Exploring the clinical efficacy of a self-made acne prescription based on high-throughput sequencing.

BACKGROUND: We used high-throughput sequencing on skin microbial flora to assess the effectiveness of an acne prescription to formulate evidence for clinical decision-making. METHODS: We randomized 20 outpatients into two groups. The treatment group was given the acne formula orally. The control group took capsules of the Chinese patent medicine Qingre Anchuang. Both groups used a chloramphenicol tincture externally. After 14 days of treatment, we collected their skin samples and extracted the deoxyribonucleic acid for analysis. RESULTS: Forty samples were sequenced in this experiment, and of these, 1865 operational taxonomic units were obtained, belonging to 736 genera and 853 strains of 34 phyla. By alpha and beta diversity analysis, the abundance of microbial species in both the experimental and control groups before treatment was higher than after treatment, indicating the intervention drugs in this experiment had a bacteriostatic effect. Through the analysis of variance, we found that Subdoligranulum, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Akkermansia displayed large changes during the treatment. According to the linear discriminant analysis effect size, we discovered the bacteria groups with the greatest changes in the control group after treatment were Firmicutes, Clostridia, Proteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. The flora of the experimental group before and after treatment were Corynebacteriaceae, Corynebacteriales, Cutibacterium, Propionibacteriales, Propionibacteriaceae, and Actinobacteria. CONCLUSION: The acne prescription had a reliable intervention effect on some epidermal microbial flora of patients with acne vulgaris and could inhibit the growth of acne-related microbial flora, such as Propionibacterium.

Antioxidant and antiaging effect of traditional Thai rejuvenation medicines in Caenorhabditis elegans.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the rejuvenation mechanisms of Thai polyherbal medicines using different approaches, including in vitro methods, as well as a well-defined nematode model, Caenorhabditis elegans. METHODS: THP-R-SR012 decoction was selected from 23 polyherbal medicines, based on metal-chelating and chain-breaking antioxidant capacities. The influences of this extract on the survival and some stress biomarkers of C. elegans under paraquat-induced oxidative stress were evaluated. Furthermore, lifespan analysis and levels of lipofuscin accumulation were examined in senescent nematodes. The phytochemical profile of THP-R-SR012 was analyzed. RESULTS: Supplementation with THP-R-SR012 decoction significantly increased the mean lifespan and reduced the oxidative damage to C. elegans under oxidative stress conditions. Further, THP-R-SR012 supplementation slightly influenced the lifespan and the level of lipofuscin accumulation during adulthood. Antioxidant-related phytochemical constituents of THP-R-SR012 decoction were rutin, naringenin, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, glycyrrhizic acid, demethoxycurcumin and 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid. CONCLUSION: The antioxidant potential of THP-R-SR012 was due to its scavenging properties, its enhancement of antioxidant-related enzyme activities, and the presence of the antioxidant-related compound. These results support the traditional use of THP-R-SR012 decoction as a tonic for nourishing and strengthening the whole body.

Additional therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture in conjunction with conventional rehabilitation for patients with first-ever ischaemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the additional therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture for patients with first-ever ischaemic stroke. DESIGN: Randomized controlled study. SUBJECTS: A total of 63 patients with first-ever ischaemic stroke. METHODS: The study and control groups underwent a conventional rehabilitation program, with the former receiving an additional 8 courses of electroacupuncture over a period of one month. Therapeutic effects were assessed by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for motor performance and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) for the independence of functional performance at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment, and 3 months and 6 months after stroke. RESULTS: For total Fugl-Meyer Assessment score, improvement was more significant for the study group relative to the control group at 2 weeks (16.2 vs 10.6; p = 0.047) and 4 weeks after treatment (27.4 vs 17.1; p = 0.005), and at 3 months after the stroke (34.7 vs 21.8; p = 0.009). The Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores improved significantly, especially in upper-limb motor function for the study group. There was no statistically significant between-group difference in total FIM score improvement. CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture can improve motor function, especially in upper-limb motor function, for patients with first-ever ischaemic stroke.