Case report: Ultrasound-guided median nerve electrical stimulation on functional recovery of hemiplegic upper limb after stroke.

Background: Functional restoration of hemiplegic upper limbs is a difficult area in the field of neurological rehabilitation. Electrical stimulation is one of the treatments that has shown promising advancements and functional improvements. Most of the electrical stimulations used in clinical practice are surface stimulations. In this case, we aimed to investigate the feasibility of a minimally invasive, ultrasound-guided median nerve electrical stimulation (UG-MNES) in improving the upper limb motor function and activity of a patient with right-sided hemiparesis. Case presentation: A 65-year-old male recovering from a left massive intracerebral hemorrhage after open debridement hematoma removal had impaired right limb movement, right hemianesthesia, motor aphasia, dysphagia, and complete dependence on his daily living ability. After receiving 3 months of conventional rehabilitation therapy, his cognitive, speech, and swallowing significantly improved but the Brunnstrom Motor Staging (BMS) of his right upper limb and hand was at stage I-I. UG-MNES was applied on the right upper limb for four sessions, once per week, together with conventional rehabilitation. Immediate improvement in the upper limb function was observed after the first treatment. To determine the effect of UG-MNES on long-term functional recovery, assessments were conducted a week after the second and fourth intervention sessions, and motor function recovery was observed after 4-week of rehabilitation. After completing the full rehabilitation course, his BMS was at stage V-IV, the completion time of Jebsen Hand Function Test (JHFT) was shortened, and the scores of Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity (FMA-UE) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) were increased. Overall, the motor function of the hemiplegic upper limb had significantly improved, and the right hand was the utility hand. Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) tests were normal before and after treatment. Conclusion: The minimally invasive, UG-MNES could be a new alternative treatment in stroke rehabilitation for functional recovery of the upper limbs.

Influence of kindergarten principals' contingent rewards on teachers' creative teaching performance: Testing a moderated-mediated model.

BACKGROUND: Although research has increased the current understanding of creative teaching, evidence on the factors that influence this behavior and the underlying mechanisms remains limited. OBJECTIVE: This study, grounded in conservation of resources theory, proposed and empirically examined the relation between contingent reward leadership (CRL) among Chinese kindergarten principals and teachers' creative teaching performance (CTP). In addition, the study assessed the mediating effect of organizational innovation support (OIS), bureaucratic organizational culture (BOC), and innovative organizational culture (IOC), as well as the moderating effect of ideological psychological contracts (IPCs), to provide robust insights into how CRL can motivate kindergarten teachers' CTP. METHODS: A total of 518 kindergarten teachers aged 20-55 years participated in the study. Structural equation model analysis was conducted to examine the multiple mediating effects of OIS, BOC, and IOC, as well as the moderating effect of IPC in the relation between CRL and CTP. RESULTS: OIS served as a mediator in the relation between CRL and CTP. OIS and BOC played a chain mediating role in the relation between CRL and CTP. OIS and BOC played a chain mediating role in the relation between CRL and CTP. Additionally, IPC positively moderated the indirect relation of CRL on CTP via OIS. CONCLUSIONS: Kindergarten principals should pay attention to the positive impact of leadership style and organizational culture on teachers' innovative behavior. Moreover, prioritizing the improvement of IPCs would benefit the development of innovative behavior.

Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked sausages by ultraviolet irradiation.

BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has been widely employed to disinfect food, however, the efficacy of UV irradiation in degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked sausages has not been explored. In this article, the UV degradation ability of PAHs in smoked sausages was investigated with different UV irradiation conditions, including different irradiation powers, durations and wavelengths. The effects of UV radiation on the quality of sausages were also evaluated, and potential degradation mechanisms were elucidated. RESULTS: The results showed that the irradiation duration was the primary determinant of PAHs degradation, achieving 84.4% and 84.2% degradation rates at 16 W and 32 W power for 30 min, respectively. Among the three UV wavelengths assessed, 254 nm demonstrated a significantly higher degradation rate for benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), PAH4 and PAHs compared to 365 nm and 310 nm. To further explore the degradation mechanism, UV irradiation was combined with water, 0.1 mol/L hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) and 0.1 mol/L ascorbic acid (vitamin C) coatings. The 0.1 mol/L H2 O2 coating exhibited the most pronounced degradation effect, suggesting that the highly reactive oxygen hydroxyl radicals (·OH) generated by UV irradiation played a critical role in initiating redox reactions. CONCLUSION: This systematic investigation paves the way for developing novel strategies to eliminate PAHs or other organic contaminants from smoked sausages. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

A Versatile Integrated Microfluidic Chip Based on Sonic Toothbrush-Assisted Mixing for Analyses of Diverse Biomolecules.

Usually, different assays and instrumentation are required for different types of targets, e.g., nucleic acids, proteins, small molecules, etc., because of significant differences in their structures and sizes. To increase efficiency and reduce costs, a desirable solution is to develop a versatile platform suitable for diverse objectives. Here, we established a versatile detection technique: first, target separation and enrichment were carried out using magnetic beads (MBs); then, different targets were converted to same barcoded DNA strands (BDs) released from gold nanoparticles; finally, sensitive detection of three different targets (miRNA-21, digoxigenin antibody, and aflatoxin B1) was achieved through exonuclease III (Exo III) cyclic cleavage-assisted signal amplification. To simplify the operation, we integrated this technique into a microfluidic chip with multiple chambers in which the requisite reagents were prestored. Just by moving the MBs through different chambers with a magnet, multiple steps can be completed. Due to the limited space in microfluidic chips, the full mixing of MBs and solution is a key point to improve reaction efficiency. The mixing can be achieved by acoustic vibration generated by a small, portable sonic toothbrush. Based on the microfluidic chip, the detection limits of the above three targets were 0.76 pM, 0.16 ng/mL, and 0.56 nM, respectively. Furthermore, miRNA-21 and Digoxigenin antibody (Dig-Ab) in serum and AFB1 in corn powder were also used to demonstrate the performance of this chip. Our versatile platform is easy to operate and is expected to develop into an automatic "sample-to-answer" device.

Effect of different concentrations of gellan gum with/without 0.50% basil essential oil on the physicochemical properties of gellan gum-rice bran oil coating emulsions and their application in egg preservation.

This work investigated the effects of different concentrations (0.10 %, 0.15 % or 0.20 %, w/v) of gellan gum (GG) with/without 0.50 % (v/v) basil essential oil (BEO) on physicochemical properties of gellan gum-rice bran oil (GG-RBO) emulsions. The results showed that GG-RBO emulsions with 0.15 % or 0.20 % GG were more stable than GG-RBO emulsion with 0.10 % GG (as evidenced by higher apparent viscosity and absolute zeta potential, but smaller average particle size and lower turbidity), thus displaying better coating performances (as evidenced by bigger contact angle but lower moisture content). The presence of BEO further improved their stability and coating performances. Coating with GG-BRO or GG-RBO-BEO emulsion with 0.15 % GG significantly delayed the increase in weight loss, and the decrease in haugh unit, yolk index and albumen pH of eggs during 42 days storage; moreover, GG-RBO-BEO emulsion caused lower total aerobic plate count. Therefore, GG-RBO, especially GG-RBO-BEO emulsion has potential in egg preservation.

Inhibition of benzo[a]pyrene formation in charcoal-grilled pork sausages by ginger and its key compounds.

