Effect of white jade snail secretion on antioxidant capacity and intestinal microbial diversity in mouse model of acute gastric ulcer.

BACKGROUND: In the present work, acute gastric ulcer models were constructed by administering hydrochloric acid/ethanol. The mice ingested white jade snail secretion (WJSS) through gastric infusion. Ulcer areas in gastric tissue were recorded, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also measured. Notably, high-throughput 16S rDNA analysis of intestinal flora and determination of amino acid composition in feces were performed to understand the effect of WJSS on model mice. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the ulcer area in the WJSS low-, medium- and high-concentration groups declined by 28.02%, 39.57% and 77.85%, respectively. MDA content decreased by 24.71%, 49.58% and 64.25%, and SOD relative enzyme activity fell by 28.19%, 43.37% and 9.60%, respectively. The amounts of amino acids in the low-, medium- and high-concentration groups were slightly lower, and probiotic bacteria such as Bacteroidetes and Lactobacillales increased in different-concentration WJSS groups. Adding WJSS contributes to the establishment of beneficial intestinal flora and the absorption of amino acids. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that WJSS has a beneficial effect on inhibiting hydrochloric acid-ethanolic gastric ulcers, suggesting that WJSS has excellent potential as a novel anti-ulcer agent. Combined with ulcer area, MDA content, SOD content, gut probiotics and other indicators, a high concentration of WJSS had the best protective effect on acute gastric ulcer. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Jade material in vitro and in vivo: A study on the anti-inflammatory and repair efficacy of jade material on the skin.

OBJECTIVE: The biological safety of natural jade materials and assembled jade-activated materials on cells and their anti-inflammatory and damage repair functions, as well as the repair function on sensitive skin, were studied utilizing in vitro cell biology and in vivo. METHODS: Human skin fibroblasts were used as model cells to conduct cytotoxicity experiments in vitro, and the effects on the expression of inflammatory factors and growth factor-related genes in fibroblasts were explored. The gene expression values of inflammatory factors IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α and cytokines epidermal growth factors, fibroblast growth factors and COL1A1 in fibroblasts were measured by polymerase chain reaction test. Thirty women with sensitive skin were selected to apply a mask containing jade extract three times a week. After two weeks, non-invasive measures related to skin sensitivity were tested. RESULTS: We confirmed the presence of anti-inflammatory effects in both jade materials, with the effects of the assembled activated jade material being superior to that of the natural jade material. Jade extracts significantly increased the gene expressions of EGF, FGF and COL1A1 in HDF. The results of the in vivo study showed that the mask containing jade extract could significantly increase the skin hydration and decrease the rate of transepidermal water loss and skin lactic acid sting test scores after two weeks of use. Subjective evaluations confirmed improvements in skin dryness, smoothness and fineness. No new sensitization occurred in subjects, and the product was non-irritating. No adverse skin reactions were observed during the test. CONCLUSIONS: The jade materials were able to downregulate the expression of inflammatory factor genes, up-regulate the expression of growth factor genes, and improve the anti-inflammation and repair ability of skin. Furthermore, the test results of participants with sensitive skin after using the mask containing jade extract showed that the mask has repairing ability.

