Association of Coffee and Tea Intake with Bone Mineral Density and Hip Fracture: A Meta-Analysis.

Background and Objectives: Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and high bone fragility. Findings regarding the association of coffee and tea intake with osteoporosis have been inconsistent. We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate whether coffee and tea intake is associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and high hip fracture risk. Materials and Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase were searched for relevant studies published before 2022. Studies on the effects of coffee/tea intake on hip fracture/BMD were included in our meta-analysis, whereas those focusing on specific disease groups and those with no relevant coffee/tea intake data were excluded. We assessed mean difference (MD; for BMD) and pooled hazard ratio (HR; for hip fracture) values with 95% confidence interval (CI) values. The cohort was divided into high- and low-intake groups considering the thresholds of 1 and 2 cups/day for tea and coffee, respectively. Results: Our meta-analysis included 20 studies comprising 508,312 individuals. The pooled MD was 0.020 for coffee (95% CI, -0.003 to 0.044) and 0.039 for tea (95% CI, -0.012 to 0.09), whereas the pooled HR was 1.008 for coffee (95% CI, 0.760 to 1.337) and 0.93 for tea (95% CI, 0.84 to 1.03). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis results suggest that daily coffee or tea consumption is not associated with BMD or hip fracture risk.

Treatment of Pasteurella multocida infection with dressings containing honey and antibacterials: a case report.

Infections secondary to Pasteurella multocida frequently occur in patients who have been exposed to domestic pets. Human infections caused by Pasteurella multocida vary in severity, and clinical features include localised cellulitis, osteomyelitis, systemic bacteraemia, meningitis and pneumonia. No vaccine has been developed against Pasteurella multocida; it is treated with antibacterial agents and, in most cases, surgical intervention. This article discusses the authors' experience in treating a woman with severe cellulitis and osteomyelitis on her hand caused by Pasteurella multocida. She refused surgical intervention and was successfully treated with honey-containing dressings and antibiotics after failure to heal following conservative treatment using conventional wound dressings combined with antibiotics.

[Effect of echinacoside on replication and antigen expression of hepatitis B virus].

To verify the effect of echinacoside on replication and antigen expression of hepatitis B virus (HBV) by using HBV-transfected HepG2. 2. 15 cells as the in vitro model. The ELISA method was used to determine HBeAg and HBsAg levels in cellular supernatants. The effect of echinacoside on HBV replication was studied by using HBV transgenic mice as the in vivo model. First of all, the HBV DNA level in hepatic tissues was quantified with PCR method. Meanwhile, the serum transaminase levels and hepatic pathological changes were also evaluated. Subsequently, HBV transgenic mice were divided into five groups: the control group, the lamivudine group (50 mg · kg(-1)) and echinacoside high, medium and low dose group (50, 25 and 12.5 mg · kg(-1)). The mice were orally administered with drugs once per day for 30 days. At the 31st day, the mice serum was separated to measure HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA. Additionally, the liver HBV DNA level and histopathological change were detected. The results indicated that echinacoside at 50 and 100 mg · L(-1) suppressed significantly HBsAg and HBeAg expressions on the sixth day, with the maximum inhibition ratios of 42.68% and 46.29%; And echinacoside at 100 mg · L(-1) also showed an inhibitory effect on HBV DNA. Besides, echinacoside at 50 mg · kg(-1) inhibited significantly HBsAg and HBeAg expressions of HBV transgenic mice, with the inhibition ratios of 42.82% and 29.12%, and reduced markedly the serum HBV DNA level in HBV transgenic mice. In conclusion, the study suggested that echinacoside has a strong effect against HBV replication and antigen expression.

Treatment of psoriatic nails with indigo naturalis oil extract: a non-controlled pilot study.

BACKGROUND: In the treatment of nail psoriasis, standardized therapeutic regimens are currently lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of indigo naturalis oil extract in patients with nail psoriasis. METHODS: Patients with nail psoriasis applied indigo naturalis oil extract on affected nails twice daily for 24 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated using the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) and modified target NAPSI for the single most severely affected nail. RESULTS: Twenty-eight out of 32 patients completed the study. The mean NAPSI was 36.1 ± 14.7 at baseline and decreased to 14.9 ± 11.1 at week 24 while the mean modified target NAPSI was 11.7 ± 3.9 at baseline and decreased to 3.6 ± 3.2 at week 24. CONCLUSIONS: Indigo naturalis oil extract appeared to improve nail psoriasis. Although preliminary, these results indicate that it could provide a novel therapeutic option for nail psoriasis, a disease notoriously difficult to treat.

Quality of life in patients with psoriasis in northern Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis has a significant negative impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with the quality of life of patients with psoriasis in Taiwan. METHODS: A retrospective study analyzing data from psoriasis patients who visited the outpatient clinics in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Taipei, Taoyuan and Keelung from July 2009 to January 2010 was performed. RESULTS: A total of 480 patients who had completed the assessment of disease severity and the dermatology life quality index (DLQI) questionnaire were analyzed. Of these patients, 67.5% were men. The mean score on the DLQI was 9.16 ± 6.3 and 67% of all patients reported a moderate to extremely large impact on their quality of life (DLQI > 6). A higher psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), younger age and initial lesions on the nails significantly negatively impacted patients' quality of life. Smoking, alcohol intake and gender were also weakly correlated. CONCLUSION: The clinical severity, age and site of initial lesions are associated with negative impacts on the quality of life of patients with psoriasis. These findings provide significant new insights into factors that affect the life quality of patients with psoriasis in Taiwan.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPN14 is a regulator of lymphatic function and choanal development in humans.

The lymphatic vasculature is essential for the recirculation of extracellular fluid, fat absorption, and immune function and as a route of tumor metastasis. The dissection of molecular mechanisms underlying lymphangiogenesis has been accelerated by the identification of tissue-specific lymphatic endothelial markers and the study of congenital lymphedema syndromes. We report the results of genetic analyses of a kindred inheriting a unique autosomal-recessive lymphedema-choanal atresia syndrome. These studies establish linkage of the trait to chromosome 1q32-q41 and identify a loss-of-function mutation in PTPN14, which encodes a nonreceptor tyrosine phosphatase. The causal role of PTPN14 deficiency was confirmed by the generation of a murine Ptpn14 gene trap model that manifested lymphatic hyperplasia with lymphedema. Biochemical studies revealed a potential interaction between PTPN14 and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3), a receptor tyrosine kinase essential for lymphangiogenesis. These results suggest a unique and conserved role for PTPN14 in the regulation of lymphatic development in mammals and a nonconserved role in choanal development in humans.