- and 12-week follow-up (P ≤ 0.01). No adverse event occurred in any group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that ultrasound-guided nerve HD with D5W as add-on therapy after corticosteroid injection was efficacious and safe in CTS, and combination therapy is more beneficial than corticosteroid monotherapy in the improvement of symptoms and function at 8- and 12-week follow-up.

Gas chromatographic-ion mobility spectrometry combined with a multivariate analysis model exploring the characteristic changes of odor components during the processing of black sesame.

Black sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a Chinese dietary herb that has been widely used in the medical and healthcare fields in China. According to the theory of Traditional Chinese medicine processing, reasonable processing (steaming and drying many times) can increase the tonic effect and reduce the adverse factors generated during long-term use. At present, the processing degree of black sesame is mainly judged based on subjective experience. However, due to the lack of objective and quantitative control indicators, quality fluctuations easily occur. Therefore, for better application, its processing technology needs scientific monitoring methods. Herein a gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) technique was applied as a monitoring method to differentiate the processed products of black sesame in different processing stages. The response data of volatile components obtained from the samples were processed by the built-in data processing software in the instrument to identify the different components for further principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). From fingerprint comparison, 70 differential signal peaks were screened, 32 of which were qualitatively identified, mainly monomers and dimers of 20 compounds. On this basis, the PCA model shows that there was a significant difference between the raw product (S1) and the processed products (H1-9); moreover, there was a certain correlation between the differential changes of samples in different processing stages (H1-9) and the processing times. The OPLS-DA model specifically shows the differential components in the processing with potential characteristics peaks of 41, 105, n-nonanal, 2 and ethanol can discriminate whether the BS has undergone the first processed. And the dynamic changes of the three characteristic peaks of 1-hexanol, acetic acid and 107 can determine the specific degree of processing of BS. The research proves that GC-IMS combined with a multivariate analysis model can provide scientific data for identifying the characteristic odor components of black sesame.

Plasma Phospholipids are Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Type 2 Diabetic Patients.

BACKGROUND: Phospholipids and their metabolisms are closely allied to nosogenesis and aggravation of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and cognitive impairment. The aim of this study is to characterize the plasma levels of phospholipids in type 2 diabetes patients and type 2 diabetes patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and to identify potential biomarkers of type 2 diabetes patients with MCI. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 374 type 2 diabetes patients were prospectively enrolled. There were 103 patients with MCI and 271 patients without MCI. Plasma levels of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and phospholipids with solubility similar to that of LPA (PSS-LPA) were assayed. RESULTS: Plasma LPA and PSS-LPA levels were significantly higher in patients with MCI than those without MCI (P = 0.007, P ＜ 0.001). A logistic regression analysis indicates that elevated plasma PSSLPA was associated with increased risk of MCI in type 2 diabetic patients, with an OR of 1.87 (1.04- 3.47) after additional adjustment for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, hemoglobin A1c, Intima-media thickness, ankle brachial index, and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. In type 2 diabetic patients with MCI, there were negative correlations between plasma LPA, PSS-LPA and the MoCA scores (r =﹣0.322, P < 0.01; r =﹣0.349, P < 0.001). Furthermore, plasma PSS-LPA exhibited a fair diagnostic value for MCI, with an area under the curve of 0.86. CONCLUSION: The level of plasma PSS-LPA may be an important biomarker for diagnosis of MCI.

[Effects of initial pH on hydrogen production from acid pretreated municipal sludge].

A series of batch tests were conducted to investigate the effects of initial pH on bio-hydrogen production from acid pretreated municipal sludge. The pH of sludge was first adjusted to 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0, stood by for 24 h in a refrigerator at 4 degrees C, then adjusted to pH 2.0-12.0 respectively before using as the substrates for batch experiments. The results showed that the acid pretreated sludge with initial pH 11.0 gave the highest hydrogen production, and the corresponding accumulative hydrogen for sludge (dry basis) pretreated at pH 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 were 0.59, 1.83, 0.50 and 0.56 mL/g respectively. Hence, it could be seen that the initial pH 11.0 for the acid pretreated sludge should be the optimum pH range for promoting the growth of dominant hydrogen-producing anaerobes, while inhibiting hydrogen-consuming anaerobes. Meanwhile it also could be concluded that both hydrogenogen and methanogen were inhibited at the initial pH 2.0 to 4.0 and 12.0, which resulted in a low hydrogen production. Although the hydrogenogen and methanogen could be promoted at the initial pH 5.0 to 9.0, the corresponding hydrogen production was still quite low.