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Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine Aug 2024Inflammation serves as a multifaceted defense mechanism activated by pathogens, cellular damage and irritants, aiming to eliminate primary causes of injury and promote...
Inflammation serves as a multifaceted defense mechanism activated by pathogens, cellular damage and irritants, aiming to eliminate primary causes of injury and promote tissue repair. Miq (), prevalent in Vietnam and southern China, has a history of traditional use for treating cough, fever and asthma. Previous studies on its phytochemicals have shown their potential as anti-inflammatory agents, yet underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The present study investigated the regulatory effects of on the anti-inflammatory pathways. The methanol extracts of (PDME) were found to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production and induce heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression in murine macrophages. While MAPKs inhibitors, such as SP600125, SB203580 and U0126 did not regulate HO-1 expression, the treatment of cycloheximide, a translation inhibitor, reduced HO-1. Furthermore, PDME inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and TNF-α expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. The activity of NOS and the expression of TNF-α, iNOS and COX-2 decreased in LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells treated with PDME and this effect was regulated by inhibition of HO-1 activity. These findings suggested that PDME functions as an HO-1 inducer and serves as an effective natural anti-inflammatory agent in LPS-induced inflammation.
PubMed: 38939180
DOI: 10.3892/etm.2024.12606 -
Phytochemistry Jun 2024Rhododendron dauricum L. is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Rhododendron, commonly utilized in formulations for treating coughs and bronchitis, as well as in...
Rhododendron dauricum L. is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Rhododendron, commonly utilized in formulations for treating coughs and bronchitis, as well as in herbal teas for enhancing immunity and preventing tracheitis. In this study, fifteen previously undescribed chromene meroterpenoids (1a/1b-4a/4b, 5-8, 9b, 10a, 11b), along with twenty-one known compounds were isolated from the dried twigs and leaves of Rhododendron dauricum L. Of these, (-)-rhodonoid E (9b), (+)-confluentin (10a), and (-)-rubiginosin D (11b) were separated for the first time by chiral HPLC separation. The elucidation of their structures, including absolute configurations, was achieved through a combination of techniques such as NMR, HRESIMS, modified Mosher's method and quantum-chemical calculation of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Seven pairs of enantiomers, compounds 1a/1b-4a/4b and 9a/9b-11a/11b, were initially obtained in a racemic manner and were further separated by chiral HPLC preparation. The biological assessment of these compounds against NO production was conducted in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells model. Compounds 9a, 9b, and 11a displayed inhibitory rates exceeding 80%, with IC values ranging from 8.69 ± 0.94 to 13.01 ± 1.11 μM. A preliminary examination of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) for these isolates indicated that chromene meroterpenoids with α, β-unsaturated ketone carbonyl and Δ double bond functionalities exhibited enhanced anti-inflammatory properties.
PubMed: 38936530
DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2024.114200 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Respiratory disorders significantly impact adolescents' health, often resulting in hospital admissions. Meteorological elements such as wind patterns have emerged as...
Respiratory disorders significantly impact adolescents' health, often resulting in hospital admissions. Meteorological elements such as wind patterns have emerged as potential contributors to respiratory symptoms. However, it remains uncertain whether fluctuations in wind characteristics over extended periods have a tangible impact on respiratory health, particularly in regions characterized by distinct annual wind patterns. Crete is situated in the central-eastern Mediterranean Sea and frequently faces southerly winds carrying Sahara Desert sand from Africa and northerly winds from the Aegean Sea. This retrospective study analyzes long-term wind direction data and their relationship to respiratory symptoms observed in children up to 14 years old admitted at the University Hospital of Heraklion between 2002 and 2010. Symptoms such as headache, dyspnea, dry cough, dizziness, tachypnea, throat ache, and earache were predominantly reported during the presence of southern winds. Fever, productive cough, and chest pain were more frequently reported during northern winds. Cough was the most common symptom regardless of the wind pattern. Southern winds were significantly associated with higher probabilities of productive or non-productive cough, headache, dyspnea, tachypnea, dizziness, earache, and throat ache. Northern winds were related to a higher incidence of productive cough. Rhinitis, asthma, allergies, pharyngitis, and sinusitis were related to southern winds, while bronchiolitis and pneumonia were associated with northern winds. These findings underscore the critical role of local climatic factors, emphasizing their potential impact on exacerbating respiratory conditions in children. Moreover, they point out the need for further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and develop targeted interventions for at-risk populations.
