Comparative Morphology of Island and Inland Agastache rugosa and Their Gastroprotective Effects in EtOH/HCl-Induced Gastric Mucosal Gastritis.

Agastache rugosa Kuntze (Lamiaceae; Labiatae), a medicinal and functional herb used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, grows well both on islands and inland areas in South Korea. Thus, we aimed to reveal the morphological and micromorphological differences between A. rugosa grown on island and inland areas and their pharmacological effects on gastritis in an animal model by combining morphological and mass spectrophotometric analyses. Morphological analysis showed that island A. rugosa had slightly smaller plants and leaves than inland plants; however, the density of all types of trichomes on the leaves, petioles, and stems of island A. rugosa was significantly higher than that of inland plants. The essential oil component analysis revealed that pulegone levels were substantially higher in island A. rugosa than in inland A. rugosa. Despite the differences between island and inland A. rugosa, treatment with both island and inland A. rugosa reduced gastric damages by more than 40% compared to the gastritis induction group. In addition, expression of inflammatory protein was reduced by about 30% by treatment of island and inland A. rugosa. The present study demonstrates quantitative differences in morphology and volatile components between island and inland plants; significant differences were not observed between the gastritis-inhibitory effects of island and inland A. rugosa, and the efficacy of island A. rugosa was found to be similar to that of A. rugosa grown in inland areas.

Unlocking Prognostic Genes and Multi-Targeted Therapeutic Bioactives from Herbal Medicines to Combat Cancer-Associated Cachexia: A Transcriptomics and Network Pharmacology Approach.

Cachexia is a devastating fat tissue and muscle wasting syndrome associated with every major chronic illness, including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney disease, AIDS, and heart failure. Despite two decades of intense research, cachexia remains under-recognized by oncologists. While numerous drug candidates have been proposed for cachexia treatment, none have achieved clinical success. Only a few drugs are approved by the FDA for cachexia therapy, but a very low success rate is observed among patients. Currently, the identification of drugs from herbal medicines is a frontier research area for many diseases. In this milieu, network pharmacology, transcriptomics, cheminformatics, and molecular docking approaches were used to identify potential bioactive compounds from herbal medicines for the treatment of cancer-related cachexia. The network pharmacology approach is used to select the 32 unique genes from 238 genes involved in cachexia-related pathways, which are targeted by 34 phytocompounds identified from 12 different herbal medicines used for the treatment of muscle wasting in many countries. Gene expression profiling and functional enrichment analysis are applied to decipher the role of unique genes in cancer-associated cachexia pathways. In addition, the pharmacological properties and molecular interactions of the phytocompounds were analyzed to find the target compounds for cachexia therapy. Altogether, combined omics and network pharmacology approaches were used in the current study to untangle the complex prognostic genes involved in cachexia and phytocompounds with anti-cachectic efficacy. However, further functional and experimental validations are required to confirm the efficacy of these phytocompounds as commercial drug candidates for cancer-associated cachexia.

Web-Based Research Trends on Child and Adolescent Cancer Survivors Over the Last 5 Years: Text Network Analysis and Topic Modeling Study.

BACKGROUND: Being diagnosed with cancer during childhood or adolescence can disrupt important periods in an individual's physical, psychosocial, and spiritual development and potentially reduce the quality of life (QOL) after treatment. Research is urgently required to improve the QOL for child and adolescent cancer survivors, and it is necessary to analyze the trends in prior research reported in international academic journals to identify knowledge structures. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the main keywords based on network centrality, subgroups (clusters) of keyword networks by using a cohesion analysis method, and the main theme of child and adolescent cancer survivor-related research abstracts through topic modeling. This study also aims to label the subgroups by comparing the results of the cohesion and topic modeling. METHODS: A text network analysis method and topic modeling were used to explore the main trends in child and adolescent cancer survivor research by structuring a network of keyword (semantic morphemes) co-occurrence in the abstracts of articles published in 5 major web-based databases from 2016 to 2020. A total of 1677 child and adolescent cancer survivor-related studies were used for data analyses. Data selection, processing, and analyses were also conducted. RESULTS: The top 5 keywords in terms of degree and eigenvector centrality were risk, control interval, radiation, childhood cancer treatment, and diagnosis. Of the 1677 studies used for data analyses, cluster 1 included 780 (46.51%) documents under risk management, cluster 2 contained 557 (33.21%) articles under health-related QOL and supportive care, and cluster 3 consisted of 340 (20.27%) studies under cancer treatment and complications. CONCLUSIONS: This study is significant in that it confirms the knowledge structure based on the main keywords and cross-disciplinary trends in child and adolescent cancer survivor research published in the last 5 years worldwide. The primary goal of child and adolescent cancer survivor research is to prevent and manage the various aspects of the problems encountered during the transition to a normal life and to improve the overall QOL. To this end, it is necessary to further revitalize the study of the multidisciplinary team approach for the promotion of age-specific health behaviors and the development of intervention strategies with increased feasibility for child and adolescent cancer survivors.