BACKGROUND: Ginger and its extracts have been frequently used in food processing and pharmaceuticals. However, the influence of ginger and its key compounds on benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) production in meat processing has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of application of ginger and its important active ingredients on BaP formation and the mechanism of inhibiting BaP formation in charcoal-grilled pork sausages. RESULTS: The DPPH scavenging (23.59-59.67%) activity and the inhibition rate of BaP (42.1-68.9%) were significantly increased (P < 0.05) with increasing ginger addition. The active components extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide from ginger were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and 14 representative compounds (four terpenes, two alcohols, two aldehydes, four phenols and two other compounds, totaling 77.57% of the detected compounds) were selected. The phenolic compounds (eugenol, 6-gingerol, 6-paradol and 6-shogaol, accounting for 29.73% of the total composition) in ginger played a key role and had the strongest inhibitory effect on BaP (61.2-68.2%), whereas four other kinds of compound showed obviously feeble inhibitory activity (6.47-17.9%). Charcoal-grilled sausages with phenolic substances had lower values of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, carbonyl and diene (three classic indicators of lipid oxidation) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ginger and its key compounds could effectively inhibit the formation of BaP in charcoal-grilled pork sausages. Phenolic compounds make the strongest contribution to the inhibition of Bap formation, and the inhibitory mechanism was related to the inhibition of lipid oxidation. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ultrasound-Guided Median Nerve Electrical Stimulation to Promote Upper Limb Function Recovery after Stroke.

Peripheral electrical nerve stimulation enhances hand function during stroke rehabilitation. Here, we proposed a percutaneous direct median nerve stimulation guided by ultrasound (ultrasound-guided median nerve electrical stimulation, UG-MNES) and evaluated its feasibility and effectiveness in the treatment of stroke patients with upper limb extremity impairments. Sixty-three stroke patients (2-3 months of onset) were randomly divided into control and UG-MNES groups. Both groups received routine rehabilitation and the UG-MNES group received an additional ultrasound-guided electrical stimulation of the median nerve at 2 Hz, 0.2 ms pulse-width for 20 minutes with gradual intensity enhancement. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity motor function (FMA-UE) was used as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were the Functional Test for the Hemiplegic Upper Extremity (FTHUE-HK), Hand Function Rating Scale, Brunnstrom Stages, and Barthel Index scores for motor and daily functions. All the participants completed the trial without any side effects or adverse events during the intervention. After 4 weeks of intervention, the functions of the upper limbs on the hemiplegic side in both groups achieved significant recovery. Compared to the control group, all evaluation indices used in this trial were improved significantly in the UG-MNES group after 2 and 4 weeks of intervention; particularly, the first intervention of UG-MNES immediately improved all the assessment items significantly. In conclusion, the UG-MNES is a safe and feasible treatment for stroke patients with upper limb extremity impairments and could significantly improve the motor function of the affected upper limb, especially in the first intervention. The UG-MNES could be an effective alternative intervention for stroke with upper limb extremity impairments.

Trends of complications in patients with Parkinson's disease in seven major cities of China from 2016 to 2019.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder involving both motor and nonmotor symptoms. Multimorbidity acts synergistically to heighten the risk of adverse outcomes for patients with PD. Its complications have a major impact on the clinical management of PD. The present retrospective and multicenter study was first performed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of PD patients and assess the incidence of complications. The outpatient prescriptions for PD therapy were collected from hospitals in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin and Zhengzhou of China over a 40-day period per year, from the first half of 2016 to that of 2019. The survey covered the characteristics and representative complications of the study population. A total of 103 674 outpatient prescriptions for PD treatment from different graded hospitals of China were collected for final data analysis. It showed that 78.15% of PD patients were prescribed in the neurology department. 95.05% of the outpatient prescriptions were from general hospitals. We found that the overall PD prevalence was 0.47%, among which 52.96% of them were men. In addition, 82.10% of PD suffers were older than 60 years and 83.70% of them had complications. The top five highest frequencies of nonmotor complications in PD patients were sleep disorders, Alzheimer's disease, depression, lower urinary tract symptoms and constipation, with the proportions of 6.79, 3.87, 3.72, 3.32 and 2.40%, respectively. Meanwhile, the proportions of sleep disorders, Alzheimer's disease, and constipation were gradually increasing from 2016 to 2019. The characteristics of PD patients and the incidence of its complications were evaluated in the present prescription survey. These updated data provide evidence for further implementation of PD management.