OBJECTIF: L'innocuité du jade naturel, et des substances assemblées activées par le jade, sur les cellules, leurs effets anti-inflammatoire et réparateur, ainsi que leur action réparatrice sur les peaux sensibles ont été étudiés au moyen de la biologie cellulaire in vitro et in vivo. MÉTHODES: Des fibroblastes de peau humaine (HDF - Human Dermal Fibrolasts) ont été utilisés comme cellules modèles pour réaliser des tests de cytotoxicité in vitro, et les effets sur l'expression des facteurs inflammatoires et des gènes associés aux facteurs de croissance dans les fibroblastes ont été étudiés. Les valeurs de l'expression génique des facteurs inflammatoires IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, des facteurs de croissance épidermique des cytokines (EGF - Epidermal Growth Factor), des facteurs de croissance des fibroblastes (FGF - Fibroblast Growth Factor), et du COL1A1 (Gène Collagen, type I, alpha 1) dans les fibroblastes ont été mesurées au moyen d'un test de réaction en chaîne par polymérase. Trente femmes présentant une peau sensible ont été sélectionnées pour appliquer un masque contenant de l'extrait de jade trois fois par semaine. Au bout de deux semaines, des mesures non invasives de la sensibilité de la peau ont été réalisées. RÉSULTATS: Nous confirmons la présence d'effets anti-inflammatoires pour les deux substances, avec de meilleurs résultats pour la substance assemblée activée par le jade comparé à ceux du jade naturel. Les extraits de jade ont significativement augmenté l'expression de l'EGF, du FGF, et du COL1A1 dans les HDF. Les résultats de l'étude in vivo ont révélé que le masque contenant de l'extrait de jade pouvait améliorer significativement l'hydratation de la peau, réduire le pourcentage de perte en eau trans-épidermique et améliorer les résultats du test de piqûre d'acide lactique (LAST - Lactic Acid Sting Test) de la peau après deux semaines d'utilisation. Les évaluations subjectives ont confirmé des améliorations de la sécheresse cutanée, de la douceur et de la finesse du grain de la peau. Aucune nouvelle sensibilisation n'est apparue chez les sujets, et le produit s'est avéré non-irritant. De même, aucune réaction cutanée indésirable n'a été observée pendant le test. CONCLUSIONS: Le jade a été capable de réguler à la baisse l'expression des gènes associés aux facteurs inflammatoires, de réguler à la hausse l'expression des gènes associés aux facteurs de croissance, et d'améliorer les capacités anti-inflammatoire et réparatrice de la peau. De plus, après utilisation du masque contenant de l'extrait de jade, les résultats des tests chez les participantes ayant une peau sensible ont démontré que ce masque avait une capacité réparatrice.

Once-Daily Abrocitinib for the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Adults and Adolescents Aged 12 Years and Over: A Short Review of Current Clinical Perspectives.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder with high prevalence and a complex pathophysiology. This relapsing and remitting skin disorder has many negative consequences on the patient's quality of life and that of his family. Until now, moderate-to-severe AD treatment was a symptomatic one, using skin emollients, topical corticosteroids, phototherapy, antihistamines and systemic drugs - immune suppressants and other systemic treatments (dupilumab). Starting from 2021, abrocitinib, a Janus kinase-1 inhibitor, was approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe cases of AD in Europe, in adults. Multiple phase three studies (JADE MONO-1 [NCT03349060]; JADE MONO-2 [NCT03575871]; JADE TEEN [NCT03796676]; JADE COMPARE; GOODERHAM; JADE EXTEND) have yielded positive results in adults and adolescents suffering from this disease, with efficacy, a good tolerance, safe profile, and with generally mild side effects. The positive results were obtained even starting from the first stages of the oral drug administration. The low frequency of side effects and the advantage of having an orally administered medication makes abrocitinib an important additional tool for the treatment of moderate-to-severe forms of AD.

Clinical efficacy of jade wind-barrier powder combined with loratadine in the treatment of pediatric allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of Jade Wind-Barrier Powder combined with Loratadine in the treatment of pediatric allergic rhinitis (PAR). METHODS: The clinical data of 101 children with allergic rhinitis (AR) admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University and Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2019 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The children were randomly divided into Group A (n=50) and Group B (n=51) in accordance with a random number table. Group A was treated with Loratadine only, while Group B was treated with Loratadine combined with Jade Wind-Barrier powder. The clinical efficacy, symptom disappearance time, symptom scores before and after treatment, indices of immunological function, changes in the indices of inflammatory factors and disease recurrence were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The overall response rate (ORR) in Group B (96.08%) was higher than that in Group A (76.00%) (P < 0.05). The disappearance time of sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose and itchy nose in Group B was shorter than that in Group A (P < 0.05). After treatment, Group B exhibited lower symptom scores for sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose and itchy nose, lower levels of IL-13, IL-4 and TNF-α, and higher CD4+CD25+, CD19+ and CD8+ than Group A (P < 0.05). The recurrence rate in Group B (3.92%) was lower than that in Group A (26.00%) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Jade Wind-Barrier powder combined with Loratadine can improve clinical symptoms, immunity, inflammation levels and disease recurrence rate of PAR patients, with a significant clinical efficacy.

