Mapping the Landscape of Obesity Effects on Male Reproductive Function: A Bibliometric Study.

BACKGROUND: Due to changes in lifestyle and dietary habits, the global population with obesity is increasing gradually, resulting in a significant rise in the number of individuals having obesity. Obesity is caused by an imbalance between energy intake and consumption, leading to excessive fat accumulation, which interferes with normal human metabolism. It is also associated with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, male reproductive endocrine regulation disorders, systemic and local inflammatory reactions, excessive oxidative stress, and apoptosis. All these factors can damage the internal environment for sperm generation and maturation, resulting in male sexual dysfunction, a decline in sperm quality, and lower fertility. This study analyzes the trends and priorities of the effects of obesity on male reproductive disorders from a bibliometric perspective. METHODS: This study uses the Web of Science as the statistical source, covering all time spans. Tools like Web of Science, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace are used to analyze countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords in the field. Total publications, total citations, and average number of citations are selected for statistics. RESULTS: The results show that the research on the impact of obesity on male reproductive function can be roughly divided into three stages: the initial stage, the slow development stage, and the rapid development stage. Our statistical scope includes 463 highly relevant articles that we have screened. We found that the journal with the most publications in this field is Andrologia, and the institution with the highest total citations is the University of Utah. The most influential countries, institutions, and authors in this field are the United States, the University of Utah, and Carrell, Douglas. Currently, research related to the impact of obesity on male reproduction focuses mainly on three aspects: biochemistry, molecular biology, and reproductive biology. The keyword explosion results indicate that sperm, obesity, and male reproduction are at the forefront and trends of future research in this field. There has been a shift from basic biochemical and molecular research to research on molecular mechanisms relying on omics technologies. However, we have observed that the number of papers published in 2022 is lower than in 2021, indicating a growth interruption during this period. Considering that this deviation may be due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may hinder the progress of certain experiments in 2022. In recent years, China has rapidly developed research in this field. However, the average citation rate is relatively low, indicating the need for Chinese scholars to improve the quality of their articles further. Based on our research and in the context of global obesity, men are at risk of increased infertility. Addressing this issue relies on our continued research into the mechanisms of obesity-related male reproductive disorders. Over the past forty-three years, with the contributions of scientists worldwide, research in this field has flourished. CONCLUSION: The impact of obesity on male reproductive disorders has been extensively studied. Currently, research in this field primarily focuses on male sperm function, sperm quality, and the effects or mechanisms of cells on male reproduction. Future trends in this field should concentrate on the relationship between male fertility and energy metabolism, as well as the endocrine function of adipose tissue. This study comprehensively analyzes the current research status and global trends in obesity and male reproductive disorders. We also discuss the future developments in this field, making it easier for researchers to understand its developmental history, current status, and trends, providing valuable reference for effective exploration in this area.

Jionoside A1 alleviates ischemic stroke ischemia/reperfusion injury by promoting Nix-mediated mitophagy.

In ischemia-reperfusion injury in ischemic stroke, mitophagy, which can remove damaged mitochondria, reduce cytotoxic damage, and enhance neurological recovery, is crucial. Jionoside A1 is a substance found in the traditional Chinese herb Rehmannia glutinosa, which may have neuroprotective effects. The fundamental objective of this work was to find out Jionoside A1's contribution to ischemia/reperfusion injury in ischemic stroke. The oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD-Rep) model and the right transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model were established. Jionoside A1 was used for treatment. We utilized a tiny interfering RNA (siRNA) to lower Nix expression. The results suggest that Jionoside A1 may reduce ischemic stroke. By lowering the consequences of ischemia/reperfusion injury, Rehmannia glutinosa can be utilized to treat ischemic stroke. These discoveries provide fresh experimental information for the investigation of ischemic stroke ischemia/reperfusion injury and provide some theoretical justification for their application.

Aflatoxin B1 impairs porcine oocyte quality via disturbing intracellular membrane system and ATP production.

