[Correlation between traditional Chinese medicine and reduced risk of readmission in rheumatoid arthritis patients with hypoproteinemia:a retrospective cohort study].

This study aimed to explore the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and reduced risk of readmission in patients having rheumatoid arthritis with hypoproteinemia(RA-H). A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 2 437 rheumatoid arthritis patients in the information system database of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from 2014 to 2021, and 476 of them were found to have hypoproteinemia. The patients were divided into TCM users and non-TCM users by propensity score matching. Exposure was defined as the use of oral Chinese patent medicine or herbal decoction for ≥1 month. Cox regression analysis was performed to explore the risk factors of clinical indicators of rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, the use of TCM during hospitalization was analyzed, and analysis of association rules was conducted to investigate the correlation between TCM, improvement of indicators and readmission of patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted to compare the readmission rate of TCM users and non-TCM users. It was found the readmission rate of RA-H patients was significantly higher than that of RA patients. By propensity score matching, 232 RA-H patients were divided into TCM group(116 cases) and non-TCM group(116 cases). Compared with the conditions in the non-TCM group, the readmission rate of the TCM group was lowered(P<0.01), and the readmission rate of middle-aged and elderly patients was higher than that of young patients(P<0.01). Old age was a risk factor for readmission of RA-H patients, while TCM, albumin(ALB) and total protein(TP) were the protective factors. During hospitalization, the TCMs used for RA-H patients were mainly divided into types of activating blood and resolving stasis, relaxing sinew and dredging collaterals, clearing heat and detoxifying, and invigorating spleen and resolving dampness. The improvement of rheumatoid factor(RF), immunoglobulin G(IgG), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR), C-reactive protein(CRP) and ALB was closely related to TCM. On the basis of western medicine treatment, the application of TCM could reduce the readmission rate of RA-H patients, and longer use of TCM indicated lower readmission rate.

New paraconic acids from the endophytic fungus Xylariaceae sp. J4.

Three new paraconic acids, xylariacinics A-C (1-3), were isolated from the endophyte Xylariaceae sp. J4 harbored in the medicinal plant Blumea balsamifera. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data including HRMS, and NMR. The antibacterial efficacies of compounds 1-3 were evaluated against a panel of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Their antifungal activities were also tested against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Unfortunately, all of them were inactive.

[Traditional medicinal plants for arthropod-borne diseases of five countries in Lancang-Mekong region:a review].

Arthropod-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, have frequently beset five countries(Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand) in the tropical rainy Lancang-Mekong region, which pose a huge threat to social production and daily life. As a resort to such diseases, chemical drugs risk the resistance in plasmodium, non-availability for dengue virus, and pollution to the environment. Traditional medicinal plants have the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, which are of great potential in drug development. Exploring potential medicinals for arthropod-borne diseases from traditional medicinal plants has become a hot spot. This study summarized the epidemiological background of arthropod-borne diseases in the Lancang-Mekong region and screened effective herbs from the 350 medicinal plants recorded in CHINA-ASEAN Traditional Medicine. Based on CNKI, VIP, and PubMed, the plants for malaria and dengue fever and those for killing and repelling mosquitoes were respectively sorted out. Their pharmacological effects and mechanisms were reviewed and the material basis was analyzed. The result is expected to serve as a reference for efficient utilization of medicinal resources, development of effective and safe drugs for malaria and dengue fever, and the further cooperation between China and the other five countries in the Lancang-Mekong region.

Variations in Essential Oil Yield, Composition, and Antioxidant Activity of Different Plant Organs from Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC. at Different Growth Times.

Blumea balsamifera, also named Ainaxiang, is widely used as an ancient medicinal herb in tropical and subtropical Asia. It is rich in essential oils. In this work the essential oils of B. balsamifera from different plant organs and in different months were extracted, and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that essential oil yield of young leaves was the highest (0.65 mL/100 g), followed by mature leaves (0.57 mL/100 g), and the oil yield was higher in October (0.47 mL/100 g) than other months. A total of 44 compounds were identified, representing 92.64%-96.71% of the oil. Eighteen common chemical components were found among the six plant organs, representing >80% of the oil constituents. l-borneol was the main ingredient in leaves, and its content was the highest in senescent leaves and in December. In the essential oils of young shoots and young stems, the main component was dimethoxydurene. Antioxidant activity was also determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ß-carotene bleaching (BCB) assays. The results indicated that the ß-carotene bleaching activity was far stronger than the DPPH radical-scavenging capacity, and the young leaves and young shoots showed stronger antioxidant activity. Dimethoxydurene, ß-caryophyllene, and α-caryophyllene play a positive role in good antioxidant activity, while ß-eudesmol, phytol, and tetradecanal play a negative role. The antioxidant activity revealed in this study might help in developing this promising bioresource for use in the medicinal and cosmetic industries.

