Evaluating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Jie Geng and Huang Qi combination on reducing surgical site infections in colorectal cancer surgeries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Postoperative wound infections (PWIs) pose a significant challenge in colorectal cancer surgeries, leading to prolonged hospital stays and increased morbidity. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combination of Jie Geng and Huang Qi in reducing PWIs following colorectal cancer surgeries. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, we focused on seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1256 patients, examining the incidence of PWIs within 30 days post-surgery, alongside secondary outcomes such as length of hospital stay and antibiotic use. The analysis revealed a significant reduction in PWI incidence in the TCM-treated group compared to controls, with a Risk Ratio of 0.21 (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.30, p < 0.01), a notable decrease in hospital stay (Mean Difference: 1.2 days, 95% CI: 0.15 to 1.28 days, p < 0.01) and a significant reduction in antibiotic use (Risk Ratio: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.36, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that Jie Geng and Huang Qi in TCM could be an effective adjunct in postoperative care for colorectal cancer surgeries, underscoring the need for further high-quality RCTs to substantiate these results and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Full-length transcriptome characterization of Platycladus orientalis based on the PacBio platform.

As a unique and native conifer in China, Platycladus orientalis is widely used in soil erosion control, garden landscapes, timber, and traditional Chinese medicine. However, due to the lack of reference genome and transcriptome, it is limited to the further molecular mechanism research and gene function mining. To develop a full-length reference transcriptome, tissues from five different parts of P. orientalis and four cone developmental stages were sequenced and analyzed by single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing through the PacBio platform in this study. Overall, 37,111 isoforms were detected by PacBio with an N50 length of 2,317 nt, an average length of 1,999 bp, and the GC content of 41.81%. Meanwhile, 36,120 coding sequences, 5,645 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), 1,201 non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and 182 alternative splicing (AS) events with five types were identified using the results obtained from the PacBio transcript isoforms. Furthermore, 1,659 transcription factors (TFs) were detected and belonged to 51 TF families. A total of 35,689 transcripts (96.17%) were annotated through the NCBI nr, KOG, Swiss-Prot and KEGG databases, and 385 transcript isoforms related to 8 types of hormones were identified incorporated into plant hormone signal transduction pathways. The assembly and revelation of the full-length transcriptome of P. orientalis offer a pioneering insight for future investigations into gene function and genetic breeding within Platycladus species.

Wheelchair Tai Chi Ball Exercise for Improving Neuromuscular Functions of Older Adults With Disability.

The purposes of this perspective article were to summarize Wheelchair or Seated Tai Chi studies related to neuromuscular functions of older adults with disability; to describe the development of Wheelchair Tai Chi Ball (WTCB) exercise - a concept to combine mind-body exercise with strength training; and to propose a new Telehealth WTCB exercise for improving neuromuscular functions of old adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) and disability. With reference to neuromuscular functions, WTC intervention may have positive effects on simple reaction time, range of motion at the shoulder and trunk, static and dynamic sitting balance, handgrip strength, vagal activity, and sympathetic activity among older adults with disability. The developed WTCB intervention is a feasible and safe exercise which combines the mind-body exercise and strength conditioning into one exercise which possesses aerobic, stretching and strength trainings and may facilitate neuromuscular functions of older adults with disability. The proposed Telehealth WTCB 12 forms (TWTCB12) exercise with a "Moving Shadow" method in the telehealth may enable the learner to superimpose learner's image on an expert's demonstrating model to enhance the learning and practice effects. Since wheelchair users will learn and practice TWTCB12 movements in a seated position or sitting on a wheelchair the "Moving shadow" method on Zoom would provide an ideal telehealth learning and practice environment for the wheelchair users to learn and practice TWTCB12 exercise from home more feasible and user friendly.

Ononin ameliorates inflammation and cartilage degradation in rat chondrocytes with IL-1ß-induced osteoarthritis by downregulating the MAPK and NF-κB pathways.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) treatment aims to improve inflammation and delay cartilage degeneration. However, there is no effective strategy presently available. Ononin, a representative isoflavone glycoside component extracted from natural Chinese herbs, exerts anti-inflammatory and proliferative effects. However, the therapeutic effect of ononin on chondrocyte inflammation remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, we explored the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of ononin in OA by establishing an interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß)-induced chondrocyte inflammation model. RESULTS: Our results verified that ononin alleviated the IL-1ß-induced decrease in chondrocyte viability, attenuated the overexpression of the inflammatory factors tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and simultaneously inhibited the expression of cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM)-degrading enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13). Furthermore, the decomposition of Collagen II protein could be alleviated in the OA model by ononin. Finally, ononin improved chondrocyte inflammation by downregulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signalling pathways. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that ononin could inhibit the IL-1ß-induced proinflammatory response and ECM degradation in chondrocytes by interfering with the abnormal activation of the MAPK and NF-κB pathways, indicating its protective effect against OA.

Bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy for ovarian cancer: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The impact of bevacizumab (an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy) remains uncertain, which has been the focus of studies on the management of ovarian cancer (OC). We performed a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy in OC. METHODS: The presentation of methods and results in this systematic review was performed according to the evaluation guidelines for health care interventions provided in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocol. This study will use the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wanfang Database, and Ongoing Clinical Trials Database. The risk of bias of included studies is estimated by taking into consideration the characteristics including random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding of patients, blinding of outcome assessment, completeness of outcome data, selective reporting, and other bias by Cochrane Collaboration's tool. All analyses were performed with Review Manager (RevMan) software, version 5.3. RESULTS: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: Bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy may improve progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with OC.

