Research Progress of Dihydroquercetin in the Treatment of Skin Diseases.

Skin is a barrier to maintaining the stability of the human environment and preventing the invasion of pathogens. When skin tissue is exposed to the external environment, it will inevitably develop defects due to trauma, injury, burns, ulcers, surgery, and chronic diseases. Rapid skin repair is the key to reducing infection, relieving pain, and improving quality of life. Dihydroquercetin is a kind of flavonoid that has a wide range of pharmacological activities and can improve skin repair, skin inflammation, skin cancer, and so on. In this paper, the application of dihydroquercetin in medical dressings and the research progress in the treatment of skin-related diseases are reviewed, so as to provide reference for further developing dihydroquercetin as a drug for the treatment of skin diseases.

An analysis of the "Half-Perc" versus open surgical placement method for a peritoneal dialysis catheter: a non-inferiority cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Most end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergo open surgical techniques for peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter placement. An alternative method to PD catheter implantation is the half-percutaneous ("Half-Perc") technique based on a modified trocar that is performed by a nephrologist. The single-center, retrospective, observational, cohort study presented here aimed to compare the effects of the "Half-Perc" technique with the traditional open surgery on peritoneal catheter insertion. METHODS: From January 2015 to January 2018, 240 ESRD patients who received initial PD catheter placement were divided into two groups based on the "Half-Perc" technique or open surgery. All patients were followed up for 365 days or until loss of initial PD catheter or death. Prism 5 software was used to analyze baseline characteristics, operation-related parameters, mechanical complications and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The "Half-Perc" technique showed shorter operation time, shorter incision length, lower postoperative pain scores and quick initiation of the PD program compared to the open surgery. After the 365-day follow-up, the "Half-Perc" group showed a higher rate of catheter dysfunction (4% versus 0.9%) that was corrected by conservative treatment in most patients and a lower rate of peritonitis (4% versus 9.6%) but mechanical complications and clinical outcomes did not differ between the two groups. There was also no significant difference based on overall patient mortality or catheter removal. One-year initial catheter survival and true catheter survival were not statistically different between the groups. CONCLUSION: The "Half-Perc" placement of the PD catheter using a modified metal trocar appears to be a non-inferior alternative method and carries minimal invasiveness and risk compared to open surgical placement.

The Role of Gut Microbiota and Microbiota-Related Serum Metabolites in the Progression of Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Objective: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has become the major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) associated with the progression of renal fibrosis. As gut microbiota dysbiosis is closely related to renal damage and fibrosis, we investigated the role of gut microbiota and microbiota-related serum metabolites in DKD progression in this study. Methods: Fecal and serum samples obtained from predialysis DKD patients from January 2017 to December 2019 were detected using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. Forty-one predialysis patients were divided into two groups according to their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): the DKD non-ESRD group (eGFR ≥ 15 ml/min/1.73 m2) (n = 22), and the DKD ESRD group (eGFR < 15 ml/min/1.73 m2) (n = 19). The metabolic pathways related to differential serum metabolites were obtained by the KEGG pathway analysis. Differences between the two groups relative to gut microbiota profiles and serum metabolites were investigated, and associations between gut microbiota and metabolite concentrations were assessed. Correlations between clinical indicators and both microbiota-related metabolites and gut microbiota were calculated by Spearman rank correlation coefficient and visualized by heatmap. Results: Eleven different intestinal floras and 239 different serum metabolites were identified between the two groups. Of 239 serum metabolites, 192 related to the 11 different intestinal flora were mainly enriched in six metabolic pathways, among which, phenylalanine and tryptophan metabolic pathways were most associated with DKD progression. Four microbiota-related metabolites in the phenylalanine metabolic pathway [hippuric acid (HA), L-(-)-3-phenylactic acid, trans-3-hydroxy-cinnamate, and dihydro-3-coumaric acid] and indole-3 acetic acid (IAA) in the tryptophan metabolic pathway positively correlated with DKD progression, whereas L-tryptophan in the tryptophan metabolic pathway had a negative correlation. Intestinal flora g_Abiotrophia and g_norank_f_Peptococcaceae were positively correlated with the increase in renal function indicators and serum metabolite HA. G_Lachnospiraceae_NC2004_Group was negatively correlated with the increase in renal function indicators and serum metabolites [L-(-)-3-phenyllactic acid and IAA]. Conclusions: This study highlights the interaction among gut microbiota, serum metabolites, and clinical indicators in predialysis DKD patients, and provides new insights into the role of gut microbiota and microbiota-related serum metabolites that were enriched in the phenylalanine and tryptophan metabolic pathways, which correlated with the progression of DKD.

A half-percutaneous technique for peritoneal dialysis catheter implantation using a modified trocar: a report of 84 cases.

PURPOSE: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter implantation is necessary for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) to maintain continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD). In this study, we aimed to introduce a half-percutaneous technique based on a modified trocar device for the placement of a PD catheter and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this technique and its associated short-term postoperative outcomes. METHODS: Eighty-four ESRD patients who underwent PD catheter implantation with the half-percutaneous technique were recruited retrospectively between September 2016 and October 2017 from the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine. All catheter implantation procedures were performed by the same three nephrologists. The surgical protocol was described in detail, and the general intraoperative parameters and short-term complications were evaluated. RESULTS: All ESRD patients underwent successful PD catheterization with our novel technique. Neither conversion from this method to traditional open surgery nor major intraoperative complications were observed. The mean operative time was 20.8 ± 4.5 min, and the incision length was 2.28 ± 0.53 cm. The operative cost was CN ¥ 1762.45 (US $261), and the length of hospital stay was 7.5 ± 0.58 days. One patient (1.19%) showed leakage, and one patient (1.19%) experienced bleeding 2 weeks after the surgery. Catheter dysfunction due to catheter tip migration occurred in nine patients (10.7%) 2 weeks after the procedure, and the placement of the catheter was corrected with conservative treatment. No visceral injuries or PD-related infections were observed up to 4 weeks after the catheters were implanted. CONCLUSIONS: This half-percutaneous technique for PD catheter implantation appears to be a safe, effective and feasible procedure. This technique has the advantages of reduced surgical trauma, a shorter operative time and faster postsurgical recovery. In particular, this novel technique is easy for nephrologists to perform and therefore may help to promote and popularize PD treatment.