[Comparative Study on Quality of Volatile Oil of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma from Two Habitats].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the quality of volatile oil of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma from Guangxi and Sichuan. METHODS: The volatile oil was extracted from Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma by using steam distillation method, and analyzed by GC-MS. Peak area normalization method was used for calculating the relative percentage contents of chemical constituents, and hierarchical cluster analysis was used for classifying the 20 batches of samples by their relative contents of the main components that were methyleugenol, cis-methylisoeugenol, γ-asarone, ß-asarone and α-asarone. RESULTS: The average extraction rate of 10 batches of volatile oil in Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma from Guangxi was 1. 61%, and 10 batches of samples from Sichuan was 1. 72%. The relative percentage contents of five main components totaled 78. 19% and 88. 84%, respectively. By t-test, there was no statistical difference between samples from Guangxi and Sichuan. In the hierarchical cluster analysis,10 batches of samples from Guangxi and 10 batches of samples from Sichuan could respectively be classified into four clusters subcategories and five clusters subcategories, while the mean of samples of Guangxi and the mean of samples of Sichuan respectively analyzed with 20 batches of the two habitats that all were classified in the same clusters subcategories. The results of similarity showed that the correlation coefficients of 8 batches in 10 batches of samples from Guangxi were over 0. 9, while 1 batch was only 0. 466. The correlation coefficients of 7 batches in 10 batches of samples from Sichuan had were over 0. 9, while 1 batch was only 0. 069. The correlation coefficients between the mean of samples of Guangxi and the mean of samples of Sichuan was 0. 996. CONCLUSION: Quality of the different batches of volatile oil from Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma have significant differences, but it has no obvious correlation with the habitats.

External application of the volatile oil from Blumea balsamifera may be safe for liver--a study on its chemical composition and hepatotoxicity.

Ainaxiang (Blumea balsamifera), also known as Sambong, is an important ancient medicinal herb in Southeast Asia. It is rich in volatile oil, and still widely used nowadays for skin wound healing and treatment of sore throats. We analyzed the volatile oil from Blumea balsamifera (BB oil) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Forty one components, including l-borneol, were identified. Next, the damaging effects of BB oil diluted with olive oil on liver at different concentrations (100%, 50%, 20%), were evaluated, using both normal and wounded skin. Plasma ALT, AST, ALP and TBili were assessed, along with liver histopathology. The results showed that serum levels of liver toxicity markers in the high concentration groups (100% w/v) increased compared with control groups, whereas no significant changes was observed in histopathology of liver samples. In the wound groups, treatment with BB oil resulted in a decrease in serum toxicity index, compared with normal animal groups. This study confirms the safety of short term BB oil consumption, though high BB oil doses may lead to mild liver injury and this response might be weakened in the case of cutaneous wounds. These results are expected to be helpful for guiding appropriate therapeutic use of BB oil.

An uncommon plant growth regulator, diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate, is highly effective in tissue cultures of the important medicinal plant purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.).

We investigated the effects of various concentrations of diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate (DA-6) on the regeneration and growth of adventitious buds in in vitro purple coneflower cultures. Among the 3 types of explants tested, leaf explants required higher concentrations of DA-6 than petiole and root explants in order to obtain high regeneration rates, while root explants required the lowest concentration of DA-6. Additionally, explants with higher ploidy levels were more sensitive to the addition of DA-6, while explants with lower ploidy levels required higher concentrations of DA-6 to achieve its maximal regeneration rate. Interestingly, the application of a concentration that was conducive to the regeneration of explants with lower ploidy levels was inhibitory to the regeneration of explants with higher ploidy levels. Moreover, during the growth of regenerated buds, DA-6 application significantly improved plant height and weight, root weight, root thickness, root number, primary root length, total root length, and root/top ratio. Differences in the responses of explants to supplementation with DA-6 were also observed among explants with different ploidy levels, with buds having lower ploidy levels responding to lower concentrations of DA-6. Taken together, the results of the present experiments showed that proper application of DA-6 could increase in vitro culture efficiency in purple coneflower.

[Physical training improves spatial learning and memory impairments following hypoxic ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of physical training on cerebral structure and spatial learning and memory in neonatal rats submitted to hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). METHODS: Forty-eight 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: a group that was subjected to left carotid ligation followed by 2 hrs hypoxic stress (HIBD); a group that received physical training 2 weeks after the HIBD event; a control group that was subjected to a sham-operation without ligation and hypoxic stress. Following four weeks physical training, motor function test and water maze tasks were performed. Bilateral brain weight, cerebral morphology and left hippocampal ultrastructrue of the animals were examined. The expression levels of phosphor calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the motor function and the spatial learning and memory ability in the non-trained HIBD group were significantly decreased, whereas there was no significant difference between the trained-HIBD and the control groups. The left hemisphere weight and neurons in the left hippocampal CA1 zone of both HIBD groups decreased and the reduction was more significant in non-trained HIBD group. The ultrastructure of the left hippocampus was remarkably abnormal in the non-trained HIBD group, while no obvious abnormality was observed in the trained HIBD and the control groups. Phosphor-CaMKII and BDNF expression in the left hippocampus in the trained HIBD group increased significantly compared with that in the non-trained HIBD group. CONCLUSIONS: Physical training can restrain brain damage and ameliorate spatial learning and memory impairments in rats with HIBD.