Efficacy confirmation of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi in the treatment of periodontitis via topical administration and active ingredients screening.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Periodontal disease is a complex inflammatory disease that seriously affects peoples' lives. Scutellaria radix (SR) is traditionally used as a folk medicine to clear away heat and dampness, purge fire and detoxification. Although it has been extensively used as a medicinal plant to treat a variety of inflammatory illnesses, the efficacy and active ingredient for topical administration in the treatment of periodontitis is unknown. AIM OF STUDY: The aim of this study was to screen and validate the active ingredients in SR for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A ligature-induced periodontitis in rats was used to investigate the efficacy of topical administration of SR for the treatment of periodontitis, and the active fraction was screened after separation of the aqueous extract of SR into fractions of different polarities using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cell model. Chromatographic fingerprints were established for 18 batches of SR by high performance liquid chromatography. The potential active components were screened using spectral effect relationship analysis and the target cell extraction method. RESULTS: SR has good efficacy in the topical treatment of periodontitis, according to animal experiments. Five active ingredients were screened out and their anti-inflammatory activity was confirmed in vitro. CONCLUSION: The main active compounds in the treatment of periodontitis via topical administration of SR were found and this provides an experimental basis for further studies on the pharmacodynamic material basis of SR, as well as reference for the comprehensive evaluation of SR quality and the development of substitute resources.

Comparison between microwave ablation and radiofrequency ablation for treating symptomatic uterine adenomyosis.

Objectives: To prospectively compare the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous microwave ablation (PMWA) and ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (USgRFA) for treating symptomatic uterine adenomyosis.Methods: One hundred and thirty-three women with symptomatic uterine adenomyosis who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in our study from October 2015 to October 2017. Sixty-eight patients underwent PMWA, and sixty-five patients underwent USgRFA. All patients were followed up for 12 months. Assessment endpoints included treatment time, percentage ablation, percentage uterine regression, symptom severity scores (SSSs), dysmenorrhea scores and adverse events.Results: The mean age of the patients in our study was 39.4 ± 4.2 years (range, 35-50 years), and the median volume of uterine adenomyosis was 124.3 cm3 (range, 28.7-374.5 cm3). The mean ablation time was 16.3 ± 4.9 min (range, 5-23 min) in the MWA group, which was demonstrably superior to that of the RFA group, which was 37.5 ± 6.2 min (range, 5-39 min). The mean percentages of ablation of uterine adenomyosis were 79.7 ± 15.1% and 79.2 ± 14.2% in the MWA group and the RFA group, respectively, and showed no significant difference between the groups. The percentages of regression of uterine volume also showed no marked difference between the two groups. Changes in the dysmenorrhea scores and the SSSs after ablation were similar in the MWA group and in the RFA group, and no significant difference was found between the groups. Finally, the percentage occurrence of adverse events was the same in the two groups.Conclusions: The safety and effectiveness of PMWA and USgRFA in the treatment of uterine adenomyosis were similar; however, the mean ablation time of PMWA was shorter than that of USgRFA.

Effect of rhynchophylline on the expression of p-CREB and sc-Fos in triatum and hippocampal CA1 area of methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference rats.

To explore the effect of rhynchophylline (Rhy) on the expression of p-CREB and c-Fos in the striatum and hippocampal CA1 area of methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) rat, methamphetamine (2 mg/kg) was injected to rats and the conditioned place preference was observed in these rats treated with or without Rhy. An immunohistochemistry assay was used to determine the expression of p-CREB and c-Fos in the striatum and hippocampal CA1 area. Methamphetamine induced significant behavior alteration in CPP, while after pretreatment with rhynchophylline or ketamine, the time of staying in methamphetamine-paired compartment of rats was significantly reduced. Methamphetamine also increased the number of p-CREB positive cells in the striatum and hippocampal CA1 zone, as well as p-Fos positive cells. However, the compound Rhy could attenuate the effect. These findings show that Rhy can suppress the acquisition of CPP in rats induced by methamphetamine and the action may be related with the reduced expression of p-CREB and p-Fos in the striatum and hippocampus.