Efficacy and safety of Buyang Huanwu Decoction in patients with spinal cord injury: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: There has been growing interest in using the traditional Chinese herb Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BHD) as a potential treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI), owing to its long-used treatment for SCI in China. However, the efficacy and safety of BHD treatment for SCI remain widely skeptical. This meta-analysis aims to assess the safety and efficacy of BHD in managing SCI. METHOD: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across several databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and Sinomed, up to January 1, 2024. Randomized controlled clinical trials evaluating the safety or efficacy of BHD in SCI treatment were included. The analysis focused on 8 critical endpoints: Patient-perceived total clinical effective rate, American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA) sensory score, ASIA motor score, somatosensory evoked potential, motor evoked potential, visual analog scale pain score, Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, and adverse events. RESULTS: Thirteen studies comprising 815 participants met the inclusion criteria. No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was observed across the trials. The findings revealed significant improvements in the patient-perceived total clinical effective rate (OR = 3.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [2.43, 5.86]; P < .001), ASIA sensory score (mean difference [MD] = 8.22; 95% CI = [5.87, 10.56]; P < .001), ASIA motor score (MD = 7.16; 95% CI = [5.15, 9.18]; P < .001), somatosensory evoked potential (MD = 0.25; 95% CI = [0.03, 0.48]; P = .02), motor evoked potential (MD = 0.30; 95% CI = [0.14, 0.46]; P = .0002), and Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (MD = 1.99; 95% CI = [0.39, 3.58]; P = .01) in the BHD combination group compared to the control group. Additionally, there was a significant reduction in visual analog scale pain scores (MD = -0.81; 95% CI = [-1.52, -0.11]; P = .02) with BHD combination treatment, without a significant increase in adverse effects (OR = 0.68; 95% CI = [0.33, 1.41]; P = .3). CONCLUSION: The current evidence suggests that BHD is effective and safe in treating SCI, warranting consideration as a complementary and alternative therapy. However, given the low methodological quality of the included studies, further rigorous research is warranted to validate these findings.

Mechanism study of the beneficial effect of sodium selenite on metabolic disorders in imidacloprid-treated garlic plants.

As an effective neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid (IMI) has been widely used in crop production, but its residue affects normal plant growth. Selenium (Se) is a non-essential mineral nutrient in higher plants, that acts as the active centre of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), which removes harmful peroxides. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which selenium improves the growth status of IMI-treated garlic plants through analyses of apparent morphology and antioxidant enzyme activity as well as the dynamic changes in nutrients and metabolites in the plants. The results showed that 80 µg/kg Na2SeO3 had a strong effect on alleviating the damage in garlic plants exposed to IMI (1.2 mg/kg) by increasing the absorption of mineral elements to enhance the synthesis of chlorophyll and antioxidant enzymes. A nontarget metabolomics analysis based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) indicated that the addition of Na2SeO3 to IMI-treated garlic could reconstruct the plant metabolic distribution by enhancing the nitrogen and indole metabolism, maintaining lower concentrations of secondary metabolites and maintaining the balance of the plant energy metabolism. Our study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms by which garlic plants responds to IMI exposure and suggests the use of selenium with IMI-contaminated plants as a solution for the advancement of sustainable agricultural pesticide use.

A transcriptomic study of selenium against liver injury induced by beta-cypermethrin in mice by RNA-seq.

Evidence from biochemical liver function index and histopathology analysis suggested that selenium could effectively repair the liver injury caused by beta-cypermethrin (ß-CYP). However, the molecular mechanism of selenium against liver injury induced by ß-CYP remains unclear. In the present study, dynamic changes in gene expression profiles before and after the treatment of Na2SeO3 in liver injury mice were analyzed by using RNA sequencing. As a result, several essential genes and pathways were identified to be significantly associated with this process. In particular, ten genes including Cyp2j11, Cyp2b10, Cyp3a13, Dhrs9, Socs2, Stat4, Gm13305, Cyp3a44, Retsat, and Cyp26b1 were significantly enriched in the functional categories related to retinol metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and Jak-STAT signaling pathway. Among them, the expression patterns of nine genes were validated by qRT-PCR, except for Cyp3a44. Furthermore, we have constructed the associated regulatory network based on the identified targets revealed by high throughput screening. Our study may provide insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the protective effect of selenium against liver injury induced by ß-CYP in mammals.