Aflatoxin is the most common type of mycotoxins in contaminated corn, peanuts and rice, which affects the livestock and ultimately endangers human health. Aflatoxin is reported to have carcinogenicity, mutation, growth retardation, immunosuppression and reproductive toxicity. In present study we reported the causes for the declined porcine oocyte quality under aflatoxin exposure. We set up an in vitro exposure model and showed that aflatoxin B1 disturbed cumulus cell expansion and oocyte polar body extrusion. We found that aflatoxin B1 exposure disrupted ER distribution and elevated the expression of GRP78, indicating the occurrence of ER stress, and the increased calcium storage also confirmed this. Besides, the structure of cis-Golgi apparatus, another intracellular membrane system was also affected, showing with decreased GM130 expression. The oocytes under aflatoxin B1 exposure showed aberrant lysosome accumulation and higher LAMP2 expression, a marker for lysosome membrane protection, and this might be due to the aberrant mitochondria function with low ATP production and the increase of apoptosis, since we found that BAX expression increased, and ribosomal protein which is also an apoptosis-related factor RPS3 decreased. Taken together, our study revealed that aflatoxin B1 impairs intracellular membrane system ER, Golgi apparatus, lysosome and mitochondria function to affect porcine oocyte maturation quality.

Comprehensive Expression Profiling and Molecular Basis of CDC28 Protein Kinase Regulatory Subunit 2 in Cervical Cancer.

More and more evidence suggests the oncogenic function of overexpressed CDC28 protein kinase regulatory subunit 2 (CKS2) in various human cancers. However, CKS2 has rarely been studied in cervical cancer. Herein, taking advantage of massive genetics data from multicenter RNA-seq and microarrays, we were the first group to perform tissue microarrays for CKS2 in cervical cancer. We were also the first to evaluate the clinical significance of CKS2 with large samples (980 cervical cancer cases and 422 noncancer cases). We further excavated the mechanism of the tumor-promoting activities of CKS2 in cervical cancer through analysis of genetic mutation profiles, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) significant enrichment of genes coexpressed with CKS2. According to the results, expression data from multilevels unanimously supported the overexpression of CKS2 in cervical cancer. Patients with cervical cancer in stage II from inhouse microarrays had significantly higher expression of CKS2, and CKS2 overexpression had an adverse impact on the disease-free survival status of cervical cancer patients in GSE44001. Both mutation types of mRNA high and mRNA low appeared in cervical cancer cases from the TCGA Firehose project. Gene coexpressed with CKS2 participated in pathways including the cell cycle, estrogen signaling pathway, and DNA replication. In summary, upregulated CKS2 is closely associated with the malignant clinical development of cervical cancer and might serve as a valuable therapeutic target in cervical cancer.

Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Properties of Resveratrol in Diabetic Nephropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Animal Studies.

Background: Accumulated experimental evidence suggests that resveratrol may have an effect on diabetic nephropathy by inhibiting inflammation and decreasing oxidative stress. However, the credibility of the evidence for this practice is unclear. Thus, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of resveratrol when used in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. Methods: Electronic bibliographic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies. The methodological quality of animal studies was assessed based on the SYstematic Review Center for Laboratory animal Experimentation Risk of Bias (SYRCLE's RoB) tool. A meta-analysis was performed based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions by using RevMan 5.4 software. This study was registered within International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) as number CRD42021293784. Results: Thirty-six qualified studies involving 726 animals were included. There was a significant association of resveratrol with the levels of blood glucose (BG), serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). Nevertheless, resveratrol treatment did not effectively decrease the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In addition, more remarkable antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects were observed in type 2 diabetic nephropathy rather than in type 1 diabetic nephropathy based on subgroup analysis. Conclusion: In this meta-analysis, resveratrol can exert its antioxidant activities by reducing the levels of MDA and recovering the activities of SOD, CAT, GSH, and GPx. With regard to pro-inflammatory cytokines, resveratrol had a positive effect on the reduction of IL-1ß. However, the analysis indicated that resveratrol had no effect on IL-6 and TNF-α levels, probably because of the methodological quality of the studies and their heterogeneity. Current evidence supports the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of resveratrol, but its relationship with the levels of some inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α in animals with diabetic nephropathy needs further elucidation.

Analysis of the Expression and Prognostic Value of MSH2 in Pan-Cancer Based on Bioinformatics.