Quality of frozen porcine Longissimus lumborum muscles injected with l-arginine and l-lysine solution.

This study investigated the effects of l-arginine and l-lysine on the water holding capacity, shear force, color, and protein denaturation of frozen porcine Longissimus lumborum. Four batches were prepared, each corresponding to samples of an experimental treatment: without a cryoprotective solution, injecting a 0.3% sodium tripolyphosphate and 0.5% NaCl solution, a 0.5% l-arginine solution, or a 0.5% l-lysine solution. The results showed that both l-arginine and l-lysine decreased thawing loss, cooking loss, shear force, L⁎ values, b⁎ values, and surface hydrophobicity, but they increased pH values, a⁎ values, percentages of peak areas for T21 relaxation times, and Ca2+-ATPase activity. Additionally, both histological and transmission electron microscopy images showed that l-lysine, and especially l-arginine could inhibit the formation of gaps between fiber bundles, alleviate the disruption of intracellular spaces, and maintain the structural integrity of sarcomeres. Overall, the results showed that both l-arginine and l-lysine hindered the structural damage of muscle fibers during freezing and protected myofibrillar proteins from denaturation, ultimately contributing to superior quality attributes.

Glycerol Infusion Versus Mannitol for Cerebral Edema: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: For the treatment of cerebral edema, the use of glycerol, an osmotic agent, as well as mannitol, is popular in Asia. However, the relative therapeutic benefit of glycerol remains unknown. The goal of this study was to investigate the comparative efficacy and safety of glycerol infusion versus mannitol infusion for cerebral edema. METHODS: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus for all eligible articles published before July 2020, with no restrictions on language. Two reviewers independently screened the articles, extracted data, and carefully assessed the quality of the evidence. FINDINGS: Eight studies (6 clinical, 2 animal) were ultimately included in the qualitative analysis, and five were included in the quantitative analysis. Pooled analyses revealed nonsignificant differences in the successful control of cerebral edema (relative risk [RR], 0.97; 95% CI, 0.81-1.15). The combination therapy with glycerol led to a favorable trend in neurologic improvements. Regarding safety, glycerol was associated with a significantly lower risk of acute kidney injury (RR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.11-0.69) and electrolyte disturbances (RR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06-0.64), as well as a lower possibility of rebound effects. No hemolysis was observed at the final follow-up. IMPLICATIONS: Although the data are limited, compared with mannitol, glycerol shows a similar level of effectiveness, a more favorable safety profile, and promising neurologic improvement in individuals with cerebral edema. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings. PROSPERO: CRD42020187702.

l-Arginine and l-Lysine Alleviate Myosin from Oxidation: Their Role in Maintaining Myosin's Emulsifying Properties.