PubMed: 38929296
DOI: 10.3390/children11060717 -
Journal of Xenobiotics May 2024Waterproofing sprays can cause acute respiratory symptoms after inhalation, including coughing and dyspnoea shortly after use. Here, we describe two cases where persons...
Waterproofing sprays can cause acute respiratory symptoms after inhalation, including coughing and dyspnoea shortly after use. Here, we describe two cases where persons used the same brand of waterproofing spray product. In both cases the persons followed the instructions on the product and maximized the ventilation by opening windows and doors; however, they still became affected during the application of the product. Products with the same batch number as that used in one case were tested for their effect on respiration patterns of mice in whole-body plethysmographs and lung surfactant function inhibition in vitro. The product was used in spraying experiments to determine the particle size distribution of the aerosol, both using a can from one case and a can with an identical batch number. In addition, the aerosols in the mouse exposure chamber were measured. Aerosol data from a small-scale exposure chamber and data on the physical and temporal dimensions of the spraying during one case were used to estimate the deposited dose during the spraying events. All collected data point to the spraying of the waterproofing product being the reason that two people became ill, and that the inhibition of lung surfactant function was a key component of this illness.
PubMed: 38921648
DOI: 10.3390/jox14020039 -
The International Journal of... Jun 2024Asthma is a disease characterized by chronic airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation, with signs of variable airflow limitation and impaired lung function leading to...
Asthma is a disease characterized by chronic airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation, with signs of variable airflow limitation and impaired lung function leading to respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough. Eosinophilic asthma is a distinct phenotype that affects more than half of patients diagnosed with severe asthma. It can be effectively treated with monoclonal antibodies targeting specific immunological signaling pathways that fuel the inflammation underlying the disease, particularly Interleukin-5 (IL-5), a cytokine that plays a crucial role in asthma. In this study, we propose a data analysis pipeline aimed at identifying subphenotypes of severe eosinophilic asthma in relation to response to therapy at follow-up, which could have great potential for use in routine clinical practice. Once an optimal partition of patients into subphenotypes has been determined, the labels indicating the group to which each patient has been assigned are used in a novel way. For each input variable in a specialized logistic regression model, a clusterwise effect on response to therapy is determined by an appropriate interaction term between the input variable under consideration and the cluster label. We show that the clusterwise odds ratios can be meaningfully interpreted conditional on the cluster label. In this way, we can define an effect measure for the response variable for each input variable in each of the groups identified by the clustering algorithm, which is not possible in standard logistic regression because the effect of the reference class is aliased with the overall intercept. The interpretability of the model is enforced by promoting sparsity, a goal achieved by learning interactions in a hierarchical manner using a special group-Lasso technique. In addition, valid expressions are provided for computing odds ratios in the unusual parameterization used by the sparsity-promoting algorithm. We show how to apply the proposed data analysis pipeline to the problem of sub-phenotyping asthma patients also in terms of quality of response to therapy with monoclonal antibodies.
PubMed: 38910330
DOI: 10.1515/ijb-2023-0061 -
Fitoterapia Jun 2024Daphne genkwa, as a traditional medicine, is widely distributed in China, Korea and Vietnam. In China, the dried flower buds of this plant are named "Yuanhua". It has... (Review)
Review
Daphne genkwa, as a traditional medicine, is widely distributed in China, Korea and Vietnam. In China, the dried flower buds of this plant are named "Yuanhua". It has the ability to effectively promote urination, eliminate phlegm and alleviate cough, eliminate parasites and cure of scabies, with a broad spectrum of pharmacological effects and considerable clinical efficacy. This paper provides a summary and classification of the main chemical constituents of D. genkwa based on a review of relevant domestic and foreign literature. It also outlines the current research status of traditional clinical usage, pharmacological effects, and toxicity of D. genkwa. The aim is to provide a theoretical basis for further study of D. genkwa and its potential new clinical applications.
