Actual experience of the training effect of Baduanjin on patients with hemiplegic limb dysfunctions after cerebral infarction: A qualitative study.

AIM: To explore the actual experience of training effect of Baduanjin on patients with hemiplegic limb dysfunctions after cerebral infarction through semistructured interviews and promote Baduanjin training application in clinical and community settings. DESIGN: This qualitative study was conducted using the conventional content analysis approach. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with hemiplegic limb dysfunctions after cerebral infarction were recruited as participants by applying purposive sampling method between September 2017-December 2020 in the physical therapy department of a rehabilitation hospital affiliated with Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. Semistructured interviews were conducted after patients participated in Baduanjin training for 6 weeks. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis method of Graneheim and Lundman. RESULTS: Three major themes were identified after analysis, namely improving functions of hemiplegic limbs, improving the condition of the entire body and the feelings of practice. The participants indicated that Baduanjin could improve the limb functions and general conditions of hemiplegic patients. Their experience in practicing Baduanjin was generally positive, and they were willing to continue practicing.

Probiotic supplements alleviate gestational diabetes mellitus by restoring the diversity of gut microbiota: a study based on 16S rRNA sequencing.

Probiotics effectively prevent and improve metabolic diseases such as diabetes by regulating the intestinal microenvironment and gut microbiota. However, the effects of probiotics in gestational diabetes mellitus are not clear. Here, we showed that probiotic supplements significantly improved fasting blood glucose in a gestational diabetes mellitus rat model. To further understand the mechanisms of probiotics in gestational diabetes mellitus, the gut microbiota were analyzed via 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that compared with the normal pregnant group, the gestational diabetes mellitus rats had decreased diversity of gut microbiota. Moreover, probiotic supplementation restored the diversity of the gut microbiota in gestational diabetes mellitus rats, and the gut microbiota structure tended to be similar to that of normal pregnant rats. In particular, compared with gestational diabetes mellitus rats, the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria was higher after probiotic supplementation. Furthermore, activating carbohydrate metabolism and membrane transport pathways may be involved in the potential mechanisms by which probiotic supplements alleviate gestational diabetes mellitus. Overall, our results suggested that probiotic supplementation might be a novel approach to restore the gut microbiota of gestational diabetes mellitus rats and provided an experimental evidence for the use of probiotic supplements to treat gestational diabetes mellitus.

Shikonin inhibits maturation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells and suppresses allergic airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Shikonin exhibits a wide range of anti-inflammatory actions. Here, we assessed its effects on maturation of murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BM-DCs) and on allergic reactions in a murine model of asthma. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Cultured murine BM-DCs were used to investigate the effects of shikonin on expression of cell surface markers and their stimulation of T-cell proliferation and cytokine production. The therapeutic potential of shikonin was evaluated in a model of allergic airway disease. KEY RESULTS: Shikonin dose-dependently inhibited expression of major histocompatibility complex class II, CD80, CD86, CCR7 and OX40L on BM-DCs, induced by a mixture of ovalbumin (OVA; 100µg·mL(-1) ) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP; 20ng·mL(-1) ). Shikonin-treated BM-DCs were poor stimulators of CD4(+) T lymphocyte and induced lower levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-13 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α release by responding T-cells. After intratracheal instillation of shikonin in OVA-immunized mice, OVA challenge induced lower IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TNF-α and eotaxin release in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid, lower IL-4 and IL-5 production in lung cells and mediastinal lymph node cells and attenuated OVA-induced lung eosinophilia and airway hyperresponsiveness. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Shikonin effectively suppressed OVA + TSLP-induced BM-DC maturation in vitro and inhibited allergic inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in a murine model of asthma, showing good potential as a treatment for allergic asthma. Also, our model provides a novel platform for screening drugs for allergic diseases.

Onion decreases the ovariectomy-induced osteopenia in young adult rats.

It has been suggested that fruit and vegetable consumption are associated with good bone health. Onion, in particular, has been verified in its efficacy in bone resorption activity. In this study, we further investigated the effects of an onion-containing diet on ovariectomy-induced bone loss using methods of serum marker assay, histomorphometric analysis and biomechanical tests. Sixty-four female Wistar rats (14-week-old) with sham operations or ovariectomy were assigned to 6 groups: CON, sham-operated control group; OVX, ovariectomized group; ALN, ovariectomized rats treated with alendronate (1 mg/kg/day, p.o.); and 3% ON, 7% ON and 14% ON, ovariectomized rats fed with diets containing 3%, 7% and 14% (wt/wt) onion powder, respectively. Animals were sacrificed after a six-week treatment course. In the serum marker assay, alendronate and all three onion-enriched diets significantly decreased serum calcium level (p<0.05). Both 14% ON group and the ALN group even showed similarly lower level of serum osteocalcin (p<0.05), suggesting a down-regulation of bone turnover. The histomorphometric analysis showed that ovariectomy markedly decrease bone trabeculae. The ALN and 14% ON rats were 80% and 46% higher, respectively, in BV/TV than the OVX rats (p<0.05), and the rats fed with onion-enriched food showed a lesser ovariectomy-induced bone loss in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, both ALN and 14% ON groups had significantly more trabecular number, less separated trabeculae, and fewer osteoclasts (p<0.05), but the protective efficacy from the 14% onion-enriched diet was slightly inferior to that of alendronate. Ovariectomy also significantly decreased tissue weight and biomechanical strength in the OVX group (p<0.05). The ALN and 14% ON groups equivalently showed a lesser decrease in tissue weight, though the difference was not significant. On the other hand, both the ALN and 14% ON groups represented similar biomaterial properties of femurs, and both reduced the ovariectomy-induced decrease in bending load and bending energy (p<0.05). The present study further verified that an onion-enriched diet could counteract ovariectomy-induced bone loss and deterioration of biomechanical properties.