Primary study on the effects and mechanisms of separate and combined decoctions of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi - Coptis chinensis Franch extracts in relieving acute alcoholic liver injury in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SBG) and Coptis chinensis Franch (CCF) are traditional herbal medicine pairs used for clearing heat and eliminating dampness, stopping diarrhea, and detoxification. Traditionally, these two herbs are combined and decocted together, but the modern preparation procedures separate them to avoid the large amount of precipitation generated from co-decoction. Thus, a conflict lies between the traditional and modern extraction processes of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi - Coptis chinensis Franch (SBG-CCF). AIM OF STUDY: There is a conflict between traditional medical practices of SBG-CCF and the modern formulation industry. In this study, we investigated the differences in the effects and mechanisms of SBG-CCF extracted by decocting separately and combining decoctions, as well as the scientific effectiveness of traditional and modern treatment methods on both. Acute alcoholic liver injury (ALI) rats were used as the pathological model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SD rats were divided into 8 groups, including blank group, model group, low, medium, and high dose groups of SBG-CCF separated decoction, low, medium, and high dose groups of SBG-CCF combined decoction. Acute alcoholic liver injury model was induced in rats by gradually increasing the dose of alcohol through gavage everyday using white wine with an alcohol content 52%. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reduced glutathione (GSH) were used as indicators to assess the intervention effect of SBG-CCF. And the potential active ingredients of SBG-CCF and the targets related to ALI were screened using network pharmacology, and the prediction results of network pharmacology were verified by quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: SBG-CCF decoction alone and six combinations of decoctions have different degrees of improvement on alcoholic liver injury, with significant efficacy in the middle-dose group, and the combined decoction was superior to the individual decoction. SBG-CCF gavage can reduce the activity of AST, ALT, TC, TG, LDH, and MDA in the serum and liver of ALI rats, while increasing the levels of SOD and GSH. Network pharmacological analysis identified 39 active components, mainly flavonoids and alkaloids. Enrichment analysis suggested that SBG-CCF may treat ALI through the regulation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), interleukin-17 (IL-17), apoptosis, and the Toll-like receptor signaling pathways. The key targets in the Disease-Signaling Pathway-Target Network were MAPK8, IKBKB, MAPK10, MAPK3, MAPK1, and AKT1. qRT-PCR results indicated that targets regulating inflammation and lipid metabolism are MAPK8, MAPK10, MAPK3, and AKT1. CONCLUSION: SBG-CCF separately extracts and combines decoction can alleviate acute alcoholic liver injury, and the effect of combined decoction is more significant than separate decoction, implying that the precipitate produced by the combination of the two is also an active substance. The resistance mechanism of SBG-CCF ALI may be related to the modulation of lipid metabolism, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress. SBG-CCF has the characteristics of multi-component, multi-pathway, and multi-target resistance to ALI.

Overexpression of PvWAK3 from seashore paspalum increases salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis via maintenance of ion and ROS homeostasis.

Seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum O. Swartz) is an important warm-season turfgrass species with extreme salt tolerance, but investigations on its salt tolerance mechanism are limited. A salt induced PvWAK3 from halophyte seashore paspalum was identified in this study. Overexpression of PvWAK3 in Arabidopsis led to increased salt tolerance. Transgenic plants had higher levels of seed germination rate, root length, number of lateral roots, shoot weight, survival rate, Fv/Fm, ETR, and NPQ compared with the wild type (WT) under salt stress. Na+ content was increased and K+ content was decreased after salinity treatment, with lower levels of Na+ and Na+/K+ ratio but higher level of K+ in transgenic plants than in WT under salt stress. The improved maintenance of Na+ and K+ homeostasis was associated with the higher transcript levels of K + -Uptake Permease 4 (KUP4), Potassium Transport 2/3 (AKT2), Salt Overly Sensitive 1 (SOS1) and High-Affinity K + Transporter 5 (HAK5) in transgenic plants compared with WT. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate-peroxidase (APX) activities, proline concentration, and P5CS1 transcript were increased after salinity treatment, with higher levels in transgenic lines compared with WT, which led to reduced accumulation of O2·- and H2O2 under salt stress. It is suggested that PvWAK3 regulates salt tolerance positively, which is associated with promoted Na+ and K+ homeostasis, activated antioxidant enzymes, and proline biosynthesis under salt stress.

Fever glove hand-shake method safe blood collection from children's fingertips in COVID-19 fever clinic.

BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, the fever clinic is an important link for screening and diagnosing whether a patient is infected with the novel coronavirus. Blood collection from children's fingertips is a commonly used detection method; however, in children, the blood collection process may cause discomfort and resistance. To address this problem, the use of heating gloves combined with hand swinging can be considered for fingertip blood collection in children. AIM: To explore the application of fever gloves with the handshaking method for fingertip blood collection from children in fever clinics during the COVID-19 epidemic. METHODS: A total of 100 children were selected for fingertip blood collection at the fever clinic of our hospital from June 2022 to June 2023 and were divided into two groups using a randomized numerical table method, with 50 cases in each group, including the control and observation groups. The patients in the control group followed the doctor's instructions to cooperate with the routine fingertip blood collection method, and the patients in the observation group followed the doctor's instructions to cooperate with the static fever gloves with the shaking hands method of children's fingertip blood collection. The level of the six blood routine and collection indexes, and the satisfaction of the examination of the patients in the peripheral blood group and the fever gloves with the shaking hands method of the children's fingertip blood collection group were compared. RESULTS: The red and white blood cell count, hemoglobin, and red blood cell pressure volume in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05); the platelet count in the control group was lower than that in the observation group (P < 0.05); the number of times of squeezing the fingertip, the average time of blood collection, and the score of puncture pain in the observation group were significantly better than those in the control group (P < 0.05); and satisfaction with the routine blood examination in the observation group was greater than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: The application value of the fever gloves with shaking hands method for children's fingertip blood collection was better, the accuracy of examination indexes was higher, and patient satisfaction with the examination was greater.

Antioxidant effects of Se-glutathione peroxidase in alcoholic liver disease.

Oxidative damage induced by ethanol and its metabolites is one of the factors that fuels the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Selenium (Se) is an effective cofactor for glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and has antioxidant effects that improve ALD. In patients with ALD, ethanol-induced oxidative damage inhibits the synthesis of related Se-containing proteins such as: selenoprotein P (Sepp1), albumin (ALB), and GPx in the liver, thus decreasing the overall Se level in patients. Both Se deficiency and excess can affect the expression of GPx, resulting in damage to the antioxidant defense system. This damage enhances oxidative stress by increasing the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body, which aggravates the inflammatory response, lipid metabolism disorder, and lipid peroxidation and worsens ALD symptoms. A cascade of oxidative damages caused by ALD will deplete selenium deposition in the body, stimulate the expression of Gpx1, Sepp1, and Gpx4, and thus mobilize systemic selenoproteins, which can restore GPx activity in the hepatocytes of ALD patients, reduce the levels of reactive oxygen species and alleviate oxidative stress, the inflammatory response, lipid metabolism disorder, and lipid peroxidation, thus helping to mitigate ALD. This review provides a reference for future ALD studies that evaluate the regulation of Se levels and contributes to studies on the potential pathological mechanisms of Se imbalance in ALD.