Effectiveness of Taohong Siwu decoction in the prevention of deep vein thrombosis in hip surgery patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of Taohong Siwu Decoction (THSWD) combined with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), as well as THSWD alone, on the incidence of Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), D-dimer levels, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, and calf swelling in patients undergoing hip fracture or replacement surgery, compared to LMWH. METHODS: According to the predefined inclusion criteria, we conducted a comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the efficacy of THSWD combined with LMWH or THSWD compared to LMWH in patients with hip fractures or undergoing replacement surgery. The search was performed across multiple databases including China National Knowledge Internet, WanFang, Sinomed, Duxiu, PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and Web of Science from their inception until December 2023. Additionally, relevant literature references were retrieved and hand searching of pertinent journals was conducted. The methodological quality assessment of the included trials was carried out following the guidelines outlined in the Cochrane Handbook. Review Manager 5.4 was applied in analyzing and synthesizing. RESULTS: A total of 18 RCTs with 1353 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, the combined group had a better effect on the incidence of DVT [RR = 0.32, 95% CI(0.17, 0.58; P = .0002], D-dimer [SMD = -5.88, 95% CI(-7.66, -4.11); P < .00001], VAS [MD = -1.16, 95% CI(-1.81, -0.50); P = .0005], Calf circumference difference [MD = -0.56, 95% CI(-1.05, -0.08); P = .02]. There was no significant difference in PT and APTT between the combined group and the control group. Meta-analysis results show that the D-dimer, incidence of DVT, PT, and APTT did not significantly differ between the THSWD and the LMWH groups. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis shows that compared with LMWH, THSWD combined with LMWH has a better efficacy in the treatment of DVT after hip surgery, without a significant increase in the incidence of adverse events. Additionally, the combined therapy can also reduce D-dimer, VAS, and swelling. However, due to the limitations of the included studies (such as small sample size and low-quality evidence), the results need to be further verified in more rigorous multicenter clinical trials with a large sample size.

Schisandrin A and B affect the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells.

Schisandrin A and B (Sch A and B) are the important components of Asian dietary supplement and phytomedicine Schisandra chinensis (S. chinensis). They can enhance adult neurogenesis in vivo; however, these effects still need to be verified. Here NE-4 C neural stem cells (NSCs) were employed as the in vitro model and treated with Sch A and B at 0.1 µg/mL. EdU (5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine) labeling showed that both Sch A and B treatments enhanced NSC proliferation. Real-time PCR analysis showed the mRNA abundances of telomerase gene Tert and cell cycle gene Cyclin D1 were significantly up-regulated after the treatments. During the neurosphere induction, Sch B enhanced the neurosphere formation and neuronal differentiation, and increased the neurosphere semidiameters. Detection of the neuron differentiation marker Mapt indicates that both Sch A and B, especially Sch B, benefits the induced neuronal differentiation. Sch B treatment also enhanced mRNA expressions of the neurosphere-specific adhesion molecule Cdh2 and Wnt pathway-related genes including Mmp9, Cyclin D1 and ß-catenin. Together, Sch A especially Sch B, promotes the proliferation, affects the survival, differentiation and neurogenesis of NSCs, which is consistent with their in vivo effects. This study provides further clue on the potential neuropharmacological effects of S. chinensis.

Survivable potential of germ cells after trehalose cryopreservation of bovine testicular tissues.

Germplasm preservation of livestock or endangered animals and expansion of germline stem cells are important. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether supplementation of trehalose to the freezing medium (FM) reduces tissular damage and improves the quality of testicular cells in the cryopreserved bovine testicular tissues. We herein established an optimized protocol for the cryopreservation of bovine testicular tissues, and the isolation as well as culture of bovine germ cells containing spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) from these tissues. The results showed that FM containing 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO/DMSO), 10% knockout serum replacement (KSR) and 20% trehalose (FM5) combined with the uncontrolled slow freezing (USF) procedures has the optimized cryoprotective effect on bovine testicular tissues. The FM5 + USF protocol reduced the cell apoptosis, maintained high cell viability, supported the structural integrity and seminiferous epithelial cohesion similar to that in the fresh tissues. Viable germ cells containing SSCs were effectively isolated from these tissues and they maintained germline marker expressions in the co-testicular cells and co-mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) feeder culture systems respectively, during the short-term culture. Additionally, upregulated transcriptions of spermatogenic differentiation marker C-KIT and meiotic marker SYCP3 were detected in these cells after retinoic acid-induced differentiation. Together, FM5 + USF is suitable for the cryopreservation of bovine testicular tissues, with benefits of reducing the apoptosis, maintaining the cell viability, supporting the testicular structure integrity, and sustaining the survival and differentiation potential of bovine germ cells containing SSCs.

Schisandrin A and B enhance the dentate gyrus neurogenesis in mouse hippocampus.

Schisandrin A and B (Sch A and B) are the main effective components of Schisandra chinensis (S. chinensis), which is traditionally used to enhance mental and intellectual functions in eastern Asia. Previously, we reported Sch A and B remarkably affect adult neurogenesis in the subventricular zone of mouse lateral ventricle. Since the neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) is more important to learning, memory and cognition, here we further examined their effects on the adult DG neurogenesis. Phosphohistone H3 (PHH3) immunostaining showed that Sch B significantly enhanced the cell proliferation in the DG. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, mostly labels astrocytes and some stem cells) staining was used to further identify the proliferating cell type. Dramatically, increases of GFAP+ cells in both Sch A and B treated groups were observed. What's more, the total numbers of the mature neurons labeled by neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) were also increased in both Sch A and B treated groups compared with the controls. Together, Sch A and B enhance the adult DG neurogenesis by increasing astrocytes/stem cells and improving the survival and maturation of DG neurons. Our study shed a new light on the neuropharmacological functions of the herbal medicine S. chinensis.