Novel Sesquiterpenoids with Renoprotective Activities from the Fruits of Alpinae oxyphylla as Potent TGF-ß1/Smads Phosphorylation Inhibitors.

The fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla Miq is an important food spice in southern China and has been used in the treatment of kidney disorders for centuries. In order to discover the natural products with potent renoprotective activities in A. oxyphylla and provide some references for its usage, systematic phytochemical studies were carried out and 24 new diverse sesquiterpenoids, including seven guaiane sesquiterpenoids (1-7), 10 eudesmane sesquiterpenoids (9-13, 18, 19, and 21-23), six cadinane sesquiterpenoids (31-35 and 38), and an eremophilane sesquiterpenoid (40), along with 24 known analogues were isolated and elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic data and quantum-chemical calculations. Biological evaluation showed that 6 sesquiterpenoids could significantly inhibit the expression of extracellular matrix components, α-SMA in TGF-ß1 induced kidney proximal tubular cells (NRK-52e) at low concentrations, and 9 sesquiterpenoids could also downregulate fibronectin and collagen I in a concentration-dependent manner, showing their potential in renal fibrosis. Further action mechanism study displayed that TGF-ß1/Smads pathway might be involved in the antifibrotic effects of active sesquiterpenoids 15 and 43. These studies suggest that A. oxyphylla may have a potential to serve as a functional food in preventing renal fibrosis-associated diseases.

Effect of Comprehensive Nursing on Pain Relief, Comfort and Burden of Family Care of Infantile Anal Fistula.

Objective: To explore the effect of comprehensive nursing on pain relief, comfort and burden of family care of infantile anal fistula. Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. A total of 106 cases of children with anal fistula from January 2021 to December 2021 were selected and divided into observation group and control group, there were 53 cases in each group. The control group were underwent with routine nursing intervention. The observation group were underwent with video health education, peer support, music relaxation training, physiotherapy and auricular point pressing on the basis of routine nursing therapy and other measures (comprehensive nursing). The wound healing time, comfort score, complication rate and family care burden of two groups were compared. Results: After intervention, the scores of pain degree in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (4.02 ± 0.85 vs 5.89 ± 2.36, p < 0.05), and the scores of comfort degree in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (70.23 ± 5.98 vs 46.88 ± 5.23, p < 0.05). After intervention, the wound healing time of the observation group was shorter than that of the control group (3.98 ± 0.63 vs 5.77 ± 1.02, p < 0.05), and the crying times of the observation group were less than that of the control group (1.22 ± 0.26 vs 4.02 ± 0.48, p < 0.05). After intervention, the total scores of family members' care load in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (37.26 ± 4.78 vs 55.99 ± 5.02, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Comprehensive nursing can effectively promote wound healing in infantile anal fistula, reduce pain, prompt children's comfort, reduce the number of children crying, and reduce the burden of care for children's families.

Dimeric diarylheptanoids with anti-inflammatory activity from Zingiber officinale.

Two previously undescribed chain diarylheptanoid derivatives (2-3), five previously undescribed dimeric diarylheptanoids (4-8), together with one known cyclic diarylheptanoid (1) were isolated from Zingiber officinale. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses (HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV, 1D and 2D NMR) and ECD calculations. Biological evaluation of compounds 1-8 revealed that compounds 2, 3 and 4 could inhibit nitrite oxide and IL-6 production in lipopolysaccharide induced RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner.