Mechanism of Action of Dihydroquercetin in the Prevention and Therapy of Experimental Liver Injury.

Liver disease is a global health problem that affects the well-being of tens of thousands of people. Dihydroquercetin (DHQ) is a flavonoid compound derived from various plants. Furthermore, DHQ has shown excellent activity in the prevention and treatment of liver injury, such as the inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation after administration, the normalization of oxidative indices (like SOD, GSH) in this tissue, and the down-regulation of pro-inflammatory molecules (such as IL-6 and TNF-α). DHQ also exerts its therapeutic effects by affecting molecular pathways such as NF-κB and Nrf2. This paper discusses the latest research progress of DHQ in the treatment of various liver diseases (including viral liver injury, drug liver injury, alcoholic liver injury, non-alcoholic liver injury, fatty liver injury, and immune liver injury). It explores how to optimize the application of DHQ to improve its effectiveness in treating liver diseases, which is valuable for preparing potential therapeutic drugs for human liver diseases in conjunction with DHQ.

The ASB@HNTs-PVA nanofiber membrane, possessing both anti-inflammatory and hemostatic activities, promotes the healing of T2D skin wounds.

The healing of diabetic wounds has long been a significant challenge in the field of medicine. The elevated sugar levels surrounding diabetic wounds create a conducive environment for harmful bacterial growth, resulting in purulent infections that impede the healing process. Thus, the development of a biomaterial that can enhance the healing of diabetic wounds holds great importance. This study developed electrospun dressings for wound healing by combining traditional Chinese medicine and clay. The study utilized electrospinning technology to prepare polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofiber membranes containing ASB and HNTs. These ASB@HNTs-PVA nanofiber membranes demonstrated rapid hemostasis, along with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, facilitating the recovery of type 2 diabetic (T2D) wounds. Various analyses were conducted to assess the performance of the composite nanofiber membrane, including investigations into its biocompatibility and hemostatic abilities through antibacterial experiments, cell experiments, and mouse liver tail bleeding experiments. Western blot analysis confirmed that the composite nanofiber membrane could decrease the levels of inflammatory factors IL-1ß and TNF-α. A type 2 diabetic mouse model was utilized, with wounds artificially induced on the backs of mice. Application of the nanofiber membrane to the wounds further confirmed its anti-inflammatory effects and ability to enhance wound healing in vivo.

Phloretin@cyclodextrin/natural silk protein/polycaprolactone nanofiber wound dressing with antioxidant and antibacterial activities promotes diabetic wound healing.

In patients with diabetes, chronic hyperglycemia impairs immune function at wound sites, increasing susceptibility to infections, prolonging inflammation, and delaying healing. This study aimed to develop wound dressings that control bacterial infections and accelerate healing. Phloretin (PHL), which has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, was encapsulated with γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) to form a PHL@CD complex with enhanced bioavailability. This complex was incorporated into nanofiber wound dressings composed of polycaprolactone and natural silk protein. The resulting dressings exhibited favorable physical and chemical properties, including nutrient transport and gas exchange, which are essential for wound healing. The nanofiber membranes exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (90.31 ± 4.41 % inhibition), with high antioxidant capacity (91.48 ± 0.33 % ABTS scavenging) and blood compatibility. The membranes also promoted cell viability. Importantly, the nanofiber dressings accelerated wound healing in a diabetic mouse model by reducing the duration of inflammation. The novel nanofiber wound dressing can significantly improve the treatment of diabetic wounds.

Too Many Cooks: Exploring How Graphical Perception Studies Influence Visualization Recommendations in Draco.

Findings from graphical perception can guide visualization recommendation algorithms in identifying effective visualization designs. However, existing algorithms use knowledge from, at best, a few studies, limiting our understanding of how complementary (or contradictory) graphical perception results influence generated recommendations. In this paper, we present a pipeline of applying a large body of graphical perception results to develop new visualization recommendation algorithms and conduct an exploratory study to investigate how results from graphical perception can alter the behavior of downstream algorithms. Specifically, we model graphical perception results from 30 papers in Draco-a framework to model visualization knowledge-to develop new recommendation algorithms. By analyzing Draco-generated algorithms, we showcase the feasibility of our method to (1) identify gaps in existing graphical perception literature informing recommendation algorithms, (2) cluster papers by their preferred design rules and constraints, and (3) investigate why certain studies can dominate Draco's recommendations, whereas others may have little influence. Given our findings, we discuss the potential for mutually reinforcing advancements in graphical perception and visualization recommendation research.

Determination of α-glucosidase inhibitors from Scutellaria baicalensis using liquid chromatography with quadrupole time of flight tandem mass spectrometry coupled with centrifugal ultrafiltration.

The present study aimed at identifying potential lead compounds for diabetes mellitus drug discovery. We developed a novel method involving centrifugal ultrafiltration separation subsequent liquid chromatography with quadrupole time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-Q/TOF-MS/MS) determination to screen α-glucosidase inhibitors in complex Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SBG) extract. By adding a second filter to the screening process, the level of non-specific binding of Compounds 1, 3, 10 and 11 was significantly decreased, and the level of non-specific binding of Compounds 5 and 15 also was reduced. As a result, five flavonoids identified as baicalein, baicalein, wogonin, chrysin, and oroxylin A, were rapidly found to interact with α-glucosidase and possess potent anti-α-glucosidase activity in vitro. Specific binding of ligands to α-glucosidase was demonstrated though the proposed method and the ligands could be ranked in order of affinity for α-glucosidase, which were corresponded to the order of inhibitory activity in vitro. In conclusion, our results indicated that the developed method is a rapid and effective screening method for rat intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitors from complex herbal medicines such as SBG.