Goji Berry Juice Prevents Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Induced Xerostomia in Human Salivary Gland Cells.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by oral dryness that is primarily attributed to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-mediated reduction in saliva production. In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are recognized for their hydrating effect and are considered suitable to address oral dryness associated with Yin deficiency. In the present study, we used goji berry juice (GBJ) to investigate the potential preventive effect of goji berries on oral dryness caused by SS. Pretreatment of human salivary gland cells with GBJ effectively prevented the decrease in aquaporin-5 (AQP-5) mRNA and protein levels induced by TNF-α. GBJ also inhibited histone H4 deacetylation and suppressed the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, GBJ pretreatment reserved mitochondrial membrane potential and suppressed the upregulation of Bax and caspase-3, indicating that GBJ exerted an antiapoptotic effect. These findings suggest that GBJ provides protection against TNF-α in human salivary gland cells and prevents the reduction of AQP-5 expression on the cell membrane. Altogether, these results highlight the potential role of GBJ in preventing oral dryness caused by SS.

Effects of Japanese policies and novel hypnotics on long-term prescriptions of hypnotics.

AIM: The current study aimed to examine the effect of Japanese policies for appropriate hypnotics use and novel hypnotics (e.g. melatonin receptor agonist and orexin receptor antagonist [ORA]) on long-term prescriptions of hypnotics. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted using a large-scale health insurance claims database. Among subscribers prescribed hypnotics at least once between April 2005 and March 2021, those prescribed hypnotics for the first time after being included in the database in three periods (period 1: April 2012-March 2013; period 2: April 2016-March 2017; and period 3: April 2018-March 2019) were eligible. These were set considering the timing of the 2014 and 2018 medical fee revisions (2014 for polypharmacy of three or more hypnotics, 2018 for long-term prescription of benzodiazepine receptor agonists for >12 months). The duration of consecutive prescriptions of hypnotics over 12 months was evaluated. Factors associated with short-term prescriptions of hypnotics were also investigated. RESULTS: In total, 186 535 participants were newly prescribed hypnotics. The mean duration of prescriptions was 2.9 months, and 9.3% of participants were prescribed hypnotics for 12 months. Prescription periods were not associated with short-term prescriptions of hypnotics. ORA use was associated with short-term prescriptions of hypnotics (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.077 [95% confidence interval, 1.035-1.120]; P < 0.001), but melatonin receptor agonist use was not. CONCLUSION: Japanese policies had no statistically significant effect on long-term prescriptions of hypnotics. Although this study suggests initiating ORA for insomniacs as a candidate strategy to prevent long-term prescriptions of hypnotics, further research is necessary to draw conclusions.