This study investigated the alleviative effects of l-arginine and l-lysine on the emulsifying properties and structural changes of myosin under hydroxyl radical (·OH) stress. The results showed that ·OH decreased the emulsifying activity index and emulsifying stability index but increased the creaming index and droplet size of a soybean oil-myosin emulsion (SOME). Confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated that ·OH caused larger and more inhomogeneous SOME droplets. l-Arginine and l-lysine effectively alleviated ·OH-induced destructive effects on the emulsifying properties of myosin. In addition, ·OH increased the extent of protein carbonylation and dityrosine formation, surface hydrophobicity, and ß-sheet content, but decreased the tryptophan fluorescence intensity, solubility, total sulfhydryl, and α-helix content of myosin. Although l-lysine increased dityrosine fluorescence intensity, l-arginine and l-lysine effectively alleviated the aforementioned structural changes of myosin. Therefore, l-arginine and l-lysine could mitigate ·OH-induced structural changes of myosin, which enabled myosin to maintain its emulsifying capacity under oxidative stress.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Treatment and Pharmacist-Led Medication Management.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death across the globe. Its repeated exacerbation will seriously worsen the quality of life, aggravate the patients' symptoms, and bring a heavy burden on the patients and the society. Understanding the current status of drug therapy and the role of pharmaceutical care is essential for the management of COPD. In addition to the drugs already on the market, recent clinical trials also show that emerging novel drugs for treating COPD are being developed to prevent the symptoms, reduce the frequency of acute exacerbation, and improve the quality of life. Recent progress in new drug research should lead to novel treatment options for COPD patients in future clinical practice. The pharmaceutical care has shown significantly favourable impacts on addressing drug-related problems, supporting its vital role in the management of COPD, especially when there are a wide range of therapeutic agents. This review not only provides an overview of current treatment strategies but also further underlines the importance of new drug development and pharmaceutical care for patients with COPD.

Comparative efficacy and safety of glycerol versus mannitol in patients with cerebral oedema and elevated intracranial pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Glycerol is thought to be superior to mannitol in the treatment of cerebral oedema and elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), particularly with safety concerns. However, the current evidence remains insufficient. Therefore, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of glycerol versus mannitol in this meta-analysis. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chongqing VIP information, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the reference lists of relevant articles were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing glycerol and mannitol in patients with brain oedema and elevated ICP. Two investigators independently identified the articles, assessed the study quality and extracted data. Data analyses were performed using RevMan software. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Thirty trials involving 3144 patients met our inclusion criteria. Pooled data indicated that glycerol and mannitol had comparable effectiveness in controlling cerebral oedema (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.03; p = .97), but the risks of acute kidney injury and electrolyte disturbances were significantly lower with glycerol (RR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.27 and RR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.30, respectively) than mannitol. Moreover, there seemed to be a lower probability of rebound ICP after the withdrawal of glycerol. Neither haemolysis nor elevated blood glucose levels were observed in the glycerol group. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Regarding the balance between efficacy and safety, glycerol could be an effective and more tolerable alternative therapy for cerebral oedema and elevated ICP than mannitol, especially for high-risk populations of renal failure.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Camrelizumab Plus Chemotherapy vs. Chemotherapy Alone as the First-Line Treatment in Patients With IIIB-IV Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Without EGFR and ALK Alteration from a Perspective of Health - Care System in China.

Objective: The CAMEL clinical trial (412 patients were randomly assigned to either camrelizumab plus chemotherapy (n = 205) or chemotherapy alone (n = 207)) demonstrated that camrelizumab plus chemotherapy (CC) improved the overall survival time (OS) and progression-free survival time (PFS) of patients with metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (non-sq NSCLC) without epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutations (EGFRm and ALKm) vs. chemotherapy (C) alone. Our objective was to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of CC vs. C from a perspective of health - care system in China with a lifetime horizon to identify whether it will be cost-effective. Materials and Methods: A partitioned survival model (PSM) was applied for patients with IIIB-IV non-sq NSCLC without EGFRm and ALKm. Transition parameters and proportions of three health states were derived from the CAMEL trial. The model was designed using a lifetime horizon, a 21-day cycle, and a 5% discount rate of costs and outcomes. It was deemed cost-effective in China if the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) value is less than $32,457 per quality adjusted life-year (QALY). Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to verify the influence of parameter uncertainty on the results. Results: In the base-case analysis, we found that the ICER of CC compared with C is $-7,382.72/QALY which meant that CC had lower costs and better outcomes. The results of the sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the result was robust for the ICERs never transcending the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold. Conclusion: Camrelizumab plus chemotherapy is an obviously cost-effective therapeutic regime for patients of IIIB-IV non-sq NSCLC without EGFRm and ALKm in China at a $32,457 WTP threshold.

Evaluation of different proton pump inhibitors combined with bismuth quadruple regimens in Helicobacter pylori eradication.

