Progress in active compounds effective on ulcerative colitis from Chinese medicines.

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the colon, has a rising incidence worldwide. The known pathogenesis is multifactorial and involves genetic predisposition, epithelial barrier defects, dysregulated immune responses, and environmental factors. Nowadays, the drugs for UC include 5-aminosalicylic acid, steroids, and immunosuppressants. Long-term use of these drugs, however, may cause several side effects, such as hepatic and renal toxicity, drug resistance and allergic reactions. Moreover, the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of UC shows significantly positive effects, low recurrence rate, few side effects and other obvious advantages. This paper summarizes several kinds of active compounds used in the experimental research of anti-UC effects extracted from TCM, mainly including flavonoids, acids, terpenoids, phenols, alkaloids, quinones, and bile acids from some animal medicines. It is found that the anti-UC activities are mainly focused on targeting inflammation or oxidative stress, which is associated with increasing the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4, IL-10, SOD), suppressing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-23, NF-κB, NO), reducing the activity of MPO, MDA, IFN-γ, and iNOS. This review may offer valuable reference for UC-related studies on the compounds from natural medicines.

[Clinical application of Meek micrograft technique].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical application of the transplantation of the Meek autograft. METHODS: Meek autografts were transplanted on the full-thickness wounds of 10 patients, including 9 cases of burn and 1 case of necrofascitis, with the area of 8.6% (2% - 28%) of the total body surface, and the average of the area was. Meek skin graft was placed on the wounds immediately after escharectomy (in 4 cases), 4 - 16 days after tangential excision (in 4 cases), or on the clean wound granulation 35 - 45 days after the injury (in 2 cases). 108 pieces of extending gauze of different rates were used. As comparison, Stamp-like grafts, micrografts, or net-like graft were used in different places of the same bodies in 5, 4, and 1 case respectively. RESULTS: The operation time of Meek micrograft technique was 9 - 60 minutes. The survival rate of the Meek graft was 93% (100% in 8 cases for, 80% in 1 case, and 50% in 1 case). The operation time of the other operation techniques was 30 - 240 minutes. The average survival rate of the other operation techniques was 86% (100% in 2 cases, 90% - 98% in 4 cases, 80% in 3 cases, and 50% in 1 case). CONCLUSION: Meek autograft is suitable for all of the full-thickness wound except bone-exposure wound, including the wound of major burns. This technique uses less skin to repair the wound and the time for epithelization is shorter than that of the traditional methods. The staff and time needed for the operation are less. The outcome is good and the healed wound is fine-looking.