PubMed: 38906384
DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2024.106089 -
Internal and Emergency Medicine Jun 2024Proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) are empirically used to treat asthma symptoms such as cough; however, the effectiveness of PPI on asthma exacerbation has not been well...
Proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) are empirically used to treat asthma symptoms such as cough; however, the effectiveness of PPI on asthma exacerbation has not been well studied. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between PPI use and asthma exacerbation using a large administrative claims database in Japan. We conducted a self-controlled case series using the JMDC Claims Database (JMDC, Inc., Tokyo, Japan). The cases included adult patients with asthma who were prescribed PPI and experienced at least one outcome event between January 2015 and December 2019. The primary outcome was the composite outcome of hospital admissions and unscheduled outpatient clinic visits due to asthma exacerbation. We also conducted stratified analyses based on PPI generation, the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), asthma severity, and the number of allergic comorbidities. A total of 7379 eligible patients were included in the study. PPI prescription was associated with a decrease in the composite outcomes (incidence rate ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.87-0.93). However, PPI prescriptions did not affect the outcomes of hospital admissions (incidence rate ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-2.10). Stratified analyses based on PPI generation, the presence of GERD, asthma severity (except for severe asthma), and the number of allergic comorbidities yielded consistent results. PPI use was associated with a moderate decrease in asthma exacerbation, regardless of the patient profile. However, this effect was not as strong as the prevention of hospital admissions, and outcome events were not prevented in patients with severe asthma.
PubMed: 38904742
DOI: 10.1007/s11739-024-03687-4 -
BMC Pulmonary Medicine Jun 2024Chronic cough has been associated with reduced health-related quality of life, negative impacts on sleep, work, and other daily activities, and increased use of health...
BACKGROUND
Chronic cough has been associated with reduced health-related quality of life, negative impacts on sleep, work, and other daily activities, and increased use of health care resources. Little is known about the prevalence of chronic cough in Italy. In the present study we sought to estimate the prevalence of chronic cough in Italy, describe sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with chronic cough, and characterize the impact of chronic cough on overall health and wellness, work and other daily activities, and health care resource use.
METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study to collect sociodemographic and health-related data from Italian residents who participated in the 2020 National Health and Wellness Survey (N = 10,026). To assess the characteristics and burden of chronic cough, adults who indicated that they had experienced chronic cough during the prior 12 months were compared with propensity score-matched controls without chronic cough.
RESULTS
The estimated weighted lifetime and 12-month prevalence of chronic cough were estimated as 9.2% and 6.3%, respectively. Compared with matched controls, respondents with chronic cough had significantly lower measures of overall physical and mental health (P < .001 for both comparisons), and significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders (P < .001 for all comparisons). Chronic cough was significantly associated with higher rates of impairment of work and other activities (P < .001 for all comparisons) in the past 7 days, any-cause emergency department visits and hospitalizations in the prior 6 months (P < .001 for both comparisons), and more visits to general and specialist health care providers (P < .001 for both comparisons) in the prior 6 months.
CONCLUSIONS
In Italy, chronic cough affects an estimated 3.3 million adults annually and represents a significant burden to individuals and the health care system.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE
Little is known about the prevalence of chronic cough in Italy. We found that, in Italy chronic cough represents a significant burden to individuals and the health care system, affecting an estimated 3.3 million adults annually.
Topics: Humans; Cough; Italy; Cross-Sectional Studies; Male; Female; Chronic Disease; Prevalence; Middle Aged; Adult; Aged; Cost of Illness; Quality of Life; Young Adult; Adolescent; Health Surveys; Sleep Wake Disorders; Activities of Daily Living; Chronic Cough
PubMed: 38902654
DOI: 10.1186/s12890-024-03095-6 -
Cureus May 2024The long COVID phase is characterized by signs and symptoms persisting for at least three months after recovery from acute COVID-19 illness. There is limited data on...
