Regional flap: A reliable coverage for post-radiation ulcer.

Ulcer in radiation-damaged tissue is a dilemma with limited treatment strategies. The study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of regional flaps for patients with post-radiation ulcers through a 10-year experience. A retrospective study of consecutive patients with post-radiation ulcers at a single institute from 2012 to 2022 was conducted. Reconstruction included complete excision of irradiated tissue and coverage with well-vascularised tissue, including local flaps, regional flaps and free flaps. Study outcomes included complications, reoperation rates, overall flap success and recurrence rates. Thirteen patients (six males and seven females; mean age, 56.85 ± 13.87 years) with a mean 10-month history of post-radiation ulcers were enrolled. Ulcers are predominantly located in the chest (n = 3, 23.1%), head (n = 2, 15.4%) and neck (n = 2, 15.4%), with a mean size of 33.1 cm2 (range from 1 cm2 to 120 cm2 ). Eleven patients underwent reconstruction with 15 regional flaps and three local flaps, one patient received a free anterolateral thigh fasciocutaneous flap and one patient underwent amputation. Among these 15 regional flaps, one (6.7%) had wound dehiscence and four (26.7%) had localised necrosis requiring reoperation. In addition, one patient with a non-healing sinus tract underwent reoperation. The overall success rate of the regional flap was 100% and no recurrence was observed with a mean follow-up of 23.3 months. Regional flaps seem a safe and effective reconstructive method for post-radiation ulcers.

Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the Upper Limb Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire in breast cancer-related lymphedema patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Upper Limb Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire (C-ULLQoL). METHODS: Eighty-five participants completed the C-ULLQoL and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (C-FACT-B). The Cronbach's alpha (α) was used to determine the internal consistency, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) - to evaluate the test-retest reliability. The content validity index (CVI) was assessed by a group of experts. Construct validity was examined by performing factor analysis and criterion validity by observing the correlations between C-ULLQoL with C-FACT-B. RESULTS: Cronbach's α of the total scale was 0.930. ICC scores ranged from 0.874 to 0.938. The content validity of C-ULLQoL was acceptable. Two factors (65.488% of the variance) were extracted by exploratory factor analysis. A significant correlation was observed between C-ULLQoL and C-FACT-B (r = -0.611, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The C-ULLQoL is a reliable and valid questionnaire that can be used in clinic and scientific practice for evaluating health-related quality of life in Chinese patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAn effective and comprehensive scale to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is essential because breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) leads to various complications for patients, caregivers, and society.The Chinese version of the Upper Limb Lymphedema Quality of Life Scale (C-ULLQoL) is a valid, reliable, and practical instrument to comprehensively assess HRQoL in Chinese patients with BCRL.The C-ULLQoL can be used in both clinical and research settings to evaluate HRQoL of BCRL patients in China.

Mulberry leaf extract reduces the glycemic indexes of four common dietary carbohydrates.

BACKGROUND: 1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), a component of mulberry leaf extract (MLE), reduces postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting intestinal a-glycosidase. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the effects of MLE on the glycemic indexes (GI) of common dietary carbohydrates. METHODS: This single-center, randomized, open-label, 7-cycle self-controlled crossover study enrolled 15 healthy volunteers at the National Drug Clinical Trial Institution, Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (June 2014 to December 2014). The participants were randomized to receive glucose (3 occasions), glucose+MLE, sucrose+MLE, maltose+MLE, and maltodextrin+MLE orally during 7 visits (every 3 days). Blood glucose level was tested at 15 minutes before and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after carbohydrate intake. The GI of each carbohydrate relative to glucose (GI = 100) was calculated using the incremental area under the curve method. Safety was assessed at each visit. RESULTS: All participants completed the protocol. After carbohydrate ingestion, blood glucose level peaked at 30 minutes (glucose, glucose+MLE, sucrose+MLE, and maltose+MLE) or 45 minutes (maltodextrin+MLE) before returning to preprandial levels at 120 minutes. At 30 minutes, the change in blood glucose level was lower for sucrose+MLE, maltose+MLE, and maltodextrin+MLE than for glucose or glucose+MLE (P < .05). GI was lowest for sucrose+MLE (43.22 ±â€Š17.47) and maltose+MLE (49.23 ±â€Š22.39), intermediate for maltodextrin+MLE (75.90 ±â€Š26.01), and higher for glucose+MLE (91.88 ±â€Š27.24). MLE reduced the GIs for maltose, sucrose, maltodextrin, and glucose by 53.11%, 33.51%, 31.00%, and 8.12%, respectively. MLE was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Coconsumption of MLE with sucrose, maltose, or maltodextrin can reduce the GI values of these carbohydrates. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Platform, no. ChiCTR-IPR-15006484. Registered on May 28, 2015.