To evaluate the efficacy and economics of different proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) combined with bismuth quadruple regimens for Helicobacter pylori (Hp) eradication, a retrospective analysis method was used to collect Hp-positive patients who were treated with a bismuth-containing quadruple regimen (PPIs + amoxicillin + furazolidone + colloid pectin bismuth) from the outpatient department of gastroenterology in our hospital from January to June 2017. A total of 1410 patients were included in the study and divided into four groups according to different PPIs: group A (pantoprazole sodium enteric-coated capsules, 352 cases), group B (esomeprazole magnesium enteric-coated tablets, 462 cases), group C (pantoprazole sodium enteric-coated tablets, 392 cases) and group D (rabeprazole sodium enteric-coated tablets, 204 cases). The eradication rate of Hp and cost-saving in each group were then compared. There were no significant differences of gender (P = 0.526) and age (P = 0.366) between each Hp treatment regimen. The eradication rates of groups A, B, C and D were 91.48%, 89.83%, 86.73% and 90.69%, respectively. No statistical differences of Hp eradication rates were observed between each group yet (P > 0.05). However, the cost of group A was the lowest. In the present study, the Hp eradication rates between different PPIs regimens were similar in treating Hp infection. Nevertheless, the point in favor of pantoprazole capsules is the slightly higher Hp eradication rate and lower drug cost than other PPIs, which provides a significant evidence for the clinical medication decision in treating Hp infection.

L-arginine and L-lysine degrade troponin-T, and L-arginine dissociates actomyosin: Their roles in improving the tenderness of chicken breast.

This work investigated the effects of L-arginine (Arg) and L-lysine (Lys) on the tenderness of chicken breast and explored the possible mechanisms underlying this effect for the first time. The results showed that both Arg and Lys decreased the shear force and increased the pH value, sarcomere length and myofibrillar fragmentation index as well as degraded the troponin-T by keeping calpain activity in chicken breast. In addition, Arg effectively reduced Ca2+/Mg2+-ATPase activities and promoted actomyosin dissociation. These results indicated that both Arg and Lys could enhance the tenderness of chicken breast, and it could also explain why Arg was more effective than Lys in improving the tenderness of chicken breast. These results will help facilitate the development of industrial-scale methods for improving the tenderness of meat products.

Mechanism and current progress of Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy and the fifth most lethal cancer type overall in women. Ovarian cancer often presents genome instability, with almost half of the ovarian cancers harbor defects in one or more of the six DNA repair pathways, most of them in homologous recombination (HR). Targeting DNA repair genes has becoming a unique strategy to combat HR-deficient cancers in recent years. The multi-functional enzyme Poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) plays an impart role in DNA damage repair and genome stability. PARP inhibitors inhibit DNA repair pathways and cause apoptosis of cancer cells, especially in homologous recombination (HR)-deficient cells. PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have drawn increasing amount of attention due to their remarkable efficacy and low toxicity in treating HR-deficient ovarian cancers (i.e. BRCA1/2 mutated). To date, three PARP inhibitor drugs have been approved for treating ovarian cancer by FDA in United States, namely Olaparib, Rucaparib, and Niraparib. In this review, we summarized the current research progress of PARPi from basic science to clinical studies. We discussed the mechanism of action of PARP inhibitors and the exciting results from the clinical studies of the FDA-approved PARP inhibitors. We also highlighted the current research progress on PARP inhibitor resistance, which has become a challenge in clinics.

Reduction and coordination properties of l-Lysine/l-arginine/l-cysteine for the improvement of the color of cured sausage.