Regions of the basal ganglia and primary olfactory system are most sensitive to neurodegeneration after extended sevoflurane anesthesia in the perinatal rat.

Extended general anesthesia early in life is neurotoxic in multiple species. However, little is known about the temporal progression of neurodegeneration after general anesthesia. It is also unknown if a reduction in natural cell death, or an increase in cell creation, occurs as a form of compensation after perinatal anesthesia exposure. The goal of this study was to evaluate markers of neurodegeneration and cellular division at 2, 24, or 72 h after sevoflurane (Sevo) exposure (6 h) in fully oxygenated postnatal day (PND) 7 rats. Neurodegeneration was observed in areas throughout the forebrain, while the largest changes (fold increase above vehicle) were observed in areas associated with either the primary olfactory learning pathways or the basal ganglia. These regions included the indusium griseum (IG, 25-fold), the posterior dorso medial hippocampal CA1 (17-fold), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (Bed Nuclei STM, 5-fold), the shell of the nucleus accumbens (Acb, 5-fold), caudate/putamen (CPu, 5-fold), globus pallidus (GP, 9-fold) and associated thalamic (11-fold) and cortical regions (5-fold). Sevo neurodegeneration was minimal or undetectable in the ventral tegmentum, substantia nigra, and most of the hypothalamus and frontal cortex. In most brain regions where neurodegeneration was increased 2 h post Sevo exposure, the levels returned to <4-fold above control levels by 24 h. However, in the IG, CA1, GP, anterior thalamus, medial preoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus (MPO), anterior hypothalamic area (AHP), and the amygdaloid nuclei, neurodegeneration at 24 h was double or more than that at 2 h post exposure. Anesthesia exposure causes either a prolonged period of neurodegeneration in certain brain regions, or a distinct secondary degenerative event occurs after the initial insult. Moreover, regions most sensitive to Sevo neurodegeneration did not necessarily coincide with areas of new cell birth, and new cell birth was not consistently affected by Sevo. The profile of anesthesia related neurotoxicity changes with time, and multiple mechanisms of toxicity may exist in a time-dependent fashion.

Characterization of Calcined Jade and its immunomodulatory effect on macrophage isolated from Swiss albino mice.

Calcined Jade (CJ) is a metasilicate frequently used in traditional system of medicine as tonic to vital organs with several other pharmacological activities. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and CHNS analyzer techniques were used to characterize CJ sample. CJ was administered orally to Swiss albino mice at a dose of 50, 75, 100 and 200 µg/kg body weight for 10 days and modulation of the macrophage mediated innate immune responses was studied. Flow cytometric analysis of TLR-2/4 on peritoneal macrophage revealed elevated expression of TLR-2 as compared to control. Significant increase in phagocytic activity was observed in peritoneal macrophage. The lymphoid organs weight and other toxicity parameters did not exhibit any harmful effect. To evaluate the presence of nanoparticles, CJ was dissolved in milli Q water, filtered and lyophilized. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis revealed the presence of spherical nanoparticles in CJ [14.7-142.0 nm dimension with average particle size of 64.6 nm]. In conclusion, we report stimulation of innate immune responses by CJ may partly be due to the formation of nanoparticles. Further experiments using isolated nanoparticles may further validate the role of nanoparticles.

Effect of tualang honey against KA-induced oxidative stress and neurodegeneration in the cortex of rats.