BACKGROUND
The long COVID phase is characterized by signs and symptoms persisting for at least three months after recovery from acute COVID-19 illness. There is limited data on comprehensive long-term clinical follow-up of COVID-19 patients.
AIMS
This study aims to explore the burden and symptomatology of long COVID syndrome and its association with various health parameters.
SETTINGS AND DESIGN
This prospective observational study was conducted in Delhi from May 2022 to March 2023.
METHODS AND MATERIAL
A total of 553 adult patients who had recovered from COVID-19 were enrolled in the study. A sociodemographic and clinical profile was obtained using validated questionnaires, along with an evaluation of biochemical parameters to assess the associated factors.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED
Chi-square test, unpaired t-test, and bivariate regression analysis were applied using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 28; IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY). A p value of <0.05 was considered significant.
RESULTS
A total of 252 patients (45.6%) had long COVID syndrome, which was significantly associated with the presence of any pre-existing comorbidity (OR=1.46 (1.02-2.09); p=0.039), previous history of hypertension (OR=1.82 (1.07-3.09); p=0.027), and vaccination against COVID-19 (OR=1.392 (1.171-1.656); p=0.003). The most common symptoms reported were persistent fatigue (33.3%) and persistent dry cough (28.5%). Patients with long COVID syndrome are also reported to have poorer sleep quality. Biochemical findings showed abnormal T lymphocytes (9.3%) and raised HbA1c (11.9%).
CONCLUSIONS
Multiple risk factors and symptoms associated with long COVID syndrome were identified in this study. Research efforts and knowledge regarding the pattern of illness will aid in long-term monitoring and development of interventional strategies and guidelines for the care of recovered COVID-19 patients.
PubMed: 38899267
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.60652 -
International Journal of Language &... Jun 2024SPEAK OUT! has been shown to enhance various aspects of voice such as intensity, prosody, voice quality and perception of voice. However, their impacts on expiration and...
BACKGROUND
SPEAK OUT! has been shown to enhance various aspects of voice such as intensity, prosody, voice quality and perception of voice. However, their impacts on expiration and communication effectiveness have not yet been evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hybrid SPEAK OUT! method on aerodynamic measurements and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).
METHODS
This study included 157 participants with PD who underwent an intensive 8-week multidisciplinary treatment program. The Hybrid SPEAK OUT! method consisted of three sessions per week, including two group sessions and one individual treatment session. Voice-related aerodynamic measures included maximum phonation time (MPT), vocal cord function using the S/Z ratio, and expiratory flow measures including peak expiratory flow (PEF) and peak cough flow (PCF). Two PROMs were included: the Hebrew version of the voice handicap index-10 and communication effectiveness questionnaire.
RESULTS
The results of 111 participants were analysed. MPT duration increased, PEF and PCF increased, and better scores were found in PROMs.
CONCLUSION
These findings would appear to support the effectiveness of the Hybrid SPEAK OUT! methods improving function, activity and participation in individuals with PD. However, further research is needed.
WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS
What is already known on the subject Prior research has demonstrated the effectiveness of behavioral therapies, including the SPEAK OUT! program, in managing speech symptoms in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). These therapies have shown improvements in voice intensity, fundamental frequency, voice quality, and voice perception. However, the impact on aerodynamic measures, expiratory flow, and patient-reported outcome measures has not been extensively studied. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This study adds to the existing knowledge by demonstrating that a Hybrid SPEAK OUT! approach, can lead to improvements in aerodynamic measures, including maximum phonation time (MPT), expiratory and cough peak flow. In terms of motor learning, we found that two non-speech exhalation-related tasks that were not directly trained improved following the intensive speech training protocol. Furthermore, it shows positive changes in patient-reported outcome measures, with reduced voice-related disability and improved communication efficiency. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The findings of this study have important clinical implications for the management of speech symptoms in individuals with PD. The Hybrid SPEAK OUT! program, which combines group and individual sessions, can effectively improve voice, aerodynamic measurements and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), ultimately enhancing the overall quality of life for patients. These findings support the effectiveness of the Hybrid SPEAK OUT! methods for improving function, activity, and participation in individuals with PD.
PubMed: 38895888
DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.13077