Prevention Effects and Possible Molecular Mechanism of Mulberry Leaf Extract and its Formulation on Rats with Insulin-Insensitivity.

For centuries, mulberry leaf has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of diabetes. This study aims to test the prevention effects of a proprietary mulberry leaf extract (MLE) and a formula consisting of MLE, fenugreek seed extract, and cinnamon cassia extract (MLEF) on insulin resistance development in animals. MLE was refined to contain 5% 1-deoxynojirimycin by weight. MLEF was formulated by mixing MLE with cinnamon cassia extract and fenugreek seed extract at a 6:5:3 ratio (by weight). First, the acute toxicity effects of MLE on ICR mice were examined at 5 g/kg BW dose. Second, two groups of normal rats were administrated with water or 150 mg/kg BW MLE per day for 29 days to evaluate MLE's effect on normal animals. Third, to examine the effects of MLE and MLEF on model animals, sixty SD rats were divided into five groups, namely, (1) normal, (2) model, (3) high-dose MLE (75 mg/kg BW) treatment; (4) low-dose MLE (15 mg/kg BW) treatment; and (5) MLEF (35 mg/kg BW) treatment. On the second week, rats in groups (2)-(5) were switched to high-energy diet for three weeks. Afterward, the rats were injected (ip) with a single dose of 105 mg/kg BW alloxan. After four more days, fasting blood glucose, post-prandial blood glucose, serum insulin, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were measured. Last, liver lysates from animals were screened with 650 antibodies for changes in the expression or phosphorylation levels of signaling proteins. The results were further validated by Western blot analysis. We found that the maximum tolerance dose of MLE was greater than 5 g/kg in mice. The MLE at a 150 mg/kg BW dose showed no effect on fast blood glucose levels in normal rats. The MLE at a 75 mg/kg BW dose and MLEF at a 35 mg/kg BW dose, significantly (p < 0.05) reduced fast blood glucose levels in rats with impaired glucose and lipid metabolism. In total, 34 proteins with significant changes in expression and phosphorylation levels were identified. The changes of JNK, IRS1, and PDK1 were confirmed by western blot analysis. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the potential protective effects of MLE and MLEF against hyperglycemia induced by high-energy diet and toxic chemicals in rats for the first time. The most likely mechanism is the promotion of IRS1 phosphorylation, which leads to insulin sensitivity restoration.

Purification and partial characterization of a thermostable antimicrobial protein from Bacillus subtilis FB123.

Antimicrobial proteins/peptides have attracted much attention because of their potential use in the industrial setting. In the present study, a thermostable antimicrobial protein (BSAMP) was purified from the culture supernatant of Bacillus subtilis FB123 by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel chromatography on Sephacryl S-200 High Resolution, and ion exchange chromatography on DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow column. The molecular weight of the purified BSAMP was 54 kDa, as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis both in the absence and presence of ß-mercaptoethanol. Its isoelectric point was determined to be 5.24 by isoelectric focusing electrophoresis. Periodic acid-Schiff staining revealed BSAMP to be a glycoprotein. Maximum activity was obtained at pH 6.0, with over 79% maximum activity retained at pH 3.0-5.0 and pH 7.0-9.0, respectively. BSAMP was shown to be highly thermostable, as its activity did not change obviously after treatment at 100 °C. However, it was partially sensitive to papain, trypsin, and alkali proteases. Finally, the bacterial protein exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic organisms. These findings suggested that BSAMP should be further developed as a natural antibacterial agent for disease prevention in aquiculture and agriculture.