Low-Dose Radiation Affects Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Human Aortic Endothelial Cells by Altering Gene Expression under Normal and Diabetic Conditions.

High doses of ionizing radiation can cause cardiovascular diseases (CVDs); however, the effects of <100 mGy radiation on CVD remain underreported. Endothelial cells (ECs) play major roles in cardiovascular health and disease, and their function is reduced by stimuli such as chronic disease, metabolic disorders, and smoking. However, whether exposure to low-dose radiation results in the disruption of similar molecular mechanisms in ECs under diabetic and non-diabetic states remains largely unknown; we aimed to address this gap in knowledge through the molecular and functional characterization of primary human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) derived from patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D-HAECs) and normal HAECs in response to low-dose radiation. To address these limitations, we performed RNA sequencing on HAECs and T2D-HAECs following exposure to 100 mGy of ionizing radiation and examined the transcriptome changes associated with the low-dose radiation. Compared with that in the non-irradiation group, low-dose irradiation induced 243 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (133 down-regulated and 110 up-regulated) in HAECs and 378 DEGs (195 down-regulated and 183 up-regulated) in T2D-HAECs. We also discovered a significant association between the DEGs and the interferon (IFN)-I signaling pathway, which is associated with CVD by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, protein−protein network analysis, and module analysis. Our findings demonstrate the potential impact of low-dose radiation on EC functions that are related to the risk of CVD.

Hospice palliative care nurses' perceptions of spiritual care and their spiritual care competence: A mixed-methods study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To understand hospice palliative care nurses' (HPCNs) perceptions towards spiritual care and their competence to provide spiritual care. BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that many nurses lack a clear understanding of the concept of spirituality and feel inadequately prepared to assess patients' spiritual needs. Studies on competence in spiritual care are mostly descriptive, and the evidence for improving it is limited. DESIGN: A mixed-methods research design was used. METHODS: Quantitative data were collected from 282 nurses in forty hospice palliative care (HPC) institutions in South Korea and analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni test and multiple regression. Qualitative data collection involved two stages: first, an open-ended question posed to 282 nurses, and second, focus group interviews conducted with six HPC experts. Both qualitative data sets were analysed separately using content analysis. This study followed the GRAMMS guidelines. RESULTS: Of the six dimensions of spiritual care competence (SCC), the mean scores were highest in 'attitude towards the patient's spirituality' and 'communication', whereas the 'assessment and implementation of spiritual care' and 'professionalisation and improving the quality of spiritual care' had the lowest mean scores. Through content analysis, 4 themes regarding the meaning of spiritual care, 3 themes regarding requirements for spiritual care and 2 themes regarding preparedness for spiritual care were revealed. They perceived the needs of the understanding of spiritual care based on the attributes of spirituality, the education in systematic assessments and implementation for spiritual care with standardised terminology, and the opportunity to reflect on nurses' own spirituality. CONCLUSIONS: Practical SCC training for HPCNs and the subsequent development of clinical practice guidelines are of vital importance. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results of this study provide a useful resource to develop educational programmes for strengthening the SCC of nurses and the entire HPC team.

Efficient Separation of Phytochemicals from Muehlenbeckia volcanica (Benth.) Endl. by Polarity-Stepwise Elution Counter-Current Chromatography and Their Antioxidant, Antiglycation, and Aldose Reductase Inhibition Potentials.

Muehlenbeckia volcanica (Benth.) Endl. (M. volcanica), native to South America, is a traditional Peruvian medicinal plant that has multi-therapeutic properties; however, no phytochemicals have been identified from it yet. In this study, a five-step polarity-stepwise elution counter-current chromatography (CCC) was developed using methanol/water (1:5, v/v) as the stationary phase and different ratios of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol as mobile phases to separate the compounds from the 70% methanol extract of M. volcanica, by which six compounds with a wide range of polarities were separated in a single run of CCC and were identified as gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, 4,4'-dihydroxy-3,3'-imino-di-benzoic acid, rutin, quercitrin, and quercetin. Then, two compounds from the fractions of stepwise elution CCC were separated using conventional high-speed CCC, pH-zone-refining CCC, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, and identified as shikimic acid and miquelianin. These compounds are reported from M. volcanica for the first time. Notably, except for shikimic acid, all other compounds showed anti-diabetic potentials via antioxidant, antiglycation, and aldose reductase inhibition. The results suggest that the polarity-stepwise elution CCC can be used to efficiently separate or fractionate compounds with a wide range of polarities from natural products. Moreover, M. volcanica and its bioactive compounds are potent anti-diabetic agents.

Effect of Extract and Synthesized Derivatives of Isolated Compound from Symplocos chinensis f. Pilosa Ohwi on Neuropathic Pain in Mice.