BACKGROUND: Administration of KA on rodents has resulted in seizures, behavioral changes, oxidative stress, and neuronal degeneration on selective population of neurons in the brain. The present study was undertaken to investigate the extent of neuroprotective effect conferred by Malaysian Tualang Honey (TH), an antioxidant agent, in the cerebral cortex of rats against KA-induced oxidative stress and neurodegeneration in an animal model of KA-induced excitotoxicity. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: Control, KA-treated group, TH + KA-treated group, aspirin (ASP; anti-inflammatory agent) + KA-treated group and topiramate (TPM; antiepileptic agent) + KA-treated group. The animals were pretreated orally with drinking water, TH (1.0g/kg BW), ASP (7.5mg/kg BW) or TPM (40mg/kg BW), respectively, five times at 12 h intervals. KA (15mg/kg BW) was injected subcutaneously 30 min after last treatment to all groups except the control group (normal saline). Behavioral change was observed using an open field test (OFT) to assess the locomotor activity of the animals. Animals were sacrificed after 2 h, 24 h and 48 h of KA administration. RESULTS: KA significantly inflicted more neuronal degeneration in the piriform cortex and heightened the predilection to seizures as compared with the control animals. Pretreatment with TH reduced the KA-induced neuronal degeneration in the piriform cortex but failed to prevent the occurrence of KA-induced seizures. In the OFT, KA-induced animals showed an increased in locomotor activity and hyperactivity and these were attenuated by TH pretreatment. Furthermore, TH pretreatment significantly attenuated an increase of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level and a decrease of total antioxidant status level enhanced by KA in the cerebral cortex. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that pretreatment with TH has a therapeutic potential against KA-induced oxidative stress and neurodegeneration through its antioxidant effect.

Delivery of integrated diabetes care using logistics and information technology--the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) program.

Diabetes is a global epidemic, and many affected individuals are undiagnosed, untreated, or uncontrolled. The silent and multi-system nature of diabetes and its complications, with complex care protocols, are often associated with omission of periodic assessments, clinical inertia, poor treatment compliance, and care fragmentation. These barriers at the system, patient, and care-provider levels have resulted in poor control of risk factors and under-usage of potentially life-saving medications such as statins and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors. However, in the clinical trial setting, use of nurses and protocol with frequent contact and regular monitoring have resulted in marked differences in event rates compared to epidemiological data collected in the real-world setting. The phenotypic heterogeneity and cognitive-psychological-behavioral needs of people with diabetes call for regular risk stratification to personalize care. Quality improvement initiatives targeted at patient education, task delegation, case management, and self-care promotion had the largest effect size in improving cardio-metabolic risk factors. The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) program is an innovative care prototype that advocates a change in clinic setting and workflow, coordinated by a doctor-nurse team and augmented by a web-based portal, which incorporates care protocols and a validated risk engine to provide decision support and regular feedback. By using logistics and information technology, supported by a network of health-care professionals to provide integrated, holistic, and evidence-based care, the JADE Program aims to establish a high-quality regional diabetes database to reflect the status of diabetes care in real-world practice, confirm efficacy data, and identify unmet needs. Through collaborative efforts, we shall evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness of this "high tech, soft touch" model to make diabetes and chronic disease care more accessible, affordable, and sustainable.

Therapeutic Effect of Jade Maid Decoction for Experimental Periodontitis in Rabbits / 广州中医药大学学报

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of Jade Maid Decoction(JMD),a Chinese herbal prescription for nourishing yin and clearing stomach-heat,on experimental periodontitis.Methods Twenty-four New Zealand rabbits were randomized into the model group,JMD group(oral use of JMD 23 g?kg-1?d-1),external application group(periodontal injection of minocycline hydrochloride ointment 50mg),and the combination group(oral use of JMD and periodontal injection of minocycline hydrochloride ointment).Experimental periodontitis was induced by ligation method.The treatment lasted 6 weeks.Gingival bleeding on probing(BOP) and probing pocket depth(PPD) were detected each week after medication,and pathological examination of the mandible was used to confirm the therapeutic effect after treatment.Results Gingival BOP was reduced to various degrees at different time in the three medication groups,and the effect was obvious in the combination group;PPD was also decreased to various degrees,and the difference of PPD between the three medication groups and the model group was significant after treatment for 4 weeks(P