This study investigated how l-lysine/l-arginine/l-cysteine improved cured sausage color. Visible detection showed that Mb(Fe2+)NO did not form when MetMb(Fe3+) was treated with a combination of l-lysine and NaNO2, l-arginine and NaNO2, or l-cysteine and NaNO2. Visible spectra and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) detection together indicated formation of Mb(Fe2+)O2 when MetMb(Fe3+) was treated with l-lysine, l-arginine, or l-cysteine; Mb(Fe2+)NO was formed when MetMb(Fe3+) was treated with a combination of l-lysine and NO, l-arginine and NO, or l-cysteine and NO. Visible, EPR, and fourier transform infrared results suggested formation of a complex of Mb(Fe2+) and l-cysteine by the coordination of sulfydryl and ferrous porphyrin. Therefore, l-lysine, l-arginine, or l-cysteine can promote the formation of Mb(Fe2+)NO by reducing MetMb(Fe3+) to Mb(Fe2+)O2, and l-cysteine promotes formation of a complex of Mb(Fe2+) and l-cysteine via coordination of sulfydryl and ferrous porphyrin, which may improve cured sausage color.

Effect of lentivirus-mediated CFTR overexpression on oxidative stress injury and inflammatory response in the lung tissue of COPD mouse model.

We aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanism of lentivirus-mediated overexpression of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in oxidative stress injury and inflammatory response in the lung tissue of mouse model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD mouse model induced by cigarette smoke was established and normal mice were used as control. The mice were assigned into a normal group (control), a model group (untreated), an oe-CFTR group (injection of lentivirus overexpressing CFTR), and an oe-NC group (negative control, injection of lentivirus expressing irrelevant sequences). Compared with the oe-NC group, the oe-CFTR group had higher CFTR expression and a better recovery of pulmonary function. CFTR overexpression could inhibit the pulmonary endothelial cell apoptosis, reduce the levels of glutathione (GSH), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) and increase the values of superoxide dismutase (SOD), GSH peroxidase (GSH-Px), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). The overexpression also led to reductions in the white blood cell (WBC) count in alveolus pulmonis, the concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, and the protein expressions of NF-κB p65, ERK, JNK, p-EPK, and p-JNK related to MAPK/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway. In conclusion, CFTR overexpression can protect lung tissues from injuries caused by oxidative stress and inflammatory response in COPD mouse model. The mechanism behind this may be related to the suppression of MAPK/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway.

Lianhua Qingwen prescription for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment: Advances and prospects.

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) which was infected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is still spreading and has led to unprecedented health emergency over the world. Though no specific drug has been developed so far, emerging agents have been confirmed effective or potentially beneficial to restrain it. Lianhua Qingwen (LHQW) is a commonly used Chinese medical preparation to treat viral influenza, including in the fight against SARS in 2002-2003 in China. Recent data also showed that LHQW played a vigorous role in COVID-19 treatment. PURPOSE: This review will elucidate the pre-clinical and clinical evidence of LHQW in lung protection and antiviral activities, and provide timely data delivery for the exploration of effective treatment strategies in the therapy of COVID-19. STUDY DESIGN AND METHOD: The research data were obtained from the academic databases (up to August 8, 2020) including Pubmed, CNKI and Web of Science, on ethnobotany and ethno medicines. The search keywords for screening the literature information were "virus", "COVID-19", or "SARS-CoV-2", and "Lianhua Qingwen". The documents were filtered and summarized for final evaluation. RESULTS: The collected evidence demonstrated that LHQW exhibited benefits against COVID-19. Impressively, LHQW in conjunction with conventional treatment could significantly improve COVID-19 patients as a synergetic strategy. The mechanisms were mainly involved the antiviral activity, and regulation of inflammation response as well as immune function. CONCLUSION: Although the data were far from adequate, the latest advances had shown the benefits of LHQW in COVID-19, especially in combination with other antiviral drugs. This review provides comprehensive evidence of LHQW as a complementary strategy for treating COVID-19. Nevertheless, imperious researches should be conducted to clarify the unconfirmed effects, regulatory mechanisms and adverse reactions of LHQW in treating COVID-19 by means of well designed randomized controlled trials.