Facile synthesis of TiO2 microspheres with reactive (001) facets for improved photocatalytic performance.

Anatase TiO2 microspheres with a high percentage of exposed (001) facets were synthesized by a template-free hydrothermal method without using concentrated hydrofluoric acid. The influence of various experiment conditions, such as hydrothermal temperature, acid condition, reaction time, etc., on the morphology of the final products was investigated in detail. The formation mechanism of the microspheres was deduced according to the XRD, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM characterizations. The as-obtained microspheres exhibited superior photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Acid Red 88 compared to TiO2 without exposed (001) facet.

Studies on antioxidant activities of breviscapine in the cell-free system.

Breviscapine is a commercially produced plant extract from the Chinese herb Erigeron breviscapus. (Vant.) Hand.-Mazz., which contains 2 main flavonoids. It is widely used in clinic to treat ischemic diseases in which free radicals are considered to be the main causal factor. Our study is aimed to examine the antioxidant activity of this extract. The following assays were employed: 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, nitric oxide radical scavenging, total anti-oxidative capacity, and antilipid peroxidation assays. Breviscapine was demonstrated to show an effective activity on scavenging DPPH, superoxide anion radicals and nitric oxide. The total antioxidative capacity of breviscapine (7.8 microg/ml to 250 microg/ml) was 1.22 to 6.74 FRAP value (x 10(-5) mmol). At the highest concentration of breviscapine, the inhibition extent of lipid peroxidation induced by Fe(2+) in rat liver homogenates was 38.5%. Because of the antioxidant activity, the present study is therefore designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of breviscapine for treatment of ischemic diseases.

Diarylheptanoids from the rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum and their anticancer activity.

Two new diarylheptanoids (1, 2), together with two known analogs (3, 4), were isolated from the rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum. The new compounds were elucidated to be (5S)-5-hydroxy-7-(3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-phenyl-3-heptanone (1) and (5R)-5-hydroxy-7-(3-methoxy-4, 5-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-phenyl-3-heptanone (2) based on their spectral analysis. Compound 4 showed moderate cytotoxicity against human tumor cell lines, HepG2, MCF-7 and SF-268, while no significant effect were found for compounds 1-3.

[Chemical constituents from the seeds of Annona squamosa].

AIM: To study the antitumor active constituents of the seeds from Annona squamosa L. (Annonaceae). METHODS: Various chromatographic techniques were used to isolate and purify the constituents. Their physico-chemical properties and spectral data were determined to elucidate the structures. RESULTS: Eleven compounds were isolated and identified as annonaceous acetogenins: squamocenin (1), annotemoyin-2 (2), reticulatain-2 (3), squamocin-I (4), squamocin-B (5), squamocin (6), motrilin (7), squamostatin-D (8), squamostatin-E (9), cherimolin-1 (10), cherimolin-2 (11) from the ethyl alcohol extract of A. squamosa L. CONCLUSION: Squamocenin (1) is a new acetogenin. Annotemoyin-2 (2) and reticulatain-2 (3) were isolated from this plant for the first time.

Flavonol glycosides from Lysimachia capillipes.

Two new compounds, capilliposide I and capilliposide II, together with a known compound quercetin-3-O-(2,6-di-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-beta-D-galactopyranoside were isolated from the extracts of the whole herbs of Lysimachia capillipes. Their structures were established through their spectral data and chemical properties.

[Two flavone glycosides from Chinese traditional medicine Amomum villosum].

OBJECTIVE: To study the water soluble constituents from Amomum villosum. METHOD: The constituents were separated and purified with chromatographic methods, identified by NMR, MS, UV and IR. RESULT: Two quercetin glycosides: quercitrin (quercetin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside I) and isoquercitrin (quercetin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside II) were isolated and identified. CONCLUSION: I and II were isolated for the first time from A. villosum.