Anti- Toxoplasma gondii Properties of Ginseng polysaccharides and saponins.

New anti- Toxoplasma gondii agents are in demand due to the emergence of high toxicity. Ginseng polysaccharides and saponins can be used to treat the replication of Toxoplasma gondii in an attempt to determine whether the medicinal uses of ginseng are supported by pharmacological effects. Anti- Toxoplasma gondii activities of ginseng polysaccharides and saponins were examined in vitro and in vivo. The findings are the survival time and rate of Toxoplasma gondii infected mice after the intake of the total polysaccharides and saponins increased compared to untreated control mice. The survival rate of mice treated with ginseng saponins was the highest at 83.3%, the phenomenon of splenomegaly of mice was decreased especially ( p < 0.05) treated with ginseng polysaccharides. Accordingly, ginseng polysaccharides and saponins have a potential application in anti-Toxoplasma gondii treatments.

Anti-Toxoplasma gondii agent isolated from Orostachys malacophylla (Pallas) Fischer.

Botanical medicinal plants have aroused our interest to deal with Toxoplasmosis which can causes serious public health problems. Nipagic acid, gallic acid, ethyl gallate, phloretic acid, protocatechuic acid, methyl p-coumarate, arbutin, and homoprotocatechuic acid are first isolated from Orostachys malacophylla (Pallas) Fischer, their inhibition rate, survival rate, biochemical and viscera index are evaluated using gastric epithelia strain-1(GES-1). Among them, arbutin can effectively prolong the survival time of mice acutely infected with T. gondii, and exhibit the same curative effect as Spiramycin (Spi) group in terms of the glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, alleviate hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) and molecular docking implies that phenolic hydroxyl group would be preferred for improvement of activity. In a summary, arbutin is a potential anti-T. gondii candidate for clinical application.

Expression and Clinical Trends of Pct Combined with Lactate Clearance in Sepsis.

Objective: To study the expression and clinical trend of procalcitonin (Pct) + lactate clearance in sepsis. Methods: A total of 63 septic shock patients enrolled in our hospital from March 2018 to March 2021 were recruited as group A, and the 87 septic patients admitted during the same period were recruited as group B. The Pct, lactic acid, and lactate clearance were compared between the two groups. Results: The Pct and lactic acid in group A were higher than those in group B at the time of diagnosis, 1 d, 2 d, and 3 d after treatment, but the lactate clearance rate at 1 d, 2 d, and 3 d after treatment was lower than that in group B (P < 0.05). The Pct and lactate at the time of diagnosis, 1 d, 2 d, and 3 d after treatment in the good prognosis group were lower than those in the poor prognosis group, but the lactate clearance rate at 1 d, 2 d, and 3 d after treatment was higher than that in the poor prognosis group (P < 0.05). Disease severity and prognosis were positively correlated with Pct and lactate, but negatively correlated with lactate clearance rate (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Pct and lactate clearance rate might serve as accurate predictors of the severity of sepsis and prognosis. It merits promotion in clinical setting.