Neuropathic pain is described as the "most terrible of all tortures that a nerve wound may inflict." The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the antinociceptive effect of Symplocos chinensis f. pilosa Ohwi water extract (SCW) and synthesized derivatives of the isolated compound. The antinociceptive effect was tested using the acetic acid-induced writhing and 5% formalin tests. Antinociceptive effects on neuropathic pain were evaluated using the von Frey test with chronic constriction injury (CCI) and surgical nerve injury (SNI) models and tail-flick test with a vincristine-induced pain model. An Ames test was also conducted. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) was isolated and derivatives were synthesized with various acid groups. Among the plant water extracts, SCW showed significantly effective activity. Additionally, SCW presented antinociceptive effects in the neuropathic pain models. The SCW water fraction resulted in fewer writhes than the other fractions, and isolated 5-HMF was identified as an effective compound. Because 5-HMF revealed a positive response in the Ames test, derivatives were synthesized. Among the synthesized derivations, 5-succinoxymethylfurfural (5-SMF) showed the best effect in the neuropathic pain model. Our data suggest that SCW and the synthesized compound, 5-SMF, possess effective antinociceptive activity against neuropathic pain.

Retention mechanism of pH-peak-focusing in countercurrent chromatographic separation of baicalin and wogonoside from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi.

An efficient and target-oriented pH-peak-focusing countercurrent chromatographic method was established for large-scale separation of baicalin and wogonoside from the crude exact of traditional Chinese medicinal herb Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. An optimized two-phase solvent system composed of n-butanol-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:4:0.5:5, v/v) was selected. Trifluoroacetic acid (10 mmol/L) was added to the upper organic phase, used as the stationary phase. One liter of the aqueous lower phase was used as the mobile phase for 0-350 min, and then 10 mmol/L ammonia was added to remaining 1 L of the aqueous lower phase and used as the mobile phase for 350-600 min. In total, 493.2 mg of baicalin with 98.6% purity and 88.6 mg of wogonoside with 98.9% purity were obtained from 1.0 g of crude exact of S. baicalensis by countercurrent chromatography in a single run. The acid dissociation constant (pKa) and oil-water partition coefficient values of two components were measured to better understand the mechanism of separation. Results showed that pH-peak-focusing countercurrent chromatography with a polar solvent system added with trifluoroacetic acid could be an efficient method for large-scale isolation of organic acids, which are difficult to separate with conventional countercurrent chromatography due to their poor solubility in non-polar solvents.

Aldose Reductase, Protein Glycation Inhibitory and Antioxidant of Peruvian Medicinal Plants: the Case of Tanacetum parthenium L. and Its Constituents.

Diabetes complications, including peripheral neuropathy, cataracts, impaired wound healing, vascular damage, arterial wall stiffening and retinopathy diseases, are among the most predominant health problems facing the world's population today. The 22 Peruvian plant extracts were screened for their potential inhibitory activity against rat lens aldose reductase (RLAR) and DPPH radical scavenging. Among them, we have found that Tanacetum parthenium L. (TP) has the RLAR, AGEs and DPPH radical scavenging activities. We used for screening of active components in TP against RLAR and DPPH for the first time by ultrafiltration (UF) and DPPH. Compounds in TP were isolated by Sephadex column chromatography and their structures were established by MS and NMR spectroscopic analyses. Among the isolated compounds, ferulic acid, apigenin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin, chrysosplenol, and kaempferol showed potent inhibition with IC50 values of 1.11-3.20 and 6.44-16.23 µM for RLAR and DPPH radical scavenging. Furthermore, these compounds suppressed sorbitol accumulation in rat lenses and ferulic acid, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, and luteolin have AGEs inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 3.43-6.73 µM. In summary, our study provides interesting plants for further study with respect to the treatment and prevention of diabetic complication of Peruvian plant and can provide the scientific base of the traditional uses.

GADD45ß plays a protective role in acute lung injury by regulating apoptosis in experimental sepsis in vivo.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome due to microbial infection. Growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible 45 beta (GADD45ß) are induced by genotoxic stress and inflammatory cytokines. However, the role of GADD45ß during bacterial infection remains unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the role of GADD45ß in sepsis. We used GADD45ß-knockout (KO) mice and C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) mice. Experimental sepsis was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration or cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Sepsis-induced mortality was higher in GADD45ß-KO mice than in WT mice. Histopathological data demonstrated LPS treatment markedly increased lung injury in GADD45ß-KO mice as compared to that in WT mice; however, no significant difference was observed in the liver and kidney. Further, mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as Il-1ß, Il-6, Il-10, and Tnf-α, were higher in the lungs of LPS-treated GADD45ß-KO mice than in WT mice. Interestingly, plasma levels of these inflammatory cytokines were decreased in LPS-administered GADD45ß-KO mice. A significant increase in lung cell apoptosis was observed at early time points in GADD45ß-KO mice after administration of LPS as compared to that in WT mice. In line with LPS-induced apoptosis, JNK, and p38 activity was higher in the lung of GADD45ß-KO mice at 3 hr after LPS treatment than that in WT mice. In summary, this study is the first to demonstrate the protective role of GADD45ß in sepsis and the results suggest that GADD45ß could be used as a novel therapeutic target to cure sepsis.