Toxic Effects of Indoxyl Sulfate on Osteoclastogenesis and Osteoblastogenesis.

Uremic toxins, such as indoxyl sulfate (IS) and kynurenine, accumulate in the blood in the event of kidney failure and contribute to further bone damage. To maintain the homeostasis of the skeletal system, bone remodeling is a persistent process of bone formation and bone resorption that depends on a dynamic balance of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates the toxic effects of uremic toxins. IS is an endogenous AhR ligand and is metabolized from tryptophan. In osteoclastogenesis, IS affects the expression of the osteoclast precursor nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) through AhR signaling. It is possible to increase osteoclast differentiation with short-term and low-dose IS exposure and to decrease differentiation with long-term and/or high-dose IS exposure. Coincidentally, during osteoblastogenesis, through the AhR signaling pathway, IS inhibits the phosphorylation of ERK, and p38 reduces the expression of the transcription factor 2 (Runx2), disturbing osteoblastogenesis. The AhR antagonist resveratrol has a protective effect on the IS/AhR pathway. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the multifaceted role of AhR in CKD, as knowledge of these transcription signals could provide a safe and effective method to prevent and treat CKD mineral bone disease.

Effects of wheelchair Tai Chi ball exercise on physical and mental health and functional abilities among elderly with physical disability.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 12-week Wheelchair Tai Chi Ball (WTCB) intervention, a combination of mind-body exercise with strength training, on physical and mental health and functional abilities among elderly with disability. Twenty-six elderly persons participated in the study, nine WTCB group participants and ten control group participants completed the study. The WTCB group practised WTCB12 twice/week for one hour each time. The control group did their daily routine without WTCB intervention. The outcomes measures were: Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), SF-36v2 for physical and mental health, heart rate, blood pressure, range of motion and muscle strength of the dominant arm at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. The Mixed Model ANOVA was employed to examine the differences between and within the two groups using pre-test and post-test scores. The results demonstrated the WTCB group had significant improvements on PSEQ, general physical health and had positive effects on maintaining muscle strength at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints as compared to the control group. The WTCB12 exercise had positive effects on self-efficacy for pain management, general physical health, and maintain upper extremity muscle strength and is a feasible exercise for elderly with disability.

Liraglutide Lowers Body Weight Set Point in DIO Rats and its Relationship with Hypothalamic Microglia Activation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of liraglutide on the body weight set point (BWSP) in diet-induced obese rats and to determine the relationship between BWSP and hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) microglial activation. METHODS: Diet-induced obesity (DIO) rats were divided into three groups: continuous high-fat diet (HFD) plus saline, HFD with liraglutide, and HFD with liraglutide pair feeding. Body weight, BWSP, inflammatory cytokines, suppressor of cytokine signaling 3, orexigenic/anorexigenic proteins, apoptosis, and microglia in the ARC were assessed. The effect of liraglutide on the Notch-1 signaling pathway and its relationships with  nuclear factor-κB and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase were also investigated in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglia activation model. RESULTS: Liraglutide reduced BWSP; reversed adverse changes in hypothalamic inflammation, suppressor of cytokine signaling 3, and apoptosis; and diminished microgliosis in DIO rats. The BWSP showed a linear correlation with ARC microglial density. Liraglutide inhibited LPS-induced M1 microglial polarization and promoted microglial polarization to the M2 phenotype, diminishing inflammatory cytokine expression. Liraglutide inhibited Notch-1 signaling pathway activation and decreased nuclear factor-κB and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activation in LPS-stimulated microglia. CONCLUSIONS: Liraglutide can reduce BWSP in DIO rats. There is a linear correlation between hypothalamic microgliosis and BWSP. Liraglutide reduces excessive microglial activation and inflammation, which may contribute to BWSP reduction.

Self-sterility in Camellia oleifera may be due to the prezygotic late-acting self-incompatibility.

In this report, self-sterility in Camellia oleifera was explored by comparing structural and statistical characteristics following self-pollination (SP) and cross-pollination (CP). Although slightly delayed pollen germination and pollen tube growth in selfed ovaries compared to crossed ovaries was observed, there was no significant difference in the percentages of pollen that germinated and pollen tubes that grew to the base of the style. There was also no difference in morphological structure after the two pollination treatments. However, the proportions of ovule penetration and double fertilization in selfed ovules were significantly lower than in crossed ovules, indicating that a prezygotic late-acting self-incompatible mechanism may exist in C. oleifera. Callose deposition was observed in selfed abortive ovules, but not in normal. Ovules did not show differences in anatomic structure during embryonic development, whereas significant differences were observed in the final fruit and seed set. In addition, aborted ovules in selfed ovaries occurred within 35 days after SP and prior to zygote division. However, this process did not occur continuously throughout the life cycle, and no zygotes were observed in the selfed abortive ovules. These results indicated that the self-sterility in C. oleifera may be caused by prezygotic late-acting self-incompatibility (LSI).