BACKGROUND: MutS homolog 2 (MSH2), with the function of identifying mismatches and participating in DNA repair, is the "housekeeping gene" in the mismatch repair (MMR) system. MSH2 deficiency has been reported to enhance cancer susceptibility for the association of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. However, the expression and prognostic significance of MSH2 have not been studied from the perspective of pan-cancer. METHODS: The GTEx database was used to analyze the expression of MSH2 in normal tissues. The TCGA database was used to analyze the differential expression of MSH2 in pan-cancers. The prognostic value of MSH2 in pan-cancer was assessed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Spearman correlations were used to measure the relationship between the expression level of MSH2 in pan-cancer and the level of immune infiltration, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI). RESULTS: MSH2 is highly expressed in most type of cancers and significantly correlated with prognosis. In COAD, KIRC, LIHC, and SKCM, the expression of MSH2 was significantly positively correlated with the abundance of B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, and neutrophils. In THCA, MSH2 expression correlated with CD8+T Cell showed a significant negative correlation. MSH2 had significantly negative correlations with stromal score and immune score in a variety of cancers and significantly correlated with TMB and MSI of a variety of tumors. CONCLUSIONS: MSH2 may play an important role in the occurrence, development, and immune infiltration of cancer. MSH2 can emerge as a potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

[Evidence mapping of clinical research on 28 Chinese patent medicines for tension-type headache].

In this study, the evidence mapping methodology was used to systematically retrieve and sort out the clinical research evidence of Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of tension-type headache(TTH), and to understand the distribution of evidence in this field and the basis and quality of evidence. Chinese and English articles on the 28 Chinese patent medicines for TTH, which were recorded in National Essential Medicines List(2018), Medicine Catalogue for National Basic Medical Insurance, Work Injury Insurance, and Maternity Insurance(2020), and Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020), were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), Wanfang, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc(CBMdisc), PubMed, EMbase, and Cochrane Library from the establishment to June 2021, followed by descriptive analysis. Then, tables and bubble charts were plotted to analyze the distribution characteristics of evidence. A total of 129 eligible articles were yielded: 126 randomized/non-randomized controlled trials, and 3 systematic reviews. The functions, indications, and composition of the 28 medicines, as well as the proportion of related articles, publication trends, intervention measures, and outcome indicators were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the 28 Chinese patent medicines, composed of 128 Chinese medicinals, can be classified into six categories in terms of function: reinforcing healthy Qi, tranquilizing mind, dispelling stasis, regulating Qi, treating wind, and resuscitating. There are ongoing efforts to study the treatment of TTH with Chinese patent medicine in China, despite of little evidence. The clinical positioning of Chinese patent medicine for TTH is not clear, and clinical research fails to highlight the advantages of Chinese medicine. In addition, the outcome indicators have not been standardized and unified, and there is a lack of evidence on the long-term efficacy of Chinese patent medicine for TTH. This study is the first exploratory application of evidence maps to compare the characteristics and clinical research progress of 28 Chinese patent medicines for TTH, which can provide a reference for research on the optimization of Chinese medicine strategies for TTH.

Podophyllotoxin Exposure Causes Spindle Defects and DNA Damage-Induced Apoptosis in Mouse Fertilized Oocytes and Early Embryos.

Podophyllotoxin (PPT) is a kind of lignans extracted from the roots and stems of the genus Podophyllum from the tiller family, and it has been widely used in the treatment of condyloma acuminatum, multiple superficial epithelioma in the clinics. However, PPT has been reported to be toxic and can cause liver defects and other organ poisoning. In addition, emerging evidences also indicate that PPT has reproductive toxicity and causes female reproduction disorders. In this study, we used fertilized oocytes and tried to explore the effects of PPT on the early embryonic development with the mouse model. The results showed that exposure to PPT had negative effects on the cleavage of zygotes. Further analysis indicated that PPT could disrupt the organization of spindle and chromosome arrangement at the metaphase of first cleavage. We also found that PPT exposure to the zygotes induced excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), suggesting the occurrence of oxidative stress. Moreover, in the PPT-exposed embryos, there was positive γH2A.X and Annexin-V signals, indicating that PPT induced embryonic DNA damage and early apoptosis. In conclusion, our results suggested that PPT could affect spindle formation and chromosome alignment during the first cleavage of mouse embryos, and its exposure induced DNA damage-mediated oxidative stress which eventually led to embryonic apoptosis, indicating the toxic effects of PPT on the early embryo development.

Evaluation of walking exercise on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized cross-over controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: Hyperglycemia is closely associated with the occurrence of diabetic complications, especially for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Clinical trials indicated that walking exercise could improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but it is difficult to draw definitive and reliable conclusions due to the small sample size and possible exaggerated efficacy of various individual clinical trials. Therefore, we will conduct systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the current evidence for the efficacy of walking on glycemic control. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library will be searched for this review. Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool will be applied to assess the risk of bias of included studies. A meta-analysis will be performed according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions by using RevMan 5.3 and STATA/SE 14.0 software. Subgroup analysis will be conducted to investigate the sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis will be performed to assess the reliability and stability of the meta-analysis. Publication bias and small-study effects will be evaluated by a funnel plot and Eggers test if there are at least 10 studies. Additionally, the quality of evidence for this review will be assessed by Grades of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis will be to assess the efficacy of walking exercise on glycemic control. CONCLUSION: We will provide strong evidence to determine whether walking can improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study is supposed to provide references for clinical trials and patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study does not require ethical approval. The results of this review will be published in a peer reviewed journal. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202090046.

Potential preventive and therapeutic effect of Chinese herb rhubarb (da huang) for intensive care unit/pediatric intensive care unit gastrointestinal failure patients: A protocol for systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The Chinese herb da huang (DH) (Rhubarb) is commonly used for GIF intensive care unit (ICU)/pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) gastrointestinal failure (GIF) patients in China. However, the potential preventive and therapeutic effect of DH in these patients has not yet been studied systematically. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the preventive and therapeutic effects of DH in treating ICU/PICU GIF patients with the most recent evidence. METHODS: We systematically searched 7 databases from inception to March 30, 2018. RevMan 5.3 software was used to perform a meta-analysis. GRADE methodology was applied to evaluate the quality of evidence for each outcome. The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42018092710) in advance. RESULTS: Seven studies comprising 788 pediatric or adult participants were included in this analysis. Three indicators, including GIF occurrence rates (gastrointestinal mucosal hemorrhage, enteroplegia), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS)-related items (occurrence rates of MODS, mortality rates of MODS) and duration in the ICU was analyzed. The GIF occurrence rate meta-analysis result was (RR 0.47, CI 95% 0.37-0.60; P = .95); MODS related items indicator result was (RR 0.44, CI 95% 0.33-0.59; P = .41); ICU duration ICU result was (RR -2.87, CI 95% -3.53--2.21; P = .40). The safety of Chinese herb DH (Rhubarb) remains unclear. CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that the Chinese herb rhubarb (DH) powder combined with Western medicine was inferior to Western medicine alone in terms of preventive and therapeutic effects in ICU/PICU patients in terms of decreasing GIF occurrence rates (gastrointestinal mucosal hemorrhage and enteroplegia), occurrence rates of MODS, mortality from MODS, and shortened duration time in the ICU/PICU. However, larger sample sizes and rigorously-designed studies are necessary to conclusively determine the association between DH powder and outcomes in ICU/PICU GIF patients.

Podophyllotoxin affects porcine oocyte maturation by inducing oxidative stress-mediated early apoptosis.

Podophyllotoxin (PPT) is a lignan extracted from podophyllum genera and it shows potent antitumor activity since it could effectively inhibit the assembly of microtubule in tumor cells. However, the effects of podophyllotoxin exposure on porcine oocyte quality is still unclear. In present study we tried to examine whether podophyllotoxin exposure was toxic to porcine oocyte maturation. Our results showed that podophyllotoxin exposure inhibited porcine oocyte maturation, showing with the failure of polar body extrusion, and the inhibitory effects of podophyllotoxin on porcine oocytes was dose-depended. Moreover, the meiotic spindle formation was disturbed and the chromosomes were misaligned in the podophyllotoxin-treated porcine oocytes. However, there was no different expression for p-MAPK and ace-tubulin between the control and podophyllotoxin treatment group. In addition, after 0.01 µM podophyllotoxin treatment, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and the Annexin-V signal at MI stage significantly increased compared to the control group, indicating the occurrence of oxidative stress and early apoptosis. Taken together, our results suggested that the toxic effects of podophyllotoxin exposure on porcine oocyte maturation might be through its effects on spindle formation and the induction of oxidative stress-mediated early apoptosis.

Exosomal lncRNA HNF1A-AS1 affects cisplatin resistance in cervical cancer cells through regulating microRNA-34b/TUFT1 axis.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence of the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cervical cancer (CC). The objective was to discuss whether exosomal lncRNA HNF1A-AS1 impacted drug resistance in CC via binding to microRNA-34b (miR-34b) and regulating TUFT1 expression. METHODS: The expression of HNF1A-AS1 in normal cervical epithelial cells, cisplatin (DDP)-sensitive cell line (HeLa/S) and DDP-resistant cell line (HeLa/DDP) cells were detected. HeLa/S and HeLa/DDP cells were interfered with HNF1A-AS1 to determine IC50, proliferation, colony formation and apoptosis of CC cells. The exosomes were isolated and identified. Subcellular localization of HNF1A-AS1, expression of miR-34b and TUFT1 in receptor cells were also verified. The binding site between HNF1A-AS1 and miR-34b, together with miR-34b and TUFT1 were confirmed. Tumorigenic ability of cells in nude mice was also detected. RESULTS: HNF1A-AS1 was upregulated in DDP-resistant cell line HeLa/DDP. Silencing HNF1A-AS1 suppressed CC cell proliferation and promoted its apoptosis. HNF1A-AS1 was found to act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-34b to promote the expression of TUFT1. Exosomes shuttled HNF1A-AS1 promoted the proliferation and drug resistance of CC cells and inhibited their apoptosis by upregulating the expression of TUFT1 and downregulating miR-34b. Furthermore, suppressed exosomal HNF1A-AS1 in combination with DDP inhibited tumor growth in nude mice. CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that CC-secreted exosomes carrying HNF1A-AS1 as a ceRNA of miR-34b to promote the expression of TUFT1, thereby promoting the DDP resistance in CC cells.

Association of interleukin-27 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to HIV infection and disease progression.

Interleukin-27 (IL-27) gene polymorphisms are linked to infectious disease susceptibility and IL-27 plasma level is associated with HIV infection. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between IL-27 polymorphisms and susceptibility to HIV infection and disease progression. A total of 300 patients with HIV infection (48 long-term nonprogressors and 252 typical progressors) and 300 healthy controls were genotyped for three IL-27 polymorphisms, rs17855750, rs181206, rs40837 which were performed by using multiple single nucleotide primer extension technique. Significant association was found between IL-27 rs40837 polymorphisms with susceptibility to HIV infection (AG vs AA: adjusted OR = 1.60, 95% CI, 1.11-2.30, P = 0.012; AG+GG vs AA: adjusted OR = 1.44, 95% CI, 1.02-2.03, P = 0.038) and disease progression (LTNP: AG vs AA: adjusted OR = 2.33, 95% CI, 1.13-4.80, P = 0.021; TP: AG vs AA: adjusted OR = 1.50, 95% CI, 1.04-2.24, P = 0.030). Serum IL-27 levels were significantly lower in cases compared to controls (P < 0.001). There were lower serum IL-27 levels in TPs than in LTNPs (P < 0.001). We further found that LTNPs with rs40837 AG or GG genotype had lower serum IL-27 levels than with AA genotype (P < 0.05). The CD4+ T counts in cases were significantly lower than controls (P < 0.001). In contrast, individuals with rs40837 AG genotype had lower CD4+ T counts than with AA genotype in cases (P < 0.05). In addition, CD4+ T counts in TPs were significantly lower than LTNPs (P < 0.001). IL-27 rs40837 polymorphism might influence the susceptibility to HIV infection and disease progression probably by regulating the level of serum IL-27 or the quantity of CD4+ T.

A Significant Association Between Rhein and Diabetic Nephropathy in Animals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Rhein is considered to have beneficial influence on diabetic nephropathy. Animal experiments suggested that the mechanisms of rhein against diabetic nephropathy may involve many processes, but the credibility of the evidence is unclear. Therefore, we conducted systematic review and meta-analysis of pre-clinical animal data to assess the current evidence for rhein effects and mechanisms in treating diabetic nephropathy. Methods: The databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP information database, Wanfang Data Information Site, and Chinese Biomedical Literature were searched for this review. SYRCLE's risk of bias tool for animal studies was applied to assess the methodological quality of studies. A meta-analysis was performed according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions by using RevMan 5.3 and STATA/SE 12.0 software. This study was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42018105220. Results: Twenty-five studies involving 537 animals were included. There was significant association of rhein with levels of blood glucose (P < 0.05), serum creatinine (Scr) (P < 0.05), urine protein (P < 0.05), kidney tubules injury index (P < 0.05), relative area of kidney collagen (P < 0.05), transforming growth factor-ß1 (P < 0.05), malondialdehyde (P < 0.05), and superoxide dismutase (P < 0.05) compared with that in the control group. No significant association between rhein and endothelin (P > 0.05) was found. Subgroup analysis showed that the hypoglycemic effect of rhein on type 2 diabetic nephropathy was better than on type 1 diabetic nephropathy (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings suggested that rhein has beneficial effects on animal models of diabetic nephropathy, and that the mechanisms are mostly involved with ameliorating levels of TGF-ß1, renal fibrosis, metabolism, and oxidative stress status. However, some factors such as possible publication bias, methodological quality, and sample size may affect the accuracy of positive findings. These limitations suggested that a cautious interpretation of the positive results of this systematic review and meta-analysis is necessary. Therefore, high methodological quality and well-reported animal experiments are needed in future research.

Da-Cheng-Qi Decoction Combined with Conventional Treatment for Treating Postsurgical Gastrointestinal Dysfunction.

AIM: To assess the current clinical evidence of the effectiveness of Da-Cheng-Qi Decoction (DCQD) for the treatment of Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (PGD). METHODS: Randomized controlled trails (RCTs) of Da-Cheng-Qi Decoction (DCQD) to PGD were searched from available major electronic databases to September 2016. The intervention must be a modified DCQD or DCQD integrated to Western Medicine (WM) compared with WM or placebo or blank. The main outcome index was clinical effectiveness and improvement of major symptoms. Data extraction, data analysis, and methodological quality assessment are conducted according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Review of Interventions, version 5.0.2. RevMan 5.3 software was applied to our data analyses. RESULTS: Seven RCTs involving 494 participants were recruited and identified. The methodological quality of all trials were assessed and generally of low-level. Those studies were published between 2004 and 2013. All 7 studies which used herbals (modified DCQD) integrate WM in test group compared with WM as the intervention and only one study (Sunyouxu 2013) integrates placebo to Western Medicine as the control group intervention. The treatment course was 1 week to 2 weeks. Evaluation of intervention effectiveness consists of the clinical effective rate indicator and the PGD symptoms indicator including time of borborygmus, time of gastrointestinal exhaust, and time of defecate. The clinical effectiveness results are beneficial to the test group. CONCLUSION: DCQD could improve PGD symptoms and promotion clinical effectiveness.

Synthesis and antifungal activity of novel sulfoxide derivatives containing trimethoxyphenyl substituted 1,3,4-thiadiazole and 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety.

Selective oxidation of sulfides 7 or 8 to sulfoxides 9 or 10 is achieved by mCPBA. The structures of the compounds 9 or 10 are confirmed by elemental analysis, IR, and (1)H NMR. The bioassay results showed that title compound 10a possess high antifungal activities with EC(50) values ranging from 19.91 to 63.97 microg/mL. The mechanism of action of 10a against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was studied. After treating with compound 10a at 100 microg/mL for 12 h, the mycelial reducing sugar, D-GlcNAc, soluble protein and pyruvate content, chitinase